Just Listen

Chapter 7

After Darcy and I were practically cookies ourselves, covered with flour and other ingredients, I went upstairs to take a shower while Darcy made the batter.

I looked at the shower knob, trying to figure out how to turn it on. It took me awhile but I figured that you have to pull out and turn it left to make the heat come. It was almost impossible to figure out how to turn on other peoples showers.

I turned on the fan as the steam accumulated and I stripped down until I was naked, flour flying everywhere. My clothes were crusty from the milk, egg, and flour mixture that Darcy threw at me.

I forced myself to keep looking straight into the mirror at my reflected eyes but I couldn't help but look down at my stomach.

I sucked my stomach in a little and turned sideways. Now, my ribs were showing a bit more and I didn't have as much of a potbelly.
Keep up the good work.

I gave myself a reassuring smile and stepped into the shower. As soon as my cold skin hit the steaming water, I yelped and jumped far away from the skin boiling water. I used my foot to turn the heat down until it was luke warm, afraid it would give me third degree burns, and let the water run down my back and wash out my crusty hair.

I washed it until I didn't feel any more pieces of food and slung my hair over my shoulder, checking for any more little pieces of oatmeal.
My hair often reminded me of an eerie dark black because the water made it look darker than it usually was. And when I did not find any more flakes, I decided to use her strawberry shampoo and cherry conditioner.

I did not have the luxury of using scented shampoos and conditioners because my mom was allergic to fragrance. And after the shower, I kept smelling my hair continuously like when you get your braces off and your teeth are all slimy.

A towel wrapped around my body, I tiptoed out of the steamy bathroom to look for Darcy's room. She told me that I had to go down another long hallway and take a left. I peered around the corner and spotted the hallway and patted my way down it. The wood floor was a dark beautiful brown and it almost looked like it was just waxed, it was that shiny.

My feet slapped the floor as I jogged, and my hair left a trail of water on my way to her room.
First door on the left. Found it.

I came across a white door that has signs on it, warning people to knock before they came in. I looked down the hall to see if there were any creatures lurking around, when I only heard Darcy clanging dishes in the kitchen.

I turned the utterly cold knob and opened her door, being hit with a wave of smelly perfume. It was a good smell, don't get me wrong, but it was too much.

I coughed and waved around my face, still holding onto my towel with one hand.

Her room was the opposite of what I expected.
I expected to see rock star posters, a black comforter and sarcastic quote painted on her walls.

Instead, the room was a baby blue theme with marvel posters and a long wall of Disney pins that people collected and traded when they went there. My family and I used to do that before I got too old to go on the roller coasters. Her whole floor was covered in the most fluffy white carpet and my feet sunk into it. It was so thick, that I couldn't even see my feet anymore.

Her walls were the kind of blue you'd see in a baby boys room. Her comforter was patterned baby blue and white like the rest of her room, and I could also tell that her favorite marvel character had been iron man because most of her posters consisted of iron man in different poses. Comic posters of him, movie themed posters. I admired her passion for him.