Chapter Twenty-Three| The Misfortune in Spray Bottles

                                    

                                          
Chapter Twenty Three| The Misfortune in Spray Bottles
                          
"Auntie Care!" Arah squealed when I sprayed her with water from the kitchen hose. She was perched on the counter while I washed dishes. She sat with a dish rag to dry the spoons and small items I handed to her. 
                          
Lately, I had been seeing less and less of Brook and more of Arah. Brook seemed so tired most days and Arah had so much energy that I always kept her with me as much as I could. I didn't mind, it was like having a little minion. She played with Minx, who was glad to have the company, she washed dishes with me, I taught her some colors by sorting my makeup. Valentina was so busy prepping for the end of the year and all the scholarship and college scouts that I barely saw her and Arah was a welcome distraction from my heartache with Alec. 
                          
Apparently, being the first ones in the classroom meant you had the right to make out against it. 
                          
I, unfortunately, must admit that I had cried a few times over him with the constant reminder of how I screwed up and now he was screwing her. 
                          
Well, I mean I don't know for sure but the girls bathroom is a good place to learn the best gossip before they find you on the other side of the wall. The girls bathroom on the third floor was split into two parts with a wall in between, where the sinks were. I was on one side, wiping my eyes and reapplying my makeup after I walked in on Alec and Melisa in the classroom when a few other girls walked in. 
                          
"Did you see Alec and Mel in English? They were all over each other!" One laughed and I froze. 
                          
"That PDA man, it's like get a room!" The other laughed. 
                          
"I don't know, I kind of shipped them," she replied. 
                          
"I like him and Carrie Edwards, they were cute," the other one said.
                          
"Who's Carrie Edwards?" 
                          
"The girl whose brother just died, ya know, he was the hot one we saw in the café like six months ago," she explained. 
                          
"Oh him! Yeah, I remember. He was cute," she laughed. 
                          
"He actually dated Carrie? That must have been a hard conversation to keep, she's like mute. Or she stutters or something. I remember in like sixth grade when she came from her school for retards, she used to stutter." 
                          
School for retards, my ass. If anyone's retarded here, it's probably you. Maybe you can go find the scarecrow in Wizard of Oz and find some IQ points. Bitch. 
                          
"Him and Melisa are so cute... they are perfect for each other." 
                          
"Auntie Care, are you crying?" Arah broke me out of my flashback and I wiped my eyes. 
                          
"I got some soap in my eyes," I put her down on the floor and put away the soap and rag for the dishes. I picked up the laundry basket and Arah toddled after me. She picked up any clothes that fell out of the basket that went down to the laundry room. She toddled a bit behind me, holding a couple of socks in her hands and skipping down the stairs. She was humming and the blonde braids I had made in her hair were swinging behind her. She turned a corner so that she was out of my sight.
                          
"Mummy! I heard her shriek as I turned around to see Brook leaning up against the wall. Arah was wrapped around her legs and she turned to me and smiled wearily. 
                          
Her eyes were bloodshot and her hair was a rats nest, her figure was slumped but she wore this smile on her face and she seemed to twitch a bit, like she couldn't sit still. 
                          
"Carrie! How are you?" She asked when she saw me, her cheeriness ticking me off. 
                          
"Hey, Brook. I'm good... same as you saw me this morning," she bobbed her head and I smile at her.