Lunch is a place of status and friends. I don't possess either of those things. My sacked lunch is in my bag, and I pull it out. As I open it, I see a handwritten note from my mother.
Lily-kins,
Don't forget to take the trash out when you get home.Love,
MomI throw the entire lunch away. Mother's bus photo is enough to make me skip eating altogether. Screw eating a sacked lunch, I want real food and by real food I mean go to a restaurant.
I walk out of the school building unnoticed. No one seems to care that I've skipped school this morning. God only knows what I missed on the first day of Environmental Science and British Literature. Since I read all the Brit Lit novels over the summer, I doubt I am behind at all.
I walk back to the Harris Park tree. Jeremy Davis is still sitting there writing away in his journal.
"Hey, Jeremy. I'm ditching lunch. Want me to pick anything up for you from Sammy's Sub Cafe?"
Jeremy stops writing, and the dark hair covering his face earlier goes to the other side of his face. When both his light blue eyes find mine, he looks like a lost person whose soul is departed beneath the ground. When souls are lost, they speak to me. I can almost hear their silent torment.
"Sure. I'll take a turkey club and hold the mayo. I hate mayonnaise."
"I don't like it either. And you got it. Want a soda?" I ask.
"Sure, Dr. Pepper. Why are you being so nice to me," Jeremy asks?
"I figured you were hungry, and since everyone else in that school is a preying vulture, I had to leave."
I get out my phone and start typing Jeremy's order into my notepad app.
"I don't blame you for ditching. Your mother sounds like a real piece of work. I can't believe she thought posting a photo of her daughter online was a brilliant idea."
My face turns red. My back stiffens with anger. It's not anger towards Jeremy, who clearly has been on I*******m in the last thirty minutes. It's anger towards the woman who birthed me.
"I'm pissed at her if you're wondering. You want to come to the restaurant with me?"
My goosebumps are raised and chilly to the flowing air around them. A hissy cat would be better company than a friendless loser like me.
"Nope. I'm not leaving this tree. If the principal finds me, I'm expelled for ditching. Of course, it's the first day, but still. I'm sure he found out about my summer."
I climb up the tree. Jeremy seems to be letting his guard down for a hot minute. I seize the moment and find myself sitting right next to him in that large comfortable middle section of the tree. It's large enough for the both of us to sit with our legs crossed.
"What the hell? When did you climb into the tree again?"
"You were talking about your summer shenanigans. Please continue."
I ignore his advances to push me out of the tree. He needs to get something off his chest, and since we are both friendless teens at the same school, our respect for each other has grown immensely.
"I try to be a good person. Or at least I tell myself that. But then I get bored, and nothing good ever comes out of my boredom. I played with fire, and let's just say the Vineyard Church fire on Second Street wasn't an accident. The fire got big and hot rather quickly."
"Wait, you did that? Did you burn the church to the ground? That was all over the news. You could get into trouble for that. Don't worry; I won't say anything. It's not my place to come clean. That's on you. You still want that sub sandwich?"
I change the subject to indicate that I'm not here to judge his past. We are two mutual strangers, with no other friends but one another in this crazy instance.
He looks at me and studies my face. His blue eyes gaze up at my hair and my outfit.
"You could be pretty, you know. Why do you have to look like that? And sure, a sub sandwich still sounds good to me."
"You expect me to feed you after an insult like that?" I bark.
"No, I don't. I'll pay for both of us. It's the least I can do for making you feel terrible. I didn't mean it that way. All I'm saying is if you dressed a little differently or wore some make-up, you'd be beautiful."
I want to blush, but boys are stupid. And his compliment sounds like a kindergarten student composed it.
"I'll never be pretty. Not with these train tracks hiding my smile."
"Is that the reason you don't try to look nice?"
The more Jeremy talks, the more I want to punch him for seeing the truth about me. He knows more about me than anyone at that school. He's figured out my whole life from a single conversation, and I find it both off-putting and slightly fantastic.
"It's not the only reason. But yeah, I guess that's right."
Jeremy climbs down the tree, and the scratches on his arm appear. They look like they're healing up. The scabs on the scratch marks look chapped and pink.
He catches my eyes, staring at his forearms and the cuts there. He covers them up with the sleeves of his hoodie. My eyes quickly find his, and the light bluish color has disappeared into a lighter grey. His eyes remind me of a cat, ever-changing and ever observant.
I wonder about all the things Jeremy has witnessed from the top of the big tree. It's his home away from home. What other conclusions has he come up with about the other people in our town? Did I even want to know, perhaps not?
"Don't let the KAT trio get to you. You're a lot smarter than they are."
"How did you know they are bullying me?" I ask.
I thought I was invisible to this school—a living ghost among the healthy student body. However, Jeremy notices quite a bit, or so it would seem.
"I read their comments on I*******m. And I can see and hear a lot from this big ass tree. So, let's go to that Sub Cafe. I'm starving."
