Status: Critique greatly appreciated, nitpickers welcome! Don't be a silent reader!
The Key Chased the Blade
Taco Salad
I felt weird when I got home. I opened the door and was mauled by my little brother, but I pushed him off me and told him I'd go play the Xbox with him later. My older brothers were occupied with making some sort of concoction that I assumed was supposed to be taco salad. My dad was probably still at work. I went into my room and stared at my face in my mirror until I felt somewhat normal.
I looked bad. Like literally, I looked pretty terrible. My face was all white and blotchy and I looked like I'd been crying, even though I hadn't. I scowled at my reflection. Jesus. I was glad nobody tried to interrogate me about what I'd been doing. I wasn't going to deal with all of this now, I had other stuff on my plate.
Like John's terrible cooking, for example.
"God, John, what the hell is this?" I left my room and went over to the table to see my two brothers working on whatever they were working on. Instead of John replying, my other brother Rico looked over and grinned sheepishly. He was twenty and going to school to become a lawyer. He'd probably change his major again like he'd done last week. He was so indecisive; he'd probably had an argument with John with what was for dinner too.
"Well, Noah, as you can see here, we've got bloody intestines, pickled internal organs, and right here is fried human skin," John said. God, it might as well had been. I made a face at him and he bugged his eyes out back. He was a year older than me and couldn't cook to save his life, even though he wanted to be a famous chef.
"Jesus, John," I said. "Can't you be decent?"
"What do you mean, decent? Didn't you realize that we were cannibals? This is as decent as we get." He laughed and pulled out a plate for me. "Do you want the genitals, or do you want the brain? We've gotten a pretty good haul today. Tender meat of a fourteen year old."
I stuck my tongue out at him, but I was done with this. I felt sick again and he was not helping. John served some taco salad for me, slid the plate in front of me on the table, and I dug into it silently. I'd almost lost my appetite. God. His stupid bantering usually never bothered me.
Rico served more plates and John called my little brother, Logan, to the table and we all ate together. Rico sat next to me; he probably knew something was up, and he'd do that when he knew if things were up. I ignored him and ate fast. Then I got up, cleaned the plate in the sink, and didn't even remark on how terrible the cooking was. I was done. After that John asked me to wrap up the leftovers in the kitchen for Dad but I ignored him too and went to my room. I was really just done with them.
I pulled out my GameBoy and played Pokemon until I had to get ready for bed. Dad got home around that time and was winding down, but he didn't try to interact with me, he was probably exhausted from work. John was pissed about the whole dinner thing though, and I gave him the silent treatment, but Logan was mad too because I didn't play the Xbox with him, so I was a little lenient with him and told him I'd do it tomorrow. Rico was the only one who had the nerve to bother me. He eventually came in and sat in the middle of my floor while I played my GameBoy on my bed. I didn't say anything. I knew John had probably sent him to be the peacekeeper with me.
"What are you upset about? Usually John doesn't get at you like that," Rico said.
I continued to play the game.
"Did Simon do something?"
"Go away."
I threw a pillow at him as hard as I could. Rico caught it and set it beside him.
"Noah, was it Simon?"
"God, no, it wasn't him." I chucked another pillow, and again, Rico caught it and put it beside him. "Simon's not the problem."
"Then what is?" Rico said softly.
I turned and glared at him, but he had his stupid caring face on that just killed me. I threw another pillow at him. I hoped he'd leave soon, I was running out of pillows. "This girl went missing at our school. There. I said it. Now go away."
Rico's face turned pained and it killed me even more. "Did you know her?" he asked even softer.
"No." I flung my last pillow at him and he wasn't expecting it, so it collided right into his face and knocked him backward. I had quite the swing and he knew it now. Rico spluttered and put the pillow on the ground, wiping his teary eyes. Jesus. He wasn't going to leave. "I have to call Simon," I said. "He's waiting on me."
Rico was silent and I turned away to look back at my game. I didn't hear him get up for a while. God. He should've known by now that I didn't want to talk.
But then I heard him shuffle around and then he set the pillows back on my bed. He stood over me until I finally looked at him. He still had his caring face on. I scowled at him, but his stupid face didn't go away.
"Noah, I heard about it from John earlier," he said so quiet, it was nearly inaudible. "If you need anything, I'm here, and you could probably also talk to your school counselor."
"Yeah, whatever," I said.
Rico smiled, but it was barely a smile. It made his stupid caring face look even more caring. "Maybe I should be a psychologist so I can help you guys."
"Jesus, Rico," I said. "Just stick with being a lawyer."
He laughed faintly, which made me feel bad. "Alright, Noah," he said, and then he gave me a hug, which I didn't return, but it seemed to satisfy him and he left. God. When he closed the door I chucked the pillow he'd put by me behind him, and it bounced off the wood with a small flump. Then I played my game for a while more.
