Cinnamon, Blueberries, & Other Subjects to fill a Book of Poetry

Chapter 15: Clash

Just as I've actually convinced myself to utter the dreaded words, I feel an arm thrown around  my shoulders. I grunt in discomfort and turn to see Harrison. Damn Harrison.

"Hey, Greene. Maddy." The way he says her name makes my skin crawl and I admire her ability to ignore it as she rolls her eyes

"Harrison." She says simply, I echo her words minus the tone of distaste despite very much sharing the sentiment. I can't help but cringe when he turns his attention to Reese who's crossed his arms and is currently fixing Harrison with a look that just screams trouble.

"Did you invite this guy?" The question is almost accusatory and the fact that he directs it at Maddy makes me grit my teeth.

"No. She didn't know he was coming, I invited him. He's my plus one." They both were looking at me now, confusion and irritation from either side, and I felt my face heat up. It wasn't quite as much of a declaration as 'boyfriend,' but it was still a sort of public statement claiming his company and the concept both thrilled and terrified me. "His name is Reese." I tack on, feeling a fresh wave of anxiety overtaking me as I do. Maddy's face is unreadable, dissecting the situation, but I can read Harrison's clear as day and it makes my anxiety spike. Despite that, I can't help but smile when I look over at Reese. He's cracked a smile of his own now, posture a little less guarded and a little more at ease.

"Right.." I feel my frown return as soon as I hear Harrison's voice again, "isn't he a little, y'know-" I brace myself and I see Reese do the same, although I have a distinct feeling that whatever came next would be the deciding factor of whether or not Harrison went home tonight with a fresh bruise or two. I curse the thrill that runs through my body at the idea. Not the time, brain. However, before he can finish his, no doubt deplorable, declaration Maddy speaks up.

"Oh, Sam! I forgot, I wanted to get your opinion on an article I was working on. I know I know, we're not supposed to work today, but you know how the grind is. Come one, let's get you two some food so I can pick your brain." She rambles, looping her arm through mine and tugging me quickly into the backyard. I'm acutely aware of how much she's playing this up for the benefit of drowning Harrison out and I don't think I've ever liked her more. We actually did wind up talking about work, I gave her tips about a couple sources to check out while we sat and nibbled at the various unhealthy options on our plates. Reese hadn't said more than a few words for the first half hour or so, but he'd seemed to relax a bit now and was actually interjecting and joking around a bit. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to see him in my environment for once. There was something arguably attractive about how easily he fit into my space. Maddy offered to grab drinks and Reese insisted on helping her, so they left me to my lonesome task of eating every sweet in sight. I didn't mind, it's a burden I'll solemnly bear. I had actually been enjoying myself until the chair beside me was pulled out.

"Harrison." I sighed, fixing him with a stare that I hoped was fittingly un-welcoming.

"What's up with that guy, dude?" He's not beating around the bush and I'm not surprised. He never had much tact.

"I don't know what you mean." I swallowed a bite of a cookie and cursed the way my stomach was rolling now.

"You guys come into the shop all the time." He had leaned in and lowered his voice now, whether to save face for himself or me. I wasn't sure. "He's not really, y'know, the kind of people we hang out with." I grit my teeth as I bit back a comment about how 'we' never really hunt out with the same people anyways, keeping my focus on disassembling the sandwich on my plate. My lack of attention didn't seem to dissuade him in the slightest, only serving to spur him on further, "He wears all that weird shit in those girly colours-"

"Wearing colour is girly?" I couldn't help but let some irritation creep into my voice, pointedly looking at his red polo.

"You know what I mean." He frowned. Unfortunately, I did. "You shouldn't hang out with guys like him, man. It's not good for your image. He's not normal and if you keep spending all this time with him, well, people are gonna think you're a couple of-" I knew what the next words out of his mouth were going to be and I felt my head swim. I slammed my hand on the table, pushing my chair back with a loud scraping noise.

"Stop it." I said loudly, curtly, consciously trying to ignore the glances we were getting. "You don't know me. And, you don't know him. You have no right to talk about things you don't know anything about." It felt good to tell him off, but any confidence I had drained out of me when he stood up and sneered at me.

"Shit, dude, don't tell me you're actually a-"

"I said stop it, Harrison." I snap, the anger in my voice catching more than just me off guard.

"Sammy?" I whip around quickly at Reese's voice. I walk over to him and Maddy quickly, shooting her a tense smile.

"Thank you for inviting us, but we have to go now." The way her face falls is like a punch to the gut and I make a mental note to make it up to her later. I don't think as I grab Reese's hand and drag him out of the gate, forcing myself to ignore the way my stomach felt like it was creeping up my throat.

"Hey, hey, Sammy. Sam." I didn't realise Reese had been saying my name until he put a hand on my shoulder, worry written clear as day over his face. I thoroughly enjoyed all of his expressions, but this one tugged at my heart in a way that made my head spin. "Are you okay? We weren't even there an hour, what the hell happened?" He catches my hesitation and gives me a shockingly open look that makes me want to hug him. Or, more accurately, kiss him. I'm almost willing to throw caution to the wind at this point, still riding the high from my outburst. I bit the inside of my cheek, forcing my thoughts to organise themselves for a second.

"Nothing, just-" I take a deep breath, smiling at him, "How about we go do something fun?" He gives me that look that means I surprised him, but it's still tinged with worry. Despite that, he nods and I waste no time getting into the car.