My lips parted in shock; her feigned behavior got me reeling. I tried to protest, but she instantly cut me off.
“You are too stubborn, Sarah. I know you feel cooped up and needed some fresh air, but you should have thought about the pain. Look, you’ve hurt yourself…”
“ERIN!” I yelled, my voice laced with anger. “Are you out of your mind? How could you lie like this?” My outburst echoed throughout the room, my chest heaving slightly.
Mr. Clinton stared at me, wide-eyed, stunned by my yell. He then turned to Erin, his eyes narrowing at her as if requesting an explanation. “What’s going on? Are the two of you fighting?”
Erin’s face turned pale, her lips agape, feigning surprise. “Sarah… how could you…” she said, her voice breaking. “I was just trying to take care of you… as Mr. Clinton has instructed, and you’re…” She choked, her eyes welling up. “Never mind, sorry for helping you in the first place.”
My lips quivered, utterly speechless at her ruse. I tried protesting again, but she stared daggers at me, her eyes sending an unspoken warning.
I glanced at Mr. Clinton, who was staring at me intently with his arms crossed. “Sarah, why are you so stubborn? I told you Erin should assist you, and you went running off by yourself-look what you have done to yourself.” He scolded, his face scrunched up in annoyance.
I glanced at Erin, who just gave me a smug look; the expression disappeared the moment Mr. Clinton turned in her direction. “Erin, please go get the first aid and some acetaminophen. You know where I usually keep them,” he instructed, his voice low and gentle.
She seemed to have won over me in this argument, leaving me unable to defend myself, and Mr. Clinton took her side.
My gaze was fixed on him as his words earlier pricked me. I know I can be stubborn sometimes, but he should have listened to my side of the story. He didn’t even ask for my explanation; instead, he concluded I carelessly went for a run.
I swallowed his beration, fueling my resolve to expose Erin in any way I could. If I told him about what happened moments before he arrived, he wouldn’t believe me anyway.
He noticed my gaze and looked up, his eyes forming into a slit. “What’s wrong? Why are you moping?” he asked, removing the tinted bandage from my feet.
I ignored him, looking away, my upset palpable. He sighed, straightening up on the sofa, his gaze softening. “Sarah, I really don’t understand you sometimes.” He then snatched the car key from me, jangling it in my face. “Why were you out for a run with… car key…”
“I didn’t mean to leave the house…” I snapped defensively, torn on whether to just tell him the truth-if he would even believe me. I paused and relaxed my back on the sofa, averting my eyes away from him. “Never mind…”
He kept looking at me for some time before turning his focus to my jagged feet.
Just then, Erin arrived with the first aid, masking her face with worry. “That will hurt…” she grimaced, pretending to feel my pain. I eyed her in disgust, making sure Mr. Clinton didn’t notice my sour expression. She stood, watching Mr. Clinton dressing my wound, her fingers clinging together, scrunching her face in discomfort. “Sarah, you are quite a strong one; if it were me, I would be screaming in pain…” she said, her eyes fixed on my wound.
I felt like puking on her face; her words were provocative and disgusting. My lips twitched as I fought the urge to rebut, but I figured it would be useless. She was quite cunning and a sweet talker.
I took a deep breath to calm my raging nerves, distracting myself by gazing solely at Mr. Clinton.
“All good…” he said, having finished bandaging my feet. “Don’t do that again; you’ll only deepen the wound. Take the medicine and get some sleep…”
He then turned to Erin, who immediately faked a smile. “Go get some water…”
She nodded and scampered to the kitchen; a few minutes later, she arrived with a glass of water. As soon as she approached us, my eyes snapped at the glass, cautiously scrutinizing the liquid. It was crystal clear, but i couldn’t brush off my paranoia, I couldn’t help it; after what she did in the bathroom, I constantly felt on edge around her.
“Here you go…” she singsonged, passing me the glass, her face lighting up in a wide smile.
I collected the glass, my eyes scanning the water, hesitating to drink it.
“Sarah, is there any problem?” Mr. Clinton’s brow furrowed, staring at me incredulously. “Why aren’t you drinking it?”
“Yeah, she thinks it’s poisoned…” Erin intervened, chuckling.
My heart skipped a beat; her words seemed like a hint-could it be she poisoned it?
I looked at the water again suspiciously, my eyes darting as my mind raced.
“Sarah…” Mr. Clinton’s voice jolted me; I jerked a bit, still hesitant.
“Drink it…”
Reluctantly, I took a sip before throwing the pill into my mouth.
After chewing the pill, I took another sip, passing the water back to her.
Her smile faded, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. “Won’t you drink more? It will help with digestion…”
“No, thank you…” I spat, my eyes batting in annoyance.
A low chuckle escaped her lips, finding my behavior amusing, but I dipped down; I knew she was up to something.
Maybe she put something into the water… I gulped hard, a lump forming in my throat.
A sip wouldn’t hurt, right?
I only hope I haven’t drunk something poisonous.
“Erin, make sure she eats lunch, okay?” Mr. Clinton instructed, standing up. He turned to leave, but I held his wrist.
“Mr. Clinton, are you leaving?” My voice was both low and pleading. “Please, can I come with you? I might need a check-up or something…” I said awkwardly, concealing my worry.
His eyes narrowed, taken aback by my request. “Why would you want to come with me? Besides, you can’t walk properly…”
“I know…” I replied abruptly, my grip on his wrist tightening. “This house feels suffocating. I want to go out… please…”
He flicked my hand off his wrist, ignoring my plea. Turning around, he approached the stairs, going toward his room. Now I understood the reason for his sudden arrival. He must have forgotten something, and I’m glad he did…
“We can have fun while he is gone…” I heard an annoying voice. I completely forgot she was still right behind me.
Without glancing at her, I replied rudely, making my intentions clear. “Stay away from me, Erin. I don’t know what you tried to do back there, but you’re clearly up to no good…”
Her shoulders rose in a careless shrug, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sarah. I don’t know why you hate me, but I have no bad intentions for you…” She responded, her voice soft, sounding innocent.
Mr. Clinton descended the flight of stairs and approached us, his eyes darting between the both of us. “There’s something going on between the two of you. I won’t intervene, solve your differences yourselves.” Then his gaze turned to me; he stared at me for quite some time before turning to the door.
Helplessly, I watched him walk through the door, leaving me alone with… her…