Cage

Free Cage by Sarah Sparrows

Book: Cage by Sarah Sparrows Read Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Sparrows
starving.

 
    There was an ample selection in the fridge. Rows of sliced, premium deli
meats, cheeses, fruits and fresh vegetables, gourmet yogurts, and much more
immediately came into view. On the door there was a wide variety of beverages:
milk, soy milk, almond milk, orange and pineapple juice, grape juice, apple
juice, frigid coffee drinks, smoothie blends, carbonated sodas…

 
    “There’s no way we’ll eat all
of this,” I thought aloud. “Half of this is going to spoil…”

 
    Pulling out the bottom freezer compartment, I perused the wide variety
of frozen foods. It seemed like maybe twenty percent of the drawer was filled
with desserts and treats – there were ice cream flavors in here that I
had never even heard of, let alone seen.
As for the rest, it was everything you could think of, with the blatant
exception of TV dinners and preserved food. Seemed like our parents had ordered
a smorgasbord of food and stipulated convenience above everything else – I hated to waste, and was aggravated that
there just wasn’t any room to save anything from spoiling.

 
    I settled on a borderline gourmet four-cheese pizza. Dreading the
nutritional facts, I closed the drawer on its gliding rails with my extended
toe, and then read the instructions on the back. A few seconds later, the oven
was preheating appropriately, and I began to rip open the box.

 
    A noise alerted me.

 
    I looked up, spotting Sawyer in the distance. He was passing through the
foyer and on his way towards the door.

 
    “Hey!” I called out to him. “Sawyer, HEY!”

 
    He paused, glancing around until he spotted me. It looked like he was
grumbling for a moment, but he wandered towards the kitchen.

 
    Lazily and somewhat impatiently, Sawyer leaned against the doorway.
“What? What is it?”

 
    “Do you want some pizza?” I asked, indicating the box. “There’s no way
I’m going to eat this whole thing.”

 
    “There’s no way either of us is
going to eat everything in that damned fridge…” my stepbrother nodded towards
the luxury refrigerator. For the first time, I realized that it was taller than
even him.

 
    “Yeah, you’re right,” I agreed, looking over at it again. “Why did they
have it filled so much? You and I could get by with maybe a quarter of that
freaking thing.”

 
    “Because our parents don’t seem to know how to live without excess.”

 
    “Well, that’s not fair,” I reprimanded him with a grim smirk. “Until we
met you two, Mom and I got by without the big, fancy house and the full fridge.
I think our Dad just went a little…overboard with it. That’s probably all.”

 
    Sawyer seemed only mildly convinced, crossing his arms.

 
    “So, about this pizza…”

 
    “No, I’ve got plans.”

 
    “Oh? That quickly?” I bit the back of my knuckle.

 
    “That’s right.” He seemed oddly tense.

 
    “And what are these plans? How
long are you staying out?”

 
    “I’m not sure.”

 
    “You’re not sure what they are ,
or how long–”

 
    “What’s with the third degree?” Sawyer demanded, leaning up against the
wall and adjusting his crossed arms. “Back off.”

 
    I was dumbfounded. “Look, I just…you’re all I have here. Don’t leave me
alone all the time.”

 
    For a brief moment, regret seemed to cloud Sawyer’s face, but it was
gone before I could know for sure. “I’m going out. I don’t need any pizza. I’ll
find something to do and something to eat.”

 
    “Sawyer…”

 
    It was like this every fucking time, just like when we were younger. I’d
try to forgive and forget him being moody, or cocky, or just an all-around
asshole, but he would just push me again. Sometimes he’d pick at me or
antagonize me, but other times…he just got so distant.

 
    Why do I even fucking bother?

 
    For a moment, I knew the answer, but I immediately shoved it back down
in my head. No. That’s not it. That CAN’T
be

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