Chapter 3

Halfway through the meal, Matt picked up a slice of beef brisket and suddenly looked at my bedroom door. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes.

"Dad, should we get Archie to join us for dinner too?"

Mom shook her head and waved her hand at him. "Ignore him."

Carrie got up and went into the kitchen to grab an empty plate. "I'll bring his dinner in for him. He already has stomach issues. He's going to get gastritis again if he doesn't eat on time."

She piled it high with the beef brisket and some salad before heading toward my room. But just as she was about to reach for my doorknob, a loud shout rang out behind her.

"Shit! The train's leaving in 40 minutes! I'm going to be late!"

Matt shot to his feet, his fork and knife clattering to the ground. He walked over and grabbed Carrie by the arm, his face pale. "Forget it! You're wasting time! Everything will be in vain if we miss our train! And then my date is going to kill me if I stand her up!"

Dad also went and grabbed Carrie's arm. "Alright, alright. Sit back down and eat. We'll send you both to the train station once you're done. It's only a 15-minute ride at most. Finish your food first. You'll make it in time."

"Hurry up! Stop wasting time!" Matt cried, pulling Carrie back to her seat. "Hurry up and eat. We're going to be late. I haven't even packed my things yet!"

"Alright," Carrie muttered and left my plate on the table. The pile of sliced beef brisket fell over onto the table, but she didn't even look at my room again after that. She just sat back down, shoved food into her mouth, and even urged Matt to hurry up.

I remained floating where I was, watching them eat in a hurry. The place where my heart should be hurt a lot.

So, the little bit of care and concern Matt and Carrie had for me wasn't even worth another second in the face of their date and concert.

I floated back into my bedroom and sat next to my cold, lifeless body. Rigor mortis had set in, and I was completely stiff on the bed. My face had turned purple and even started to swell.

Outside, the four people were ignorant of the fact and still blissfully enjoying their dinner in the dining room.

Soon, I heard them packing and bustling around before leaving. It was quite a commotion, with lots of shouting and urging.

Ten minutes later, I heard Dad walking over to my bedroom. Then, he placed something down on the floor with a loud clang.

"Archie Hammond!" he yelled impatiently. "Get up and eat! Your mom and I are sending Matt and Carrie to the train station. Remember to wash the dishes in the kitchen once you're done!

After a pause, he added, "Did you hear what I just said? I'm not going to let you off again if you keep sulking like this!"

Then, he turned to leave. The front door slammed shut with a bang, and the whole world went quiet once again.

I floated out and looked at the plate of food Dad had thrown at my door as though he was feeding a dog and chuckled bitterly.

Dad had already forgotten that he'd locked my door from the outside and that Mom had tied me to the bed this morning, hadn't he?

So, how was I supposed to come out for food or do the dishes at all?

I floated back to my body, sat back next to it, and waited quietly.

Would Mom and Dad regret anything when they came back and found me dead? Would they be sad or upset?

Or, would they think that I died at an extremely inconvenient time because my death would affect Matt and Carrie when they took the SAT in two days?

Half an hour soon passed. I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock, and Mom and Dad walked back into the house. Dad was even smiling, recounting how brightly Matt and Carrie had been smiling when they left on the train.

However, when he looked up, he saw that the dining table was still a mess, and his expression darkened immediately.

He threw his car keys onto the table and stormed up to my room, pounding on the door. He yelled, "Archie Hammond! Enough with your tantrums! How dare you refuse to wash the dishes when I specifically told you to? And you didn't even touch your dinner?

"Your mom and I raised you with so much hardship, and this is how you repay us? By kicking up a fuss like this?"

Mom came up behind Dad and tugged at his arm. She even comforted him a little and said, "Alright, alright. He's probably just upset. I'll do the dishes in a bit if he doesn't want to. Don't stay mad at him any longer. You're only going to get hypertension like this. It's not worth it."

Then she reached for my door handle and grabbed it.

"Archie," she called in a perfunctory, nonchalant tone. "Come out and eat right now."