48 Stray Story - 004

It's just after ten by the time I get home. Caroline is waiting for me, sitting on the couch. She's a very dreary looking kid, even now that she doesn't look as exhausted or fragile as before.

I get the feeling that I used to be a little bit like this.

I start a conversation as I slip my shoes off.

"Hey. How are you?"

"Good," she replied, "I thought you might not come back."

"Sorry, I was at work the whole time. I should've told you how long I was going to be. Have you eaten?"

"I tried to wait for you, but I got too hungry. Sorry."

I smile to myself. What a child. I walk past Caroline and into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge.

Huh?

There's an entire frozen pizza missing. I can tell, because the fridge is always rather empty. If there's even one thing out of place, I'll notice.

Did she eat all of that herself? This'll put a strain on my budget if she's going to eat that much every day. Maybe I should ask her to eat less if she's going to stay here.

I mean, it still isn't really a lot, and she's a growing kid; it'd be a bit too much to ask her to eat less.

I sigh. I grab another pizza out of the fridge, and head over the pantry to grab a dinner plate so I can heat it in the microwave.

"You shouldn't wait for me. I'm going to be this late most nights."

"I see…"

Caroline sounded a little disappointed.

I put the dinner plate with the pizza, now out of its' box, resting on it, in the microwave.

"I'm sure your feeling better now, right? Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

…

…

The microwave hummed monotonously in the silence.

"Depends what you're going to ask," Caroline replied after an extended pause.

"I'll start with something easy," I reply, "how old are you?"

"Twelve."

"What's your name?"

"Caroline."

"Last name?"

…

"Do you have any siblings?"

"An older sister."

"Do your parents live together?"

"Yes."

"Do you get along with your family?"

"Yes."

"What school do you go to?"

"Avo… I'm not answering."

"Do you have any friends at your school?"

"Of course, I do."

Of course, huh?

"Do you ever argue with your friends?"

"No, well… every now and then we fight, but that's normal isn't it?"

"Yes, completely normal. Do you get bullied at school?"

"No."

"Have you ever kissed a boy?"

"Yes."

"Do you play any sports? At school or outside of school?"

"No."

"Do you do well academically?"

"Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Not as well as my sister."

"Does your family think you're doing well at school?"

"Not really…"

"Do they think you aren't trying hard enough?"

…

"Do they think you aren't trying as hard as your sister?"

…

"Do you get along with your parents?"

"You already asked me that."

"Then, do you dislike your parents?"

…

"Do you dislike your parents?"

"I'm not going to answer."

"Do you disl-"

"Uh, oh!" Caroline clapped, "that's your twenty questions over."

"Huh?"

Since when did this turn into a game? I didn't know we were playing twenty questions! Is that even the rules?! I'm not too sure.

"My turn next."

"Wait… oh, fine. Let me grab my pizza first."

While we had been playing twenty questions, somewhere around the fifteen mark, the microwave had ringed, to indicate it was finished.

I'm pretty sure I got the answer I wanted anyway. I worked out what it was that made her run away from home. Or at least one factor of it.

After I grabbed my pizza, pepperoni flavoured if you were wondering, I returned to the couch, where Caroline was sitting cross-legged at the far end. I sat next to her.

"What's your name?"

"Alexander Giovanna."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

"What school do you go to?"

"South Christchurch High."

"Where do you work?"

"The restaurant across the road from the mall near here."

"How long have you lived here?"

"About… five months."

"Did you live with your parents before then?"

"I haven't seen either of my parents since I was nine."

"Oh… did you live in an orphanage, then?"

"Something like that."

"Hmm… do you have friends?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie about that?"

"No, I mean, are you sure you didn't imagine her? Make her up?"

"Of course not."

"I think you're lying."

"Why won't you believe me?!"

"How old is she?"

"Fifteen."

"What school does she go to?"

"Northside Girls High."

"I guess you answered those fast enough, maybe she is real. Do you have a thing for girls who are younger than you?"

"No."

"Are you sure? I mean, your girlfriend is younger than you, and you invited me, a younger girl, into your house."

"Huh? That's because you had no where else to stay. And my girlfriend's close enough to my age it isn't really important."

I have to keep calm. She's messing with me, I can tell, but I have to keep it up. If I refused to answer any of her questions, I would feel like I'd lost to a child. My pride won't let me.

"Don't you think your girlfriend would hate it if she knew another girl was staying at your place?"

"No, not really. You're just a child, after all?"

"Would you kiss me?"

"Huh? No, of course not."

"But, I'm just a child so it shouldn't matter, right? If you don't want to kiss me, then that would be because you don't want to cheat on your girlfriend. Which must mean you don't see me as just a child."

"No, well… that sounds logical, but that can't be right."

"If I'm a child, then it shouldn't matter if you kiss me, right? It'd be like an older brother kissing his sister."

"Do brothers and sisters do that?"

I'd never had a sibling so I wouldn't know. It seems weird. I can't imagine if I had a younger sister that I would kiss her.

But, if I don't kiss her now, wouldn't I be proving her right? If I don't kiss her, then doesn't that mean I would consider that as cheating on my girlfriend? Which would effectively mean that I see her, Caroline, as a woman.

If I kiss her, then that only proves that she isn't a woman. She's just a mere child, so it shouldn't matter if I kiss her, should it? Yes, in fact, you could say in order to prove that she is a child, I have no choice but to kiss her. And, of course, since she's a child, I won't feel a thing when we kiss, and there'll be nothing for Tayla to be jealous of.

Hah! The lips of a twelve-year-old mean nothing to me!

Okay, that didn't sound quite as bad in my head.

Stop looking at me like that.

"So, are you going to kiss me?"

"Fine," I replied, "like you said, you're just a child. It doesn't matter."

"Then…"

Caroline closed her eyes, and leaned forward.

Crap, are we really doing this? Maybe this was a mistake.

But I can't back out at this point. I'd die of embarrassment and shame.

I have no choice but to end this.

…

Ah, whatever, I'll just get it done quickly!

With that, I swiftly leaned in to meet Caroline, and kissed her lightly on the lips.

And just at that moment, I heard the door swing open.

"Alexander, you really need to lock your front door more…"