Don't Touch...

Audrey paced her bedroom. Who did he think he was? Barging in and out of Audrey’s room like- like she didn’t even live there! Like he had free reign over the entire house! This had to be the biggest mistake Audrey’s Mother had ever made. Life had been so perfect – or close enough to perfect – when it was just the two of them, and occasionally Dad. But no, she had had to go off and get married so that they could live with these- these things.

It made Audrey sick. She glared down at her impossibly white tennis shoes. She had never hated anyone as much as she hated Garret. He was so… so dirty! How could a person live in such filth? It had to be a mental problem. But what about his eating habits? Audrey had never known anyone to take in so much food! He ate constantly, which very well explained the condiments that stained his shirts. Did no one else notice how disgusting Garret was? Were they blind to it?

She ground her teeth. Mother was just too blinded by her happy family idea to care. She didn’t see any of their faults. But Audrey noticed. If only Mother would let her go live with her Dad. Audrey looked around her room, her Dad would be proud of its cleanliness. Mother said it was like being in a hospital room.

As if, Audrey thought. The room was painted warm orange. A color she had never seen in a hospital. Now Audrey was wrong for being clean. What was the world coming to? People like Garret were crooned over while Audrey was told to be… messy?! It was nonsense.

“Drey-Drey!” Sang Garret, strutting through the door of Audrey’s bedroom.

Already on edge, Audrey spun towards him, eyes flashing. She wouldn’t let her anger get the best of her. She wouldn’t do it. It would be embarrassing. She’d rather die than let that happen. But the curse had already left her lips and she began spewing angry words at him.

“All I want is some privacy! Is that too much to ask? And STOP USING THAT STUPID NICKNAME! My name is Audrey, Audrey, not Drey-Drey, not Audy, Audrey! Will you get a clue you stupid boy? I cannot stand you!” Another slew of curses left Audrey’s mouth.

Garret grinned, an infuriating grin. She was never like this, why was she being this way? Audrey never cursed. It was against everything she knew. She collapsed to her bed, completely worn out. This house was exhausting her. These people were exhausting. All she did anymore was sit in her room, too disgusted to venture anywhere else. She barely ate, barely spoke. Audrey was withdrawing herself more than ever.

“Are you okay…?” Garret asked skeptically, now seeming to slightly care that Audrey was having a mental break down.

Audrey merely shook her head. With a shaking hand, she grabbed her anti-anxiety medication. She swallowed the pills dry and took deep breaths. Garret moved towards her, slowly, as if she was a time bomb about to explode. He sat down beside her and put an arm around her.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I know school can get stressful, but it’s all going to be fine.”

Audrey gave a cold mirthless laugh. He thought she was having a hard time in school. Quite the contrary, she was doing fantastic in school. Garret pulled her into his shoulder when she started crying. He smelled like Fruitloops which made her laugh again. She needed her counselor. She was going utterly insane. Maybe he could prescribe her something for these odd mood swings…

Garret pulled Audrey even closer; her hair brushed his chin as she sniffled. For a moment she forgot how she had yelled at him not to touch her just a few days before. This was not right, Audrey knew somewhere in the back of her mind. His lips brushed her temple, her cheek, her chin…

Eyes widening, cheeks blazing, Audrey sat and let him turn her head to look at him. She didn’t know what to think. Her mind was screaming several things at her, telling her to turn away, to scream, to stay still. Then there was the swirl of confusion that clouded over everything else and froze her completely.

He watched her eyes, asking for permission nonverbally, but they were blank. A doe caught in the headlights. She could hear her heart beat in her ears. Garret leaned towards her; still staring into her eyes he brushed his lips against hers. It was a barely there touch.

Audrey’s throat was closing up now, her body reacting to touch while her mind was still in limbo. Her hands shook even more violently than before but she couldn’t seem to move them to push him away. Then his lips were completely on hers. For a moment, Audrey was lost in how soft his lips were, how it felt nice to be held like this; Garret’s fingers rubbing gently up and down her neck.

At last, her entire body seemed to seize up and she recalled the amount of germs that lingered just on the lips of a human. She could feel his lips opening and snapped from her immobile state. Audrey shoved Garret away and ran to the bathroom where she dug through the drawers and pulled out a brand new toothbrush.

She began to scrub her teeth forcefully. Her hands were still shaking, her face pale with large red blotches in odd places. When would her anxiety medication take affect? At this rate Audrey was bound to have a panic attack. She finished brushing her teeth and pulled out a bottle of mouthwash.

It felt as if germs were crawling all over her body, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood straight in the air. Goosebumps ran along her arms, across her shoulders, up her neck. She wrapped her arms around herself.

Audrey looked sickly. She was paler than she had ever been, dark circles were below her eyes, and her hair fell limply around her face. The first thought that came to her mind was why would Garret have even wanted to kiss her? She looked hideous and frail, nothing like those beautiful girls she had caught a glimpse of on his walls once. He must have been desperate. Or it was just a spur of the moment thing.

Slowly, she made her way back to her bedroom. Garret still sat on her bed – Audrey flinched at the sight, she would have to wash her blankets now – looking just as shocked as she felt. Redirecting quickly, Audrey decided a walk would be nice. A nice, long walk… She could get her bearings.