against the headboard of the bed. “So, I’m stuck with you then.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Isn’t it?” she replied.
I started to smile. “Nope, I’m like that marshmallow cereal ice cream they serve at Scoop. At first, you’re not sure about it, and the first bite might be a little sweet, but once you get used to the taste it will quickly become your favorite. I’ll grow on you, trust me.”
“Yeah, like a fungus,” she grumbled.
I grinned a little wider. It wasn’t the reply I was shooting for, but at least Clary had the energy to give me attitude. That meant she wasn’t a complete lost cause.
“Wait here, I’ll be back in a minute,” I said, jumping from the bed.
“Where are you going?”
I turned to her as I reached the door. “The fungus needs to grab snacks and his laptop for our full-blown moping sesh.”
“Can’t wait,” Clary muttered as I walked out into the corridor. She was in a serious mood today, but I didn’t blame her one bit. I’d probably be just as bad if my mom was in the same situation as her parents.
I gathered supplies before returning to Clary’s room. She hadn’t moved while I was gone, which was a testament to how crappy she was feeling. Even the threat of being trapped in her room with me for hours wasn’t enough to get her out of bed.
“I come bearing gifts,” I said.
I passed her a tub of cookie dough ice cream before opening my laptop and setting it up on the bed. I made sure to wedge it between us. I was all for testing the boundaries of Clary’s personal space but only when she was her normal happy, slightly fiery self. She was like an electric fence I liked to try to get close to, just to see if I got zapped. It seemed like the power was currently off though, and it felt unfair to even try.
Clary took the ice cream and frowned at it.
“You don’t like cookie dough ice cream?” I asked.
“No, it’s fine.” Her words were devoid of emotion, but she must have been happy enough with the ice cream because she cracked the lid of the tub and started to eat.
“It’s no marshmallow cereal, but it will do in a pinch,” I replied with a wink.
She lifted her eyes to the ceiling before pointing her spoon in the direction of my laptop. “What’s that for?”
“Netflix,” I replied. “We need a good distraction, and I’ve got a great movie to get us started.”
I turned the laptop to show her what I was thinking. She looked intrigued until she caught sight of the title on the screen. She quickly looked away, and her eyes glistened like she was about to cry. I immediately started to panic.
“I-I picked a horror movie because I knew you liked them,” I said. “I mean, they terrify me, but I thought that would make you enjoy it even more.” I was rambling, but the sight of her watery eyes worried me. I was supposed to be helping her, not making things worse.
“You’re right,” she murmured. “I do love horror films. It’s just… It’s something I do with my dad…” Her voice broke as she spoke.
I quickly backtracked. “We can watch something else… In fact, I happen to know a few good chick flicks that we could watch instead.”
Her face scrunched at the thought, and she blinked away the tears. Her voice was a little firmer when she responded. “You think I want to watch a chick flick?”
“Uh, no? I mean, no, of course not. That was just a joke.” I quickly started searching the Netflix menu for something else. I was completely messing this up. Most girls loved cuddling up to watch a chick flick when I suggested it, but Clary wasn’t most girls. I was just relieved she wasn’t close to tears anymore. The idea of watching a chick flick with me was so ridiculous to her she seemed to have forgotten she was on the verge of crying.
All I wanted to do was watch something that would take her mind off things, and as I thought it over, another option came to mind. I’d watched a crazy documentary at the start of lockdown. It probably wasn’t Clary’s thing, but it would definitely distract her.
I pulled it up on screen before turning the laptop to face her once more. “How about this?”
A confused look entered her eyes as she flicked her eyes between the screen