Scarred

Chapter 17.

Theo

Confusion fills my spirit, and I get into the habit of gulping. "I thought you-"

"You thought I what?" She looks uninterested, which goes against everything I just heard her say. There is only one way I can find out what's really going on, I say to myself. "Where's Cooper?" I ask her. Although I hated seeing her cry, I can't help but wish she falls into the deep tears she was in before, and tells me all over again his jerkish movements.

"He's gone to take his sisters to dinner." I feel a magnificent drop in my heartbeat rate.

"So you two are-you're still together?"

"Why wouldn't we be? Dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry."

"Tell my mother that." Just like clockwork, Eliza's mother suddenly appears up the stairs, and finds her way in front of me and next to Eliza.

"Dinner's ready," she voices dully.

"I'm not hungry," I repeat.

"Eliza, go downstairs and start serving yourself," Rosanne orders, causing a look of concern and curiosity to waver across her daughter's face, but she doesn't act on it, and instead nods slightly and walks away.

Rosanne turns to make sure she is out of sight, before she opens her mouth to speak to me. "Would you like to repeat what you just said to me?"

"I'm not hungry," I affirm.

"Who would have thought? Now let me say something to you. I don't care if you're hungry or not; I made food for the three of us, so you will come downstairs, and you will eat."

"I'll only waste it. I'm not hungry," I repeat again, hoping this time she will get the message.

"Well, how about this then," she begins. "Eat my food, or get out of my house."

I stare at her, and notice the seriousness on her face. She means it, and in this moment, a part of me so desperately wants me to just leave. And never turn back. But I can't. It's like she knows that.

I walk past her, and down the stairs, where I hear her footsteps behind me. I take a seat opposite Eliza in the kitchen, who is too indulged in her food to notice the longing look I direct towards her for a moment. I snap out of it once Rosanne takes a seat to the side of us, and hands me a plate with chicken salad on it. I can't help but look at her some more, as my appetite falters even more every second that passes by. But, I take a deep breath and after piercing the fork a little too hard into the chicken, I place it into my mouth and hope to myself that I don't end up throwing up.

The next morning, I internally celebrate at hearing Rosanne call out to Eliza that she is leaving for work. After a few minutes to ensure that the coast is clear, I make my way downstairs to grab a bottle of water. I am not prepared to see Eliza, but her slim figure takes up my vision as she sits on the kitchen counter, a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. She turns around and after noticing me, she returns back to her food.

"Want some egg?"

"No."

"Good, 'cause I wasn't going to make it for you anyway."