The Forbidden Fruit

Chapter 4

Her family was still there when I left at six.

I'm happy because her tears turned to smiles.

I'm sitting at school eating lunch in the office when the prinpial walks in.

"Hey Channing." He says.

"Hi." I mutter.

I fucking hate him.

"You can go back to the cafeteria."

"What?" I ask.

He shrugs. "You helped that girl." He says. "Go on. No fighting."

I stand up and head to the cafeteria.

I go right to the football team.

"Channing, my man!" one of my buddies claps me on the back. "How you been?"

I shrug, sitting down.

"I'm grounded."

"What punishment did the dick ass principal give you?"

"I wasn't allowed to eat lunch in here and I have to volunteer twenty hours a week for the rest of the school year. If I don't I get expelled."

"Shit." He frowns. "Where are you volunteering?"

"CCHSU." I say.

My whole table starts laughing.

"Yeah, yeah." I sigh.

"You must hate it. No hot babes. Everyone is crazy."

I want to tell them about Cam, but I can't.

I don't want to.

I want to keep her private.

I shrug and change the subject.

<><>

I stopped at the store on the way to Clark today and I got all the candies I like and all the chips, and I went right to Cam.

She doesn't immediately go away when I sit down.

She doesn't say anything at first, and then she clears her throat.

"Thank you." She whispers.

"For?" I ask.

She takes a deep breath.

"Stopping them yesterday. They were gonna knock me out." She looks down, fiddling with her hands. "I don't know when I'm going to see my brother and father again."

She bites her lip and a tear slides down her cheek.

Nurse Agnes starts to come over, but I put my hand up in her direction.

"She's fine." I snap.

She grits her teeth and turns around.

"Do you like that nurse?"

"No." she scoffs. "I hate that bitch."

"Who's your favorite?" I ask.

"Who's yours?"

"Adaline." I say.

She smiles a little bit.

"Me too."

"Agnes hates me." I say.

"She hates everyone. Don't take it personally."

"I don't." I say. "And you're welcome." I say.

"You know what I miss?" she whispers.

"What?"

"Music." She says. "I haven't heard any music in two years."

"You like music?"

She nods.

"I used to be in a band." I say.

"Used to?" she asks.

"My friend Mark, the one that slept with my girlfriend, he was in it with me. I ended it." I shrug.

"I love singing. Do you sing?"

"No. I play guitar and drums and piano and everything else. You should come over-" I cut off. "Oh."

She sighs quietly.

"I hate this fucking place." She mutters.

"I know." I sigh. "Now, I know this is going to piss you off, but maybe if you told them why you're scared to love...maybe if you told them why you're in here, they would let you out."

"I can't. I don't trut anyone but my family."

"What about your Mom?"

She doesn't say anything.

"Cam?" I ask.

She just starts shaking her head.

"You don't like her?"

She shrugs.

"Is she why you're in here?"

"Stop asking." She says.

"Okay." I shrug.

I dump my backpack.

"What's your favorite?"

She studies the condiments, and grabs the lemon heads.

Not the lemon ones, but the ones with all the different flavors.

I smile. "I love those."

"Oh, you can-"

"No, I bought them for you."

"Okay." She mutters.

"What about chips?"

She studies them for a while.

"I like a lot. You don't have my favorites."

"What are your favorites?"

"The purple Doritos."

I frown.

"What?"

"The chili spicy ones." She pauses. "Do they still sell them?"

"Yeah." I nod.

I'm sorry that this is so short.