Luke

Chapter 8

I passed out after I took a couple pills. I wasn’t planning on doing my homework; I just wanted to sleep without interruption for the rest of the night. I was tired of putting up with the band’s shit and Brielle’s constant talking.

There was a rap on my door. It woke me up and I rolled over, peeking at the red lights of my alarm clock; it was 8:17.  I ignored the knocking. Maybe whoever it was would go away after I didn’t answer. There was a knock again. “Luke?” I heard Lilly call behind the door, her voice muffled.

I moaned. “What do you want?” I demanded sleepily.

“Sammy isn’t home yet and I’m kind of hungry,” she replied quietly behind the door.

“So make yourself something!” I growled, covering my head with my pillow.

“I don’t know what there is to make,” she responded.

I pulled back the covers and crossed the room, quickly opening the door. Lilly stepped away, looking up at me.

“What do you mean you don’t know what to make? There’s plenty of crap in the kitchen.”

She looked down at her feet. “Sammy said I’m not supposed to cook anything.”

I sighed angrily and passed her, walking down the hall and into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets. Lilly followed me, standing in the entrance way to the kitchen and watching what I was doing. I pulled out a box of ramen and a chipped bowl, filling it up with water and putting the noodles in.

“Sorry,” Lilly muttered quietly, looking down at her feet and playing with her hands uncomfortably. “I know you don’t like being bothered.”

I put the ramen in the microwave and leaned on the counter. I didn’t look at her. She just stood there, not looking at me also, acting as if I was a stranger she asked a weird question to. I wanted to keep it that way; I’d rather be a stranger than a brother to her. 

The microwave beeped and I pulled the ramen out, burning my hands and dropping the bowl on the counter. The bowl didn’t break any more than it was, but the broth spilled onto the counter and onto the floor. It was just really fucking hot.

“Are you okay?” she asked, not moving an inch.

I took out a fork and stirred up the noodles, wrapping a cloth around the bowl and handing it to her.

“Thank you,” she said, watching me walk back into the kitchen and grab a sponge to clean up the mess. She continued standing there, watching me clean up the mess. 

"I-I can do it," she murmured.

"Just go eat," I commanded, standing up and rinsing the sponge under the running water of the sink. I heard her footsteps retreating down the hall, followed by the door clicking, signaling her entrance to her bedroom. 

After cleaning up the mess, I went back into my room, shut the door and locked it, climbing into bed and covering my head with the covers. That’s the first time I’ve spoken to Lilly in a long time. I lost track of how long, but I know it’s been a while. Lilly was Sam’s burden, and he should know that just because he has to work late or do whatever shit he does at night doesn’t mean he gets to throw her on my plate. He already knows I want nothing to do with her. I sighed, taking the covers off my head and staring at the wall, closing my eyes. I didn’t want to be bothered again.