"Why do you look like that?" Melissa gave Carter a disgusted glance, barely looking up from her cereal bowl.
"Eating on a Friday? I thought you only ate on weekends. Don't wanna get fat you know. Of course, you can eat anything you want can't you? Cause you have metabolism. Or is that just something God gives to preppie people with whiney voices?"
"Shut up. I'm serious. Why do you look like that?"
"Look like what?" Carter held her arms to the sides and looked down at her clothes. Purple velour pants and a yellow tanktop. "What's wrong with this?"
"It doesn't match."
"Purple and yellow look cool together."
Melissa shrugged. "I'd change back into your normal black 'I'm in the mood for a funeral' wordrobe. You don't look right in colors."
"I'll take your advice when I give a shit." Carter grabbed her black mini-backpack and threw it over her shoulders.
"Where are you goin?"
"Store. Why?"
"Can I come?"
"No." Carter gave her a quick smile before leaving the house.
When she finally made it to the store, she scanned the candy aisle, shoving bags of various sweets into her basket. "Tristan?" She looked over at the girl next to her. She appeared to be shoving a bag of Snickers into her coat. "Kinda warm to be wearing a jacket. Isn't it?"
Tristan smiled. "Oh hi. You're that girl that lives next to Trey's friend. Right?"
"Carter."
"Huh?"
"Carter. My name."
"Oh. You're that one that hangs out with Taylor right?"
"No. That's Melissa."
"Oh. Then who's the little boy that you hang out with?"
"Zac."
"He's a little young for you right?"
"He's 14. I'm 16." Carter shrugged.
Tristan grabbed a bag of Starburst jellybeans and shoved it in her other pocket.
"Hey. What all do you have in there?" Carter reached into Tristan's pockets and pulled out the Snickers, Jellybeans, and two can's of soda. "Planning a picnic?"
"No. Just didn't feel like pushing around a cart. And those baskits look really dorky. I was gonna pay for it though." She shrugged, a sign that she was clearly lying.
"Here." Carter put Tristan's things into her own baskit. "I have some extra money. How bout if I just pay for these. You can owe me."
Tristan shrugged again. "Yeah sure. Ok. Thanks. You're a nice little girl." She patted Carter on the head.
"Uh... thanks."
"By the way.. uhm.. Carter, right?"
"Yeah?"
"You don't match."
When she finally went home from the store, she sat in front of the tv for hours and just pigged out. It was a ritual that she did on friday's, usually with Zac. He wasn't feeling very well today and she was kind of worried. Zac never got sick.
She finally went to bed after calling him on the phone to make sure he was feeling ok. He said he was doing much better.
It wasn't until about 2:00 a.m. when Carter first spoke into her walkie talkie. "Hey goober. You up?" All she heard was light snoring.
"Goober. I know you're awake. Come on. I can tell when you're faking it."
Zac laughed. "Yeah I'm up. Dude you know what I was just thinking?"
"What?"
"We should chisel a hole in the wall."
"Why?"
"Just a little one so we can pass notes through the wall."
Carter rolled her eyes. "Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of the Walkie Talkies?"
"We're growing out of them, Carter. I mean, we're like... old and we're still using walkie talkies."
"I don't care Zac, you're not putting a hole in my wall."
"Oh come on! I'm dying to use a chainsaw."
Carter laughed. "I wouldn't let you near a chainsaw if I was burried in a brick of ice and that was the only way out."
"Blow torch?"
"No."
"Flame thrower?"
"Forget the fire Zac. We're not blowing a hole in the wall."
Zac sighed and stayed silent for a while. Just before Carter was drifting off into sleep, he screamed. "MEAT MALLOT!"
"Wha?! Zac? What?..." There was silence. "Oh shit. Zac. Get back here. You're not knocking a hole on the wall with a meat mallot!"
Zac laughed. "Fooled you didn't I?"
"Damn you."
"Are you tired?"
"Uhm. Yeah."
"Oh. I'm not."
"I am."
"I know."
Carter yawned.
"Wanna go for a walk?"
"What?! Now?"
"Yeah."
"I'm in my pajamas Zac."
"So am I. That'll make it fun."
Carter laughed. "Do you know what I sleep in?"
"Yeah. I randomly peek through your keyhole."
"Shut up. I only wear a tanktop to bed."
"So throw some shorts on and let's go!"
"Only if you promise that you won't be naked this time."
Zac groaned. "Aw man. That sucks the fun out of it. Forget it. I'm not going now."
Carter could almost tell that he was leaning with his back against the wall, his arms across his chest. "Stop pouting."
"I'm not pouting."
Carter laughed. When there was no sound coming from the walkie talkie for half an hour, she was sure he had finally gone to sleep. She closed her eyes.
It wasn't until two hours later when she heard Zac again. "Hey.. Car?"
Carter blinked hard and grabbed her walkie talkie. "What do you want Zac? It's like.. 4 something in the morning."
Zac moaned.
"Zac? What are you doing?"
He moaned again. Carter could hear him roll over on the bed several times.
"Zac! What are you doing?"
He stirred for a while longer and Carter knew there was something wrong. She could always feel these things. "Cart.... could you....come over?"
Carter shook her head. "What's wrong?"
"I don't... feel... so good."
"Is the balcony door unlocked?"
Zac didn't answer. All Carter heard was a loud "thud". Somehow she knew Zac had fallen off the bed.
She threw her blanket off of her and pulled a pair of shorts on. She ran out to the balcony and when through the door into Taylor's room. He didn't even move when she walked right through his room. She laughed for a second, watching him sleep, then ran down the hall to Zac's bedroom.
He was on the floor, twisted up in his blanket. Carter leaned over him and put her hand on his fiery forehead. She didn't even pull it away when she felt the cold layer of sweat. She smoothed his hair back and whispered, "Zac? Hey goober, are you awake?"
He moaned lightly and rolled over.
"What's wrong?"
"I think... I might throw up."
"You wanna go to the bathroom?"
He nodded.
"Alright. Let's go." She put her arm around his waist and walked with him back down the hall to the bathroom. He sat in front of the toilet for a half an hour, his head on the rim.
"I feel like I got hit by a bomb."
"Still feel like your gonna spew?"
"A little. But..." He yawned. "I just wanna go to bed."
"Wanna go back to your room?"
"No." He shook his head.
Taylor walked into the bathroom wearing only boxers. "What's... why are you here?"
"Zac's gonna barf."
"I gotta pee."
"You're gonna have to hold it." Carter smiled and looked Taylor up and down. "I see your wearing more clothes than you were earlier."
Zac laughed.
"What?" Taylor's cheeks turned bright red.
Carter looked down to Zac. "You gonna be ok?"
"Yeah. I think."
"K. I better get home." She stood up and as she walked out the door, she patted Taylor on his chest. "You know big guy, if you're gonna sleep naked, you should really lock the balcony door, or at least use a blanket."