But when I finally decided to call Simon, I picked up my phone at the exact same time he sent me the most chilling text I'd ever received.
I looked bad. Like literally, I looked pretty terrible. My face was all white and blotchy and I looked like I'd been crying, even though I hadn't. I scowled at my reflection. Jesus. I was glad nobody tried to interrogate me about what I'd been doing. I wasn't going to deal with all of this now, I had other stuff on my plate.
Like John's terrible cooking, for example.
"God, John, what the hell is this?" I left my room and went over to the table to see my two brothers working on whatever they were working on. Instead of John replying, my other brother Rico looked over and grinned sheepishly. He was twenty and going to school to become a lawyer. He'd probably change his major again like he'd done last week. He was so indecisive; he'd probably had an argument with John with what was for dinner too.
"Well, Noah, as you can see here, we've got bloody intestines, pickled internal organs, and right here is fried human skin," John said. God, it might as well had been. I made a face at him and he bugged his eyes out back. He was a year older than me and couldn't cook to save his life, even though he wanted to be a famous chef.
"Jesus, John," I said. "Can't you be decent?"
"What do you mean, decent? Didn't you realize that we were cannibals? This is as decent as we get." He laughed and pulled out a plate for me. "Do you want the genitals, or do you want the brain? We've gotten a pretty good haul today. Tender meat of a fourteen year old."
I stuck my tongue out at him, but I was done with this. I felt sick again and he was not helping. John served some taco salad for me, slid the plate in front of me on the table, and I dug into it silently. I'd almost lost my appetite. God. His stupid bantering usually never bothered me.
Rico served more plates and John called my little brother, Logan, to the table and we all ate together. Rico sat next to me; he probably knew something was up, and he'd do that when he knew if things were up. I ignored him and ate fast. Then I got up, cleaned the plate in the sink, and didn't even remark on how terrible the cooking was. I was done. After that John asked me to wrap up the leftovers in the kitchen for Dad but I ignored him too and went to my room. I was really just done with them.
I pulled out my GameBoy and played Pokemon until I had to get ready for bed. Dad got home around that time and was winding down, but he didn't try to interact with me, he was probably exhausted from work. John was pissed about the whole dinner thing though, and I gave him the silent treatment, but Logan was mad too because I didn't play the Xbox with him, so I was a little lenient with him and told him I'd do it tomorrow. Rico was the only one who had the nerve to bother me. He eventually came in and sat in the middle of my floor while I played my GameBoy on my bed. I didn't say anything. I knew John had probably sent him to be the peacekeeper with me.
"What are you upset about? Usually John doesn't get at you like that," Rico said.
I continued to play the game.
"Did Simon do something?"
"Go away."
I threw a pillow at him as hard as I could. Rico caught it and set it beside him.
"Noah, was it Simon?"
"God, no, it wasn't him." I chucked another pillow, and again, Rico caught it and put it beside him. "Simon's not the problem."
"Then what is?" Rico said softly.
I turned and glared at him, but he had his stupid caring face on that just killed me. I threw another pillow at him. I hoped he'd leave soon, I was running out of pillows. "This girl went missing at our school. There. I said it. Now go away."
Rico's face turned pained and it killed me even more. "Did you know her?" he asked even softer.
"No." I flung my last pillow at him and he wasn't expecting it, so it collided right into his face and knocked him backward. I had quite the swing and he knew it now. Rico spluttered and put the pillow on the ground, wiping his teary eyes. Jesus. He wasn't going to leave. "I have to call Simon," I said. "He's waiting on me."
Rico was silent and I turned away to look back at my game. I didn't hear him get up for a while. God. He should've known by now that I didn't want to talk.
But then I heard him shuffle around and then he set the pillows back on my bed. He stood over me until I finally looked at him. He still had his caring face on. I scowled at him, but his stupid face didn't go away.
"Noah, I heard about it from John earlier," he said so quiet, it was nearly inaudible. "If you need anything, I'm here, and you could probably also talk to your school counselor."
"Yeah, whatever," I said.
Rico smiled, but it was barely a smile. It made his stupid caring face look even more caring. "Maybe I should be a psychologist so I can help you guys."
"Jesus, Rico," I said. "Just stick with being a lawyer."
He laughed faintly, which made me feel bad. "Alright, Noah," he said, and then he gave me a hug, which I didn't return, but it seemed to satisfy him and he left. God. When he closed the door I chucked the pillow he'd put by me behind him, and it bounced off the wood with a small flump. Then I played my game for a while more.
But when I finally decided to call Simon, I picked up my phone at the exact same time he sent me the most chilling text I'd ever received.
♠ ♠ ♠
Thank you guys for your comments. :) Feel free to help me edit this. If you catch something I didn't, please tell me!