It's getting late I thought to myself as I drove down the street. The sun was setting, making me wish I had finished my essays and projects much sooner. I spent the day working on my assignment and trying to get Jeff to eat something to no avail. He was in and out of sleep all day, fighting off his fever. Gwyn called me a few minutes ago, while I was out at the store getting some food and picking up the zipper and replacement needle for my sewing machine. She told me that it was the flu, and no infection or alcohol poisoning. The news made me breathe a sigh of relief, then I reprimanded myself a little. I shouldn't be feeling relief for a murderous bastard like Jeff…but I have to play nice… what I did this morning, I'm surprised he didn't try to kill me right there and then. I sighed and leaned my head on the steering wheel, waiting for the street light to change. I thought back to earlier today….
"What are you doing? You're making so much noise!" Jeff moaned, waking from another fitful, fever induced sleep. He was tossing and turning relentlessly; I thought my bed frame would break from how much he moved. I looked up from my pottery wheel and took my foot of the pedal.
"What?" I looked at him as I reached for a detail sculpting tool.
"What the hell are you doing? I'm trying to sleep…" he sat up and looked at me, an angered and groggy look on his face. His face was drenched with sweat, his hair sticking to his face. I placed down my tool and wiped my hands on my smock. I went into the bathroom and filled a basin with cool water and took a clean wash cloth. I walked over to Jeff and sat down on the bed.
"I'm sorry, I'm working on a school project. I didn't mean to wake you." I dipped the cloth into the water and wrung it out. I tentatively reached out and gently touched it to his cheek. He didn't grab my hand this time. He just stared at me cautiously, his eyes glazed over with fever. He swayed where he sat, and he pushed his cheek into my hand.
'I knew it," I thought. 'He was feeling feverishly hot. This should cool him down a bit…. But he'll need to take a cooling shower and eat if he's going to break this fever. I know he'll fight me on it though.'
I felt a weight on my shoulder, and I snapped my attention to Jeff. He was leaning his head on my shoulder. My eyes widened in shock.
"Why would you help and piece of shit like me?" he whispered huskily in my ear. I shivered and blushed.
"…Why not?" I said softly, wiping his cheek gently with the wash cloth. I felt a tremor go through him as the cloth caressed his cheek and neck. He moaned softly and wrapped his arms around my waist. I froze. 'What in the…?'
"You're too kind…. It's going to kill you…someday…" his eyes drooped and his voice faltered. I continued to dab the wash cloth along his neck and face in silence… I was too stunned to say anything. I then felt something soft and warm on my neck near my ear, and then a stinging pain.
"Ow!" I flinched and looked at Jeff, his tongue sticking out lazily and his glazed eyes staring intensely at me. I touched the stinging spot; it was wet and a little bit of blood was on my fingers.
"You…" I squeaked. He sighed.
"You have a cut on your neck, I was just disinfecting it" he said huskily. He grabbed my chin and turned my head and licked the cut on my neck. I whimpered but I didn't fight him. I don't even think I could. He kept doing it until it stopped stinging, and I stopped whimpering from the pain. He released my chin, which felt bruised from his grip and laid back down onto the bed and closed his eyes.
"Now can you please stop making so much damn noise? My head is pounding."
I jumped at the sound of a car horn honking behind me. I blinked a few times and pressed the gas pedal to go forward. I drove down the street, raising a hand to the now bandaged cut on my neck. Even though I had evaded the plate my Papa threw at me, a shard still managed to cut me. I didn't even notice it, and when I checked on it after Jeff fell back asleep it didn't even hurt. It was thin and long. I barely noticed it, but it started bleeding after Jeff licked it. When I had disinfected it, it didn't sting anymore. It was just barely throbbing.
I stopped at an intersection and lit a wood tipped cigarillo. I cracked open my window to let the smoke out as I drove forward. I heard some cans in the trunk clink around. I had gone shopping after I finished detailing my clay urn for my pottery class. I didn't want to have Papa yelling at me again. He left this morning, and I haven't seen him since. I don't know if he went to work or he went out to another bar, but the less I see him, the better. I just hope Papa isn't home right now when I'm not home. He sometimes goes into my room to try and throw away my dresses, messing up my art work and steal my money that I have saved from all of my part time jobs. Mama had left me some money when she passed, but I refuse to touch it. It would help me immensely when I pay back my student loans after I graduate. I was anxious to get home.
Papa wasn't the only one I was worried about. Jeff was alone at home as well. I didn't expect him to steal anything, but I didn't want Papa to see Jeff, or vice versa. He might try to kill my step-father. That the worst case scenario. Best case his fever gets worse. I want to avoid that as well. The sooner he's better, the sooner he can leave and I'll never have to see him again. Right? I bit the tip of my cigarillo and pulled into the driveway. Papa's car wasn't there, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I cut the ignition and just sat in my car, finishing off my cigarillo. I need to finish fixing Jeff's hoodie before his fever breaks. I have a feeling he'll lose his shit more than he already has if he sees the damage. So fixing it has become my number one priority. I stubbed out the cigarillo and went to fetch the groceries.