Love Is Flower Like

Chapter 10

Edited 05/25/21

Meadow watched as Jacob scooped the last remnants of his cereal bowl into his mouth. She didn't know if she should be disgusted or curious about the whole thing. He grabbed the cereal box for another helping but put it down when he realized it was empty.

"Honestly, Jake. You have to stop eating so much," Meadow said. "I only get so much money every two weeks and Dad only gets allowance from the tribe. You're gonna eat us out of the house."

He wiped a line of milk off his mouth and said, "Sorry, MeMe. I'm just so hungry. I feel like I could eat a whole house and not be satisfied!"

"Well, why don't you go and do that instead of eating all the food in the house," Meadow said. She ran a hand through her short tendrils and sighed as she realized she would have to go shopping again. She had just gone about four days ago. Usually, she'd only have to go once every two weeks, but Jake's appetite was out of control!

"I said I was sorry!" Jake yelled. Meadow shrank a little at the ferocity he displayed. The amount of anger and the suddenness of it surprised her and she didn't know how to take it. Just then, her dad rolled into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" he asked. Meadow shrugged, but he wasn't paying attention to her. He was staring at Jake with a knowing look in his eyes. It was the same look he got when Meadow explained what was going on with Paul. She narrowed her eyes at him and wondered what else he was keeping from her. Her dad turned to her and examined her. What he was looking for, Meadow couldn't say. But she knew he was looking for something.

"Jake's eating too much," Meadow explained.

"He's a growing boy," her dad said. "He needs all the nutrients he can get."

"Yeah, a whole box of Frosted Flakes is the exact nutrients he needs," Meadow said sarcastically.

"I'll see if I can get my allowance bumped up so you can go food shopping again," her dad told her. Meadow stared at him incredulously. Instead of trying to sidetrack Jake's bad eating habits, he was going to just ask for more money? She didn't understand why he would do that. She wanted to protest but was scared to do so. Would he understand this time? She opened her mouth and closed it. She bit her lip hard enough that she tasted a hint of copper.

"Dad, I don't think you should do that."

She cringed as she realized she sounded defiant. She didn't think it would come out in that way, but she had misjudged how emotionally wrecked she was. Gathering her wits, she continued, "I mean, I know Jake is going through this weird growth spurt, but Jake really shouldn't be eating this much. It's not healthy for him."

"Just worry about yourself, Meadow," Jake spit out. She was hurt by his animosity but ignored otherwise ignored him as she waited for her dad to acknowledge what she said.

"I'll worry about Jake for now on, Meadow," her dad said. He leveled her with a gaze before he left the room. Soft eyes stared at him as he left and even after his form was not in sight. She felt defeated. She'd looked after Jake for so long, long enough to know when there was something wrong with him. How could he expect her to let him worry about Jake when she had been doing it ever since the twins left? How could he just brush her off like that? Her gaze sharpened and her teeth clenched together. She was mad. How could he dump Jake on her all those years just to dismiss her worries about him? She knew him inside and out. She knew his favorite cereal, his favorite color, his least favorite ice cream flavor, his dreams, his secrets. Heck, she even knew all the sizes of his clothes! She knew her brother. She knew him because she spent so much time with him. She practically raised him!

She marched out of the room, searching for her dad. She wouldn't take such a dismissal. Not today. Not from him. She found him outside. He was talking to Sam. Jared and Paul were beside them. Instead of wondering why the three of them were outside the house talking to her father, she marched up to her dad and positioned herself between the two men talking. She stared her dad down and waited until he matched her gaze.