She Ain't From Around Here

7 | spoke too soon

I WAS ENJOYING WHAT I was eating.
I savored the sweet yet crunchy piece of meat. I knew it wasn't chicken or beef but whatever it was, it was great.

"You do realize that's fried frog legs."
Rosie commented with a grin.

With my mouth full of the goodness, I nearly gagged as the thought of a slimy,
vile amphibian.

I maintained a calm look even though I wanted to reforge all the contents I ate. With a small constipated smile, I picked up a white napkin beside my right arm.

I spat out all the food into it whiles maintaining a lull expression.

Rosie guffawed and her brother who sat at the far opposite of me, looking bored and uninterested.

His eyes were cast on the wall in front of him.
So far, it had been almost thirty minutes since we started this dinner and he hadn't said or at least contributed to anything.

If I'm entirely honest, he looked like he'd rather be anywhere than here so much, it made me look like I loved this dinner.

After Rosie's hearty laugh, the table jeered.
Clint's father hadn't come to dinner and nobody commented about it so I decided to shut my mouth at that part.

The table settled down their jape whiles I took a sip of my coke.

Doris added up to the budding conversation. "Do you know Elaine is a model in London?"

I choked on my drink.

And that's when the child, Rosie's eyes widened in awe, (It disturbed me how her face contorted like that). "REALLY?!"

The girl snapped her fingers. "So that's where I remember you from! Elaine Maxine, the cover of Vogue, page twelve-issue twenty-two."

I was troubled that a young child was able to memories all these terminologies.

I was not a fan of stereotypes but the girl didn't look like a person who was a fan of the fashion and modeling industry.

Through her wild look in her eyes, constant band-aids on her body, she struck me as the 'ride or die' type of girl;

Playing carelessly, getting in silly shenanigans, and beating up her schoolmates.

In some ways, it reminded me of Elise, my sister when she was a child.

Catherine chuckled. "Rosie always wanted to be a model. Has been fantasizing about it ever since she was six."

Her eyes widened in excitement. "Ooo, I can't believe I'm meeting a real life model."

The child made me feel unusually, awkward and...

Shy.

This town isn't good for me. I thought, bitterly.

I felt the lingering gaze of Clint and when I looked at him he frowned and lightly shook his head.

What was that about?

I got distracted when Rosie, who sat opposite to me scrambled to me with her plate of food and took a seat at the vacant seat beside me.

The girl battered her eyes at me in reverence but didn't say anything but it was enough to make me feel disturbed and uncomfortable at the same time.

"That's amazing." Catherine gushed. "I'm sure your parents are proud of you."

Mmm...sure.

"Yeah..." I murmured, playing with my food with my spoon.

Then, there was a loud ding sound, from the kitchen.

"That's the chocolate cake," Catherine announced and got up from her seat.  Doris followed her trail to the kitchen.

Leaving me, the child, and Clint.

"Do you want me to grab a cake for you?" She asked cheerfully.

"No," I said, flatly. "I don't like cake."

Rosie looked horrified. "Who doesn't like cake! And it's chocolate!"

I added. "I don't like chocolate either."

The girl dramatically grasped.
Then before she could add anything else, her mother called out for her. "Hey, Rose?"

"Yeah?" She responded.

"Do you want some whipped cream on yours?"

The girl immediately scurried from her seat to the kitchen. "I want sprinkles."

Sprinkles with cake?

Disgusting.

There was an uncomfortable air that surrounded Clint and me when the child left.

Fuck. That child was my silver lining.

I heard the voice of Clint. "My sister seems to adore you."

I rolled my eyes at that then I shrugged. "Not a big deal."

He let out a humorless chuckle and I frowned.

I snapped in irritation. "What's with the laugh, what's so funny?"

He roughishly shrugged. "Nothing." Before he sipped his drink.

Funny guy, aye?

Then, to my surprise, he pulled out something and placed it on the table.

I rose my eyebrows at the action as I stared at the phone in front of me.
"You better take it because I can't return it." He murmured.

I took the box reluctantly and mumbled a small thanks.
I didn't think he'd get me a new one.

That was sweet and thoughtful.

I looked at him and he pursed his lips.

"You didn't have to get me one, but thanks," I told him.

"I wanted to." He admitted. "And I didn't want you to use that as an opportunity to talk to me and annoy me."

Spoke too soon.

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