Happy Pills

Chapter Three: Margo

"I don't need that shit, Mar."

Margo huffed and tugged her mess of curly brown hair away from her face, making a sound of annoyance as she wiped beads of sweat away from her forehead.

"I know you don't need it, Gramps, but you have to take it when you go out. We don't need an old man like you getting thrown into Boun Pines. You'd be killed there." She said as she shoved a tiny blue pill in his face.

"Oh, I'm sure it's not that dangerous." Gramps said, waving the claim away with his hand and turning his head away from the pill.

Margo sighed. "You'd be surprised." she said, slumping her shoulders and leaning back onto the couch.

"Pardon me? What do you mean?" Gramps asked, swerving his head to look at her.

Margo tensed up and looked away from him. She bit her bottom lip and her eyes bulged out of her head as her mop of dark brown hair fell in her face.

Gramps gasped. "Margo Spinster, have you been sneaking into Boun Pines?!" He raised his grouchy voice, and Margo shushed him.

"Oh, come on, you know how I am when it comes to following rules. Besides, I wanted to have a little fun, and there were certain ingredients I needed from there for my lab." Margo said simply as she dropped the pill into a tiny bottle and screwed it closed.

"Laws, Margo. Not rules. And if you break them–"

"Yes, Gramps. I know."

The old man sighed. "Truthfully, I don't care what you do, as long as you don't get hurt, and you don't get caught." he said, straining the last part.

Margo nodded and stood up from the couch. "I need to put my contacts in." she said before turning to leave the room.

"You really should just leave those in. You know, so you don't forget, or you'd have to keep your eyes closed all the time." Gramps joked, letting out a wheezy chuckle.

Margo snorted and rolled her eyes. "Shut up, old man. I'm careful enough."

Margo gave her grandfather one last look, then headed upstairs and to the bathroom. She swung the bright purple door shut behind her and opened the mirror cabinet, scanning the inside for a pair of orange contacts. She was sick of having to wear these things, they irritated her eyes and added a slight orange tint to everything. Nevertheless, they were required in Cherrude Pines, along with Diog Pines.

At least she didn't need to take her HP. Margo was smart, and a good liar. She could go without it, if she was careful. She'd have to act the same as she would while on the pill, and there would be certain times where she would actually have to gulp one down, like during surprise happy checks or home visits. But other than that, she was usually good. She had grown tired of the pill to the point that being "happy" just made her tired. The daily cycle had become draining.

Margo carefully put the contacts in one by one, then blinked a few times and looked at herself in the mirror. Her smooth brown complexion, the notable frown that played on her thin, chapped lips, her thick, curly brown hair... how skinny she was.

Margo furrowed her eyebrows. She took a step back and lifted her shirt up, looking at her stomach through the mirror. You could see her ribs, and her stomach was the tiniest it had ever been. She'd never been this skinny before. Gramps would freak if he saw her like this. They had enough food, so what was going on?

Margo sighed and opened the ripped brown satchel she had sitting on the toilet, rummaging around until she found a tiny box of green flower petals. She opened the lid and shoved the petals into her mouth, chewing and swallowing them, making a face at the revolting taste. She could feel herself gag, but she quickly placed a hand over her mouth and swallowed, then took a few deep breaths.