Chapter5

#Chapter5

/"Lost,/" I said, trying to lick Joel's face. He pulled away before I could, shooting me a strange look. I just wanted to taste what he tasted like. /"I think the marmite triangle swallowed him./"

/"The marmite triangle?/"

I nodded. /"A triangle is a shape, Jolly. And the marmite triangle is in the sea and it stops all the helly-coppers flying and the boats sink./"

/"You mean the Bermuda triangle?/"

/"That's what I said./"

/"He'll wish he was there when I'm done with him,/" Joel muttered angrily before putting my arms in my lap and shutting the door.

/"Nooo, Jolly, come back,/" I called out. I didn't want to be trapped by myself. I felt sad. So sad. I think I might have cried if the door hadn't opened the other side and Joel slipped into the other seat. /"Jolly, you came back./"

/"Drink this,/" Joel said with a sigh, reaching into the back seat. He unscrewed the lid of a water bottle and handed it to me. /"Little sips, Asa./"

The water felt nice. It washed away the icky taste that had plastered the inside of my mouth. I turned in my seat as much as my belt would allow, blinking at the other man.

/"I want chicky nuggets, Daddy,/" I muttered.

/"Jesus,/" he breathed. /"How drunk are you?/"

I didn't answer. I sipped some more water. It made me feel a little better.

/"Where are we?/" I asked when we pulled up in front of a house that didn't look like mine. Had Nicky moved house without telling me? That was so mean!

/"You're at my house,/" Joel said quietly, unfastening his seatbelt. He reached over into the back seat and grabbed something before looking at me. /"I can't take you home in this state. You can sleep it off at my house and I'll drop you off in the morning./"

Joel didn't carry me. He undid my seatbelt because I was losing the fight with it and then he wrapped his arm around me, steering me towards the front door.

/"Can I have some leaves?/" I asked as we passed the hedge that ran along the area that divided his garden and the neighbours.

/"Why do you want leaves?/" Joel asked, ignoring my request and continuing to the door, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

/"Cuz I'ma dinosaur but I'ma good dino. No eat you. Just leaves./"

/"You're not eating leaves, Asa./"

That made me a little sad. We went in. Joel dumped his keys, eyed me, grimaced and sighed. /"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up./"

I didn't protest. I followed him blindly. His arm was still around me and I leaned into him, giggling as he protected me from falling. We ended up in the bathroom.

/"Do you need to use the loo?/" Joel asked.

/"Gottsa potty,/" I nodded.

/"You do that then while I go and get you something to sleep in./"

I didn't like him leaving but when he did, I tried to struggle with the button of my jeans to come free. It was stiff because they were new jeans.

/"It bit my fingers, Jolly,/" I told him sadly when he came back, clothes folded in his hand. I showed him the pad of my thumb where there was a red imprint. /"They won't open. They wanna keep my pee./"

/"What am I doing?/" Joel breathed to himself, setting the clothes by the sink before helping me unhook the button.

/"Your magic!/" I accused him.

/"Just do what you gotta do, Asa and don't miss. I'll be just outside the door./"

I did what I had to do. Joel came back in when he heard the chain pull.

/"I'm going to help you undress, okay? I'm not going to do anything else. Your jeans are just wet and you've spilt something down yourself./"

I nodded. Joel said he was going to help me but I think he did all the work. My body felt floppy and he ended up sitting me on the edge of the bathtub so that he could pull the shirt over my head. He wiped at my face with a damp cloth, mildly scolding me when I bit it and refused to let go. My shoes went bye-bye. My sockies left too. The jeans felt good to be off. They felt stick and cold.

/"You need to take your underwear off, Asa. Those have soaked through from you sitting on the floor. Just put these shorts on when you're done./"

/"You do it,/" I breathed. My head was resting against him. I wasn't even sure which part. /"I think... I feel sickie again./"

/"If you're gonna puke, please don't get it on the floor./"

I didn't. I nearly did but nothing came out. It made me cry a little because it hurt my chest and throat. Joel ended up helping me into the shorts and then he steered me into a room with a big bed.

/"If you wake up and feel sick, the bathroom is over there./" He pointed behind him. /"I'll go to sleep on the couch so I'll be downstairs if you need me./"

/"No leave me,/" I whimpered. /"I can't sleep wiv no Vinnie./"

Joel frowned. He didn't look so blurry anymore. He sat on the bed next to where he had placed me. /"Who's Vinnie?/"

/"My besty dino buddy,/" I muttered, clutching the blanket between my hands as Joel pushed my chest down gently, making me lie down.

/"He's not here, buddy. You'll have to make do./"

/"Stay wiv me?/" I asked.

/"I'll stay until you fall asleep,/" Joel agreed, nodding. /"But just know that in the morning, you and I are going to have to have a real serious talk./"

/"Me a bad boy?/"

Joel tilted his head then shook his head. /"You've been a reckless boy. You're not completely to blame. Just wait until I get my hands on Kyle. But you were careless tonight. Who knows what could have happened to you if I hadn't come and fetched you./"

/"I woulda be sad,/" I told him. /"My heart would have broken into ten—no, tenty pieces./"

/"Tenty isn't a number, you little oddball. We'll talk about it in the morning. Are you okay to send a text to your sister to let her know that you're safe?/"

/"She's leeping./"

/"She won't be in the morning. She might wake up and panic if you're not back./"

/"You do it,/" I dismissed, snuggling into the soft pillow. It smelled nice.

/"What's your password?/"

/"Jellyrocks./"

/"Your password is... never mind. I don't even know why I question these things anymore./"

/"My mouth feels funny./"

Joel nodded. /"Just lie here and I'll go and get you a glass of water./"

/"I had a bottle./" I frowned. I was sure I did.

/"You spilt that up my stairs, remember?/"

I didn't but I believed him. He stood. I didn't want him to go. He turned the light off, promising to be back with some water.