Paper Thin

• 6: Sketches •

Melody

Mia stood at the bottom of the stairs, tapping her foot with a glare on her face. I was unsure of whether or not I should be happy that it was her instead of Margot. I didn't know what she wanted from me, so I held my breath and gave her a tight-lipped smile, hoping to avoid the inevitable fight I knew was coming.

"My mom is not happy with you at all," Mia stated, skipping the pleasantries. I sighed. "You left before desert... but then again, that might have been more beneficial to us all – you know, with the way you were eating dinner." The breath I sucked in was audible and it made Mia smirk. "I know I said you were eating like a cow, but it was more like a hippo with a vacuum cleaner for a mouth." My eyes narrowed at that.

"Okay, really what's your problem?" I sneered. I usually tried to avoid conflict, but that one stung.

"Not my problem. You were embarrassing the family," Mia exclaimed. I scoffed at that. 'Family' was such an inaccurate word to describe what we were. We were more like a group of strangers living in the same house. "Then you show up looking like a sloppy mess caught in the rain!"

"Are you done yet?" I asked quietly.

Mia raised an eyebrow at me. "That's all you have to say?"

"Guess so." I shrugged, gripping the railing of the stairs. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand for.

"Well, just wait until my mother gets to you, Didi," Mia warned, narrowing her eyes. I froze as the nickname left her mouth. It wasn't one I had heard since I changed schools and I was really hoping I wouldn't start hearing it now. She left the room and I sighed before turning around and going up the stairs.

***

Monday was a struggle in the morning. I was feeling all the soreness from Saturday. I had managed to take a long bath on Saturday night, and as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep. On Sunday, I didn't get out of bed, unless it was to use the bathroom, which wasn't often because I couldn't muster the energy to go get water. I stretched to get my laptop and watched two entire seasons of America's Next Top Model. That was it; my entire day... spent alone.

Monday was worse because I actually had to get out of bed. I pulled on a pair of dark boyfriend jeans, and an oversized, off-the-shoulder white sweater. My hair was down and straight, as I had blow-dried it after a quick shower. Of course, I didn't leave the house without putting makeup on and then I pulled on a pair of cute white sneakers before grabbing my backpack and leaving the house.

My legs still shook as I walked, but they didn't give out on me and I was thankful, as I had no way else of getting to school. When I finally arrived, I made it to my English class without stopping at my locker.

I hesitated before stepping into the room. I obviously hadn't seen Carson since Saturday evening, but I had thought about it a lot. I tried to forget about the negative parts. I thought about how he carried me closely to his body and his warmth radiated around me. I thought about the concern in his eyes and how I hadn't seen concern like that in so long. I thought about his smirk in the car when he teased me. It made my heart flutter and my cheeks warm.

But as I stood at doorway, I thought about all the negative things. I thought about how sweaty and gross I was, and the way my hair stuck to my face. I thought about how heavy I must have been to carry, and how he had to carry me until we got to his house. I thought about how he watched me throw up and then continue my frenzied run until I collapsed. I also thought about how he saw me freak out and how unattractive I must have been. It made my heart flutter and my cheeks warm, but for a completely different reason... shame, embarrassment, and nervousness.