Unnerved ((G/T))

Chapter Ten

Darren sat at the table, eating and chatting with Lori when he paused for a moment. He hadn't given Carrie her dinner! Bringing a hand to his face, he rose from the chair. "Excuse me for a moment, Lori, I just have to take my friend something." He smiled at her and picked a small bit of chicken off as he left the kitchen.

Lori watched, her eyes narrowing slightly. She didn't understand what was so important about that tiny thing. But she also felt that it was sweet he cared this much about it's well being. Her heart was torn on whether to like or dislike Carrie, she'll just have to wait and see what happens.

As Darren walked into the living room, the very first thing he noticed was that Carrie was no longer where he left her. His first thought was that she was just hiding again to try and get his attention. "Carrie?" He called softly with a quiet, annoyed sigh. When he didn't get a response, he brought his free hand up, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Carrie, I don't want to play this game right now." He looked around the room with a frown, getting an idea since he knew she was hungry. "Carrie, if you don't come out right now I'm just not going to let you eat until breakfast." 

Once again, there was no response but a delicate hand was placed on his shoulder. "Darren, is everything alright?" Lori asked softly as her own eyes scanned the room, unable to see the small girl.

"Carrie's missing again," Darren mumbled as he began to search the room. "I'm sorry Lori, but I just don't want her to wind up getting hurt. It's very easy for her to considering her size. I took her in because she was all beat up and hit her head on a rock and I couldn't just leave her out there in the cold after all." Panic began to set in once again as he continued to look for his little friend.

"That's sweet of you," Lori said quietly as she looked down, then began to look around. "I'll help you find her if it means that much to you. Where could she have gone?" She said quietly, frowning as she peeked underneath the couch.

"I-I don't know." He mumbled, trying to stay calm when Carrie's words flashed through his head. 'I don't want to be a burden.'  Just as her words registered, he saw that the living room window was open just a crack. Just big enough for someone of her size to squeeze through. The rain had gotten in, making a small puddle on his windowsill and he ran over to the window, closing it completely as he stared outside. She left, for real this time. He had to find her. Tell her that she was no burden on him. Why he felt so strongly about this he didn't know, but what he did know was that Carrie was out there all be herself in the rain.

"Lori, I need to go out. I think she ran away. Please, can you help me find her? We can have dinner again another night, I just don't want anything to happen to her!" He looked at Lori, his eyes pleading.

Looking at him, Lori gave a small nod. "I'll help you find her." She said quietly as she looked out the window and went over to the door. "I'm glad you take such a responsibility for her." To be honest, Lori didn't know what to think anymore. Did Darren maybe like Carrie? If so, she wanted him to be happy, not stuck with her. But then again, she herself liked Darren. Carrie seemed to as well. She couldn't let jealousy get the better of her, though. 

Darren ran outside in the rain, which was just a sprinkle but he knew it wouldn't be to his little friend. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he began to call for her. "Carrie?! Carrie where are you?!" He called as he began to search through bushes and carefully looked in the grass, frowning.

Carrie sat beneath a flower in Darren's garden, using its petals as a shelter from the rain. She didn't want to go too far from the house until the rain stopped, then she'd make a run for it. Darren and his new stupid girlfriend. She didn't want to sit and watch them fall in love, get married and have a baby.

As she sat there, tears welled in her eyes again as she wrapped her arms around her knees and began to sob quietly again before a loud voice made her jump. "Carrie?!" She knew it was Darren and moved further into the grass and stems of the flowers, trying to hide. She didn't want to face him. She didn't want to talk to him! Doing her best to quiet her sobs, she wrapped her arms around her knees tighter.

She heard rustling nearby and flinched, watching as a face leaned down in front of her, but instead of Darren, instead it was the face of Lori. But this gave Carrie an uneasy feeling as she pushed away a bit, tears running down her face.

Lori had heard the quiet sobs and knelt, looking into the frightened face of Carrie. Seeing the small girl cringe away, a frown formed on her lips. "Carrie...I know you're scared and upset for some reason. But please come out, Darren's worried about you."

"H-He doesn't care!" Carrie exclaimed at the giantess, tears in her eyes. "H-He didn't want me around with y-you two, a-and he likes you more than me anyway!"

Lori frowned and reached out, wrapping her hand around Carrie anyway, gently pulling her out. "Calm down Carrie, alright? Just try and talk to him first." She said softly, trying to calm her down. Lori no matter what could never deny someone who was crying and needed help.

Darren looked over and gave a sigh of relief. "Lori, you found her!" He ran over quickly, looking down at Carrie with a frown. "You ran off again! But Carrie, I swear you're not a burden. You're not in the way!"

Carrie held her head, frowning. "J-Just go away! I-I don't want to be around you when you're with her!"

Confused, Darren took her from Lori, holding her in his palm. "Carrie, please calm down and talk to me. I don't understand." 

The sadness quickly bubbled into anger as Carrie gripped her hair tightly. "How stupid and blind are you that you can't even see that I like you?!"

And just like that, silence fell over the three, the only sound rain pattering the pavement and windows.