The Way We Are

14

The process of trying to bathe without getting her bandages wet was a mission. Lola succeeded with difficulty and soon tentatively walked out of the bathroom in a simple pinafore dress. She turned the cuffs of her shirt down before pulling on socks and slipping on her shoes.

Truthfully, she didn't know what was the point of looking like she was going to go out. Hell no did she want to go out anytime soon. She understood why no one wished to. With a frown she shuffled out of her room, it was still early, and teenagers seemed to like to sleep in. That was something Lola had seemed to have skipped, the want to be lazy. Maybe because she always had to be awake in case something happened to her, or her possessions. There were times where she slept on the streets in her travels and she had almost been mugged. Not much of a fighter was pretty evident, all she had done was scream and attempt a kick and ran off with her things bundled in her arms.

With a frown she conquered the stairs slowly, really slowly. After all, what was there to rush for? She had nowhere to be, nowhere to go. She swung around the door after knocking and frowning. "What's that?" Hank had merely looked up when the door open, being caught red handed, he placed the syringe down. Lola was looking at him questionably. The fact that he didn't answer her caused her to frown even more and walk further into the room. She shut the door behind herself and continued onwards. "Hank?" She leaned on the opposite side to him and looked over the cleared work table before looking up at him. She eyed the syringe up with a disturbed look. That was way too sharp, and way too close for her liking. She had had enough of sharp pointy things this morning. Hank's shocked face of seeing her, let alone her talking receded to just a blank mask. His hand reached out and grasped onto hers though when she had plucked up enough courage to pull the syringe close to look at the clear liquid which was within. Lola looked at him with wide eyes, he was so quick to stop her hand, and the grasp on her hand was tight and firm.

"Let go, Lola." She simply blinked and looked at him, yet her hand remained around the syringe. "Lola, I mean it, let go."

"But why?"

"Because I asked you to," Hank frowned. Why and what other reason would she need?

"But what is it?" Lola pressed while fidgeting her hand, she tried to lessen the hold, only to fail. Hank didn't seem to wish to let go, if anything her moving caused his fingers to wrap and hold on tighter. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't the most comfortable. She was after all, half leaning across a table and now stuck because Hank was holding on.

"The serum, okay? Now can you let go?" Hank said shortly in an exasperated tone.

"You...no," Lola seemed in mind to say something else, only to change her mind. She frowned and shook her head. "No!" Lola exclaimed when Hank seemed to just have it in mind to snatch the syringe from her hand with his other hand. She shook her hand from the action, and from it being suddenly free and walked around the table and grasped onto his wrist. "No," she kept his arm to one side. She could easily feel him pushing back, despite not looking at all strong, Hank really was pushing back against her hand with ease. What else did she expect considering who he was when he wasn't hiding away?

"Lola-" Hank said shortly, getting quite irritable.

"One day! Just one day without it, Hank. I bet you anything that nothing will happen." Lola said while remaining motionless.

"I need it."

"You sound like an addict. No you don't." Lola's tone was as blunt as his own as she stared up at him. She yelped when Hank easily, yet again, got free of her grasp. He made getting free look so easy. Anyone else would tug and pull, either give up or luckily get free. But all Hank had to do was pull swiftly and her grip weakened. He paced away from her now so she couldn't get close. Lola watched him, her arms hung by her side. She realised something then, at this time, that perhaps he was slightly addicted to taking this serum. Maybe there was an addiction in being able to hide away, secretly knowing that there was a semblance of normalcy, if only for a short period of time. If not that, then maybe there were slight addictive qualities within the serum itself. Lola didn't know. She didn't know its chemical makeup.