Crave - Teresa Mummert Page 0,8

I grabbed the bottle of aspirin from the medicine cabinet above the sink, fumbling with the child proof lid until it popped off, sending pills scattering.

“Shit,” I muttered to myself as I gathered two pills that had landed in the sink and tossed them in my mouth. Turning on the water, I cupped my hands to catch it to wash them down. I stood for a moment examining myself in the mirror as water dripped from my lip. My hair was disheveled and mascara had left faint trails of black under my blue eyes. I splashed water on my face to help wake me up, grabbed a hair tie and wandered back into the hallway toward the kitchen, pulling my hair up into a ponytail as I went. Flashes of Elijah crossed my mind and I smiled to myself.

Despite the hangover, I felt better than I had in months. I grabbed a box of cereal off of the fridge and made my way into the living room. Hitting the ON button as I passed the TV, I settled in on the couch. The news channel was still on, and they were discussing equal rights. The sound trailed off as my mind wandered to yesterday. I couldn’t get Elijah out of my thoughts. I wasn’t sure if he’d actually return and had no idea what I would do if he did. I grabbed the remote and flicked through the channels. Nothing was on this time of day, but talk shows, so I sat the remote down and picked up my cell phone. I had three voicemails and about twenty text messages. I sighed loudly and read through them as I ate the marshmallows out of the cereal box. All were from Grayson. All of them were full of hate.

I tossed the phone back to the coffee table and went to the kitchen. I made myself as cappuccino from a powder mix I found at the store. Almost as good as the real thing, without having to interact with other people. I took a big sip, burning my lip from my lack of patience. I slammed the cup onto the counter and grabbed an ice cube out of the freezer for the burn. I held it against my lip before I tossed the cube into my glass and watched it swirl as it melted into my frothy beverage.

Walking into my bedroom, I picked out something to wear for the day while my drink cooled off. I grabbed a pair of jeans from my dresser and a faded gray, fitted t-shirt from my closet, my standard wardrobe. Pulling a pair of panties from my top drawer, I headed toward the bathroom.

Turning on the shower, I waited for the temperature to adjust as I got undressed, then jumped in and scrubbed myself quickly under the warm spray, washing away the scent of stale beer and smoke. I was in and out in less than ten minutes. Brushing my hair, I paused in front of the mirror to apply mascara. I was ready for the day.

I grabbed my drink from the kitchen counter and headed out the door just after eight, sliding into my little bright orange Rio, which belonged to my brother before he was murdered. The radio blared to life, causing me to squint from the sharp pain in my head.

I manually searched through the stations to find a song I could sing along to. The presets were all still set to my brother’s favorite stations, which were mostly hard rock. I didn’t feel right about changing them. Settling on a nineties love ballad, I pulled out onto the street, ready to start the day.

I headed towards York New Salem through the winding country road, stopping at a local Hammons gas station and filled the car, which had been showing empty for two days now. I ran inside to buy a pack of cigarettes and a scratch-off ticket before continuing my trip.

Cranking the radio, I sang off key, glaring at the car next to me as we stopped at a red light and they laughed at the impromptu concert. I didn’t care. I swung around a Shafers’ drive through in Spring Grove to get some food before heading to my parent’s restaurant. I loved the drive to work. I was all alone and no one could bother me except for my own doubts and insecurities. The singing helped me keep my mind blank.

I arrived a little late and hustled into the restaurant, tying