Chocaholic

“I found these in your pockets,” Clay said.

Dan looked up from his history book. “Found what?”

Clay held four neatly-folded candy bar wrappers.

Dan swallowed hard. Then he took a deep breath and attempted to summon some righteous indignation. “What the hell were you doing, going through my pockets?”

“It was my turn to help Shelley with the laundry,” Clay said. “You’re supposed to check pockets before you put clothes in the machine.”

Dan swallowed again. Now what could he say?

“You’re lucky it was me and not Shelley who found these.” Clay crumpled the wrappers in his fist. “You know Dad’s rules. No chocolate - too many calories, high risk of zits.”

Dan wilted under his older brother’s accusing stare. “It was German chocolate, all right? I saved the bars I bought when we were over there, and I’ve been rationing them out. I never have more than one a day, and --”

“One a day?”

“I like chocolate,” Dan said. He hunched his shoulders defensively. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Do you know what Dad will do if he catches you with any?” Clay demanded.

Dan lowered his gaze.

The resulting silence could have been sliced with a knife.

Clay held out one hand. “Where’s the rest of it?”

Dan’s head snapped up. “What?”

“The rest of the chocolate. Where is it?”

“Clay...”

“All of it. Right now. Give it to me before Dad runs a sweep of your room and all our rooms.”

Dan’s eyes narrowed. “What would Dad have to search your room for?”

“Give up the chocolate and I won’t tell Dad what you’ve done,” Clay said.


Dan sighed. “Fine. But you promise not to tell him, right?”

Clay nodded. “I promise.”

Dan heaved himself off the bed. He shuffled around his room, pulling candy bars out of his desk, out from between books on his shelves, from inside his closet and under his bed and by the window. The entire time, he could feel Clay’s gaze on him, burning between his shoulder blades.

He piled the candy bars on his bed and watched as Clay bundled them up in his jacket.

“You know the rules,” Clay said, and swept out of the room.

Dan watched him go, reached into his pocket and unwrapped another candy bar. He’d have to find out what Clay was keeping in his room.

(393 words)