Pull out All the Stops

“You have pretty eyes,” I mumbled as I dabbed at his lip carefully with a cotton swab.

It wasn’t like me to compliment people.

If they thought they looked good then super, that was enough for me. I’m not the compliment Committee; I’m not supposed to run around telling people that I think such and such looks good.

But some amount of…remorse swelled up inside of me as Frank sniffled and quivered all the way to my house.

And on the way I had complimented his shirt, shoes, him answering the do now correct in Sociology/Psychology today, and now his eyes. I couldn’t help it…I just kept blurting them out.

And Amber Ann doesn’t say things by accident.
Something was wrong.

Frank had kept his eyes on the ground the entire walk, and didn’t oblige when I’d directed him towards my house. He didn’t ask if my parents were home, and ignored the dog when she came to see him.

Yeah, serves you right bitch.

Not that I would’ve wanted him to ask those nosy questions anyway. ‘Cause I wouldn’t have asked him if I was in his position, mostly cause I just don’t do those things.

Glenn wasn’t home anyway, off in the city doing something. And I wasn’t gonna call him to let him know Frank was here, cause it was none of his business who I brought over.

To some degree it was, but I don’t and probably never will care.
Anyway.

Frank’s eyes were on me now, trying to read my face as I cleaned his. I noticed I had rested my hand on his thigh as he sat perched up on the bathroom counter top and quickly moved it.

“Finished,” I said and tossed the cotton swab, seeing Frank’s lip slightly lessen in the swelling department.

A normal person would shield their eyes from someone else staring at them, pretend they didn’t just see them looking at them. Put it off as a coincidence.

But when my eyes connected with Frank’s, I stared right back.

After a couple seconds of staring and my hand stuck in the air, reaching for the medicine cabinet, I sneered at him:

“What’re you looking at?”

He kept on looking.

I rolled my eyes and slid open the medicine cabinet, shuffling around until I found the Tylenol. I took out the bottle, rattling away with its little capsules of heaven and reached for a cup to catch some water from the tap.

I better be getting paid for this.

After filling it up, I handed it to the mime of a kid and cracked open the medicine, taking out 3 tablets and dropped them into his cup.

And I walked right out of the bathroom and back into my room.

A few moments passed before Frank shuffled into my room and sat beside me on my bed as I waited for my laptop to load up. I watched him look around my room carefully; ignoring the clothes I had left carelessly on the floor, directly next to the basket.

Clean = not a word I’m familiar with.

His eyes wandered over every single poster before he got up and really starting surveying my room, actually picking things up and gazing at them.

When he got to my vanity, I snapped, “See something you like?”

He continued to ignore me.
And I thought I didn’t have manners.

I rolled my eyes and signed online, ready to start with my homework…for some reason, I was ready to do it early today.

Anything is better than watching this kid do absolutely nothing.
It’s like watching a deaf baby listen to music.

“Why’d you bring me here?” Frank finally croaked out, his voice raspy from lack of use.

“Might wanna get some Dayquil for that,” I quipped first. “And where else was I supposed to take you? The county hospital?”

“You could’ve left me,” Frank reasoned, his voice muffled as he stuck his head into my closet.

“Maybe I should’ve,” I muttered.
What a weird fuckin’ kid.

“I heard that,” he said, jerking his head out of the dark cavern.
Hah, that’s what she said.
Wait never mind, that didn’t work.

“Those kids beat on me a lot,” Frank said quietly as he finally came to a stop at my window, sitting at the large sill.

“What for?” I snapped, pretending to be on some website. His back was to me anyway.

“I kissed the bigger guy’s ex-girlfriend in 8th grade…on the cheek. That was the last time any of them were civil to me. Turns out she left him cause they had sex and she suddenly realized she was gay.”

“People who pick on people are worthless,” I decided, saying it out loud. “What makes them so fucking special that they get to pick on people? Who died and made them god? Fuckin’ no one, that’s who…”

But Frank just gave me a half-assed nod.

I sighed, hating on the pricks that beat him up isn’t doing anything for him.
Which is surprising me greatly, I thought it’d work.

…Whatever, this is why I don’t do things for other people.
See how it’s just…annoying in the long run?

I put on some music and slowly put the computer down, sliding off the bed. Frank didn’t make any notice to show me at all he’d noticed I moved, so I quickly dashed out of my room and down the stairs, into the kitchen. Ignoring Paige, I got what I needed and ran back upstairs ad quietly as I could and crept back into my room.

Seeing Frank was still at my windowsill, sadly looking out the window – I came up behind him and slid my ‘present’ down the back of his shirt.

And the noise he made…it was too funny.
Wish I‘d recorded it.

“What the fuck is that?” He exclaimed, hopping off my windowsill to spin around in circles, attempting to reach into his shirt to grab whatever it was.

If he had half a brain, he would’ve noticed I’d opened the wrapper of my ice Popsicle and was already eating it, having tossed my wrapper in the garbage.

But he was too busy hopping around like a rabbit, the short fuck.
Not that I should talk.

But then again…I’m Amber.
‘Nuff said.

I sat back on my bed as he finally grabbed at his Popsicle.
…Which had fallen on the floor after his 5th hop.
And of course, he fuckin’ squealed.

I ignored him and pulled my laptop on top of my Indian styled crossed legs.
For some reason, saying that sentence out loud didn’t sound right either.

After one more look around my room, Frank finally came and sat on my bed beside me, curling up Indian style too after he’d kicked off his shoes. I could feel the hairs on his arm touching my arm gingerly as he leaned over to get a better look at what was going on my screen.

“Ooh, can we watch a movie?” Frank said, giggling at the end that, giggle-girl laugh I’m sure was gonna get on my nerves.

But for some reason, I clicked my favorite online movie website and handed over my laptop.
And I don’t give anyone my laptop.