Teenage Baby

Chapter 28

Chapter 28:

Three reasons.

Three reasons had made Aaron choose not to do that to Lou.

  Firstly were his morals and nature that did not allow him to do something so jerky; he just couldn't backbite anyone. Secondly were the strategic restrictions. If he was trying to gain trust for his plan, then snitching on Lou could potentially ruin his good relationship with him. Thirdly came the tiny bit of respect he had for Lou—the only captor who didn't scare him or creep him out, and he'd helped him more than once. Aaron didn't have to put up a harsh act with him like he had to in front of the other two. Lou allowed him to be more like himself, and Aaron appreciated that.

And now Aaron sat on the counter in the bathroom, his fingers lacing together nervously in his lap as he waited for Mommy to turn from where she was working at the sink. He despised anticipation, not knowing what was going on or what could be revealed after a while. His nerves coiled as he waited.

Mommy finally turned, a wet, sudsy soap in her hand. "Let's clean this potty mouth, baby. Shall we?"

Oh no.

"You're not going to..." Aaron was somewhat relieved it wasn't anything too horrid, but he wasn't exactly a fan of inedible soapy objects being forced into his mouth. His bottom lip jutted out in an imploring pout. "But my nose hurts, Mommy," he said. "Did you see how the crayon hit me? It really, really hurt. I'm a baby, remember? I have fragile skin."

  Mommy didn't look impressed, only raising a brow. The unfazed expression on her face disappointed Aaron. He'd expected her to be more responsive to that kind of talking. So he gripped his nose then looked at her again with feigned sadness in his eyes. "It hurts. Do something, Mommy. Make me feel better, please?"

  Mommy sighed then put the soap down and came closer until she was standing just by his knees. Her dry hand caught the back of his head and pulled him to her chest, her arm curling around him as he snuggled up against her.

As much as Aaron dreaded it, he forced his reluctant muscles to move and curled his own arms around her waist, a gesture that had him dangerously close to throwing up.

  Startled, Mommy tried to circle her arm around him further, pushing him closer to her as she ducked lower to press her lips against the top of his head. She nuzzled against his hair and waited sadly for his arms to loosen from around her waist. She didn't want to be the one to break the hug, not when he'd finally interacted with her. As much as she wanted to get over with the punishment, she also really didn't want to get there—she didn't want him to stop hugging her, didn't want it to end.

"Baby, tell me when you feel better. We really need to get this punishment over with, yeah?" She dreaded each word she spoke, and she hoped he wouldn't listen to what she'd just said and hug her a little longer.

  Aaron kept his arms around her, tilting his chin until he could look up at her. "I'm not feeling better yet. Wait more."

"Baby, if you think that stalling will remove the punishment, you're pretty wrong." Mommy cocked an eyebrow, and Aaron understood that there was no messing with her. "I'll keep hugging you for hours, I don't mind. Until you feel better. And when you do, I'll get the punishment done."

  Aaron nodded then broke the hug and scooted further back until he pressed his spine against the wall. Mommy patted his cheek gently, her lips curling into an assuring smile. "Don't be scared, it's just going to taste bad. Just to teach you not to say bad words again, yeah?"

"Scared?" Aaron parroted under his breath. "I'm not scared. I just don't like soap in my mouth. This is heaven for a punishment. I've been through much worse."