Page 64 of Playing with Fire

"A twenty-piece and fries," he responds.

"Drink?" I question heading up to the register.

"Sprite. Do you want to pay for him? Elijah asks me.

"It's fine." I dismiss my worries and proceed to order the food. Once Elijah completed his order he approached me. As we approached the counter there was a question that had occupied my thoughts since our departure came up.

"Hey, El," I whisper.

"Yeah?" He glances at me and pushes his phone aside.

"Is Jaxon, okay? I can't recall him ever performing this poorly before. He ruffles his hair as if he feels stressed too. "No. Jaxon's behavior is unclear to me because he refuses to share any information with anyone including his mom.

I give a nod and press my lips into a straight line. "Bad day?"

"Maybe," he shrugs. Elijah confesses that Jaxon didn't perform that way even during his worst days. I sigh and shake my head. What could make him play like that?

"I just know he's pissed off. Mostly at himself. I told you guys he was sleeping because I think he doesn't want any disturbance. Elijah provides an explanation for why we left him in the car.

"Got it." As Kylie approaches us I give a nod. We paused for several minutes until our food arrived. The food appeared quickly because there were hardly any people in the restaurant.

"Let me drive." Elijah proposes that we let him drive while we return to the car. "Since you decided to pay," he adds.

As he unlocks the car I pass him the keys. El gets into the driver's seat while Kylie jumps into the passenger seat.

The thought of sitting in the back with Jaxon felt uncomfortable but I complied regardless. Once inside the car Jaxon was awake and his blanket was wrapped snugly around his body.

My cue to start talking came when he looked at me. "Do you want your food?" With the McDonald's bag raised above my Hazeld I ask him if he wants his food.

His blank expressions paired with his eyes showing equal parts of lifelessness and irritation conveyed all I needed to know.

"I guess that means he doesn't want it..." I whispered to myself.

The back of the headrest became my focus as Jaxon took me by surprise once more. Jaxon placed his head on my lap and pulled the blanket up to his face showing me he was upset.

At first I was completely unsure how to interpret the situation. He's attempting to sleep but my lap wasn't where I expected him to do that.

His rigid shoulders and stiff arms made me feel guilty. He won't achieve any sleep with this setup if rest is his goal.

My food landed on the ground at the same moment El drove away from the parking lot. From pure kindness I placed my hand beneath the blanket and gently scratched his head.

I recalled his mom comforting him this way when he was a child so I believed it would work. I felt confirmation when his body began to relax. Knowing I could provide him with a little help made my heart feel full of warmth.

It felt nice.

Ew. Stop. The word “nice doesn't represent him.

He shifted his position on my lap before turning his face toward my stomach while a faint moan escaped his mouth.

My hand remained in his hair while the other hand rested on his back. The ride ahead would be extended and I doubted my legs would endure. His body parts would eventually become numb, but he wasn't going to get thrown out by me.

Usually, I would've.

Something moral still exists in me for him although after these many years its quantity has become extremely depleted.

I shared a smile with myself when vibrations from my phone traveled through my pocket. I stretched out my hand to retrieve my phone from its pocket.

Hoe #1: You've been very kind to allow him to do that

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