Jeremy and I talk about everything. I didn't know an interesting soul existed within the walls of Ashmore Highschool. We've spoken so much; I almost consider him a friend. But, during our entire conversation, I don't mention the Lending Library or the notes I've been finding. For if I did, and it is him reaching out, it might scare him away. And I'm in no place to chase away my new and only friend. But, if the reason I found those notes was to become his friend, then I'm glad I did.
I block my mother on all social media platforms. My Instagram account has been deleted, all thanks to Jeremy. He deleted it for me atSammy's Sub Cafe.Our friendship lasted for a day. One day of friendship, and now I miss it. Have I really deprived myself of human contact for no reason? Oh well, I will do better in college. It's only a year of loneliness, and then I will graduate at the top of my class.I wish I had a reputation to protect. But it's been destroyed by my lack of fashion and having the world's most embarrassing mother.The only friend I remember having was Maria Arby from Ashmore elementary school. Our friendship lasted for two years, from the fifth to the sixth grade. When middle school started, she got her period before I did. Her social status and popul
The peer tutoring program is starting up today. I'll need to look my best to teach the freshmen about being a model citizen. Being alone on top is hard. It would be nice to have someone to share my glories with. If Maria Arby didn't become a woman and move away, maybe we'd still be friends.Sweat rises to my pours like water gushing its way toward a waterfall. Everything aches from my head down to my toenails. As I take a deep breath, I feel the weight of mucus moving around like a motorboat. I sound like the broken wheezy toy fromToy Story 2.Mom steps into the room. With one look of concern, she declares me sick. I never get sick. I take all my vitamins and exercise as my doctor instructs me to do—only people who are stressed and worried become sick.It sucks tha
My fever breaks as the last sweat trickles down my brow. Bubbles form around my pours like crystallized beads. My palms drip with the remaining sweat from my skin.I twist the cap off my water bottle. It's hard to grab the top of the bottle when my hands are wet from my fever breaking. My mother rips the bottle from my hands and opens it. The water hits my mouth, tongue, and throat. Its refreshing coolness heals the rest of me.Mom and I don't speak to one another. I'm still embarrassed by her despite my fleeting illness. I have every right to be mad at her. She took my senior year away from me. The KAT trio will tear me to shreds when I return."Why did you block me from your social media? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"Mom does
Returning to Ashmore high school after a day of being sick is not fun. I miss two days of school, and the amount of homework I have is the equivalent of filling out two or three college applications.I miss summer. I want to read my favorite novels beside the pool. Sure, summer is boring, and I usually long for it to be over with. But after the strange, terrible start to this school year, I am ready to graduate and be on my way."Lily, welcome back. It's not like you to be sick. Are you feeling better?" Mr. Cronkwright says.I hold my textbooks on my desk. The lead in my pencil is missing. My pencil case has Harry Potter glasses stitched in a pattern on its exterior. It's proof that I am a proud nerd."Yes. I am a lot better. I will t
Blood continues to drip down his sleeves. Do I pretend I never saw it? Do I say something?"You've been hurt. Let me get a few band-aids from my bag. Then, you can help yourself."I hand Jeremy the band-aids. I pull out my book and begin reading. It's none of my business unless he makes it my business. Jeremy doesn't strike me as the sort to cry out for help. Even if he did want my help, would I be able to give it to him?"Do you want to go to the zoo with me," Jeremy asks?"The zoo? Are you serious? What does that have to do with anything?""You seem like you need some fun. And I work there.""You want me to come and watch you work
Senior year is looking up, and I finally have a friend. So, I guessSir Gawain and the Green Knight won't have to battle it out to the death after all. Instead, perhaps they will sign a treaty and form an alliance.Our time at the zoo ends, and I have made it through the first inner wall of Jeremy Davis. After that, he will be a maze to walk through. There will be obstacles in my way and hoops to jump through. I only hope that Jeremy is a kind soul with an entire life ahead of him."Would you like to help me at the zoo next week?" Jeremy asks sheepishly, like asking his new friend to hang out is a crime."Sure. Sounds great. But in return, you will need to study hard and work when I tell you to. That tutoring program is about graduating, and I am going to get you there."
What is kissing but falling in love with lips? I've never been kissed before. I never knew if I would like it or hate it. So, if kissing Jeremy back means anything, in the least, it means I liked it. Maybe even a little."Are you having fun yet?" Jeremy asks."It was alright. It's just lip-smacking, at best.""It's no secret that you've never been kissed before, Lily Green."As usual, Mr. Chaucer has caught me in an observation. How long has he been watching me, like a guardian angel perched on my shoulder?"How would you know? Maybe kissing boys is a side business of mine."Sarcasm was never my best suit. Sure, I can do it, but it
The trees blow around in the night. The black night is upon us, and the whispers of the stars hide our secrets.I've spent the whole day with Jeremy. I don't know his back story despite hanging out, and he doesn't know mine. His life is his own."Do you like libraries," Jeremy asks?I already know Jeremy knows I love books. But, escaping into a world beyond our own is the best feeling in the world. Leaving my life behind to follow characters on their journey is the only way I know how to breathe."I love reading. I'm a bit of a romance novel fan and an avid comic book reader."Jeremy goes into his bag and pulls out oldBatmancomics. He hands them to me.