You Should've Listened

Him

The next two weeks go about the same for Dahlia and I. We drive to and from school together. Tuesdays and Thursdays I'll sit at breakfast with her and we almost always have lunch together.

"Screw you!" Doll and I turn our heads at the scene unfolding behind us. Just as we look at the back of the lunch line, some girl spills her entire cup of milk onto a boy. "That's for being a lying cheater!"

Dahlia snorts, holding back a laugh as the girl storms out of the lunch room. "That was dramatic." She turns back and grabs her plate of food and I do the same.

"She just got cheated on, I think it was deserved." She rolls her eyes and starts walking to our usual table as I follow behind.

"Please, she knew he was a cheater." True, he is like a known player at the school. "Relationships are so stupid." We take a seat but I turn to her, confused.

"You don't like relationships? Who broke your heart?" I chuckle but she only shrugs as she starts eating.

"No one." It sounds like there's more to this but she doesn't say anything else.

"So why do you think they're stupid?" She shrugs again. "Well how has your past relationship gone?"

"They haven't." I keep my eyes focused on her and she steals a quick glance at me.

"You've never had a boyfriend?" My voice comes out a bit shocked but that's because I am. Dahlia is really.... Well she's gorgeous. I can't see how she's never dated anyone.

"Nope." She takes a sip of her water then must sense my eyes still on her because she turns to me. "Stop staring like it's unbelievable. I'm only seventeen. Anyone our age who says they're in love doesn't know what they're talking about."

"Well that's just not true." I counter. "I don't think your ability to love has an age limit. Anyone of any age can be in love." She chews the inside of her cheek in thought.

"Maybe." She turns back to her plate. "I clearly wouldn't know." I think about that for a second.

"Why haven't you, you know, had a boyfriend." She chews on her food a bit slower, like she's thinking of what to say.

She settles on, "I move a lot. It's hard to get to know someone enough to date them when you change schools twice, sometimes three times a year." I don't respond right away as I take that in.

That must be hard. Switching school so much. Having to make a whole new set of friends. Maybe that's why she doesn't try so hard to talk to anyone here, she probably thinks she won't be here long.

That or because no one around here seems to even talk to her. A lot of people think they know where she's from and are quick to judge her for that. It bothers me but I'm surprised by how unfazed she is by it.

We finish our lunch and that's when I remember what I bought for her. I pull out a watermelon ring pop from my pocket and a small smile creeps on her face when she sees it.

"You're still doing this?" I definitely am. Everyday I've been bringing her different green foods and candies then forcing her to try them. I'm determined to change her mind on green food.

So far she's only tried two of the five things I've brought. She refused to eat the pear, the green marshmallows and the green cupcake. She claimed the cupcake and marshmallows looked moldy, I told her it was just food coloring and that she was being childish but she didn't care.

I rip open the candy wrapper, get on one knee then hold the ring out to her. "Dahlia Evans," She rolls her eyes but is biting back a  smile. "Will you do me the honor of changing your absurd perspective on green foods?" She breaks into a laugh and takes the ring from me, slipping it onto her ring finger.