How to Be Cliche (A Novel)

(9) That Escalated Quickly

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Five words.

                  Peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

                  My lunch smacked against the metal classroom desk in front of me as I emptied the contents of the brown bag I had been carrying around in my backpack. Sandwich, juice box, two apples, and two bags of chips that Mom had packed at 3:00 AM in the morning, as the note stapled to the bag said. It also read:

                  Your dad and I love you so much, Peppy. I promise we'll try to change our hours soon so we can be home more. Make friends and behave for us. This is our new home. xoxo

                    I guess you could say I was making friends the first day of school.

                  "Well, how was the rest of your morning?" Sin asked me, leaning forward in his desk and watching me poke at my sandwich.

                  So let me summarize what happened after Sin implied there was a reason as to why the vampires across the street hired my mom and dad and brought us to Orange Gate County in the first place. Sin offered to talk to me about my situation during lunch detention so that he could get back to his class, and Hunter disappeared into thin air.

                  That's right. Poof went the blind doggie.

                  "Are you going to answer me?" Sin pressed, leafing through a large book on his desk. "Hopefully you didn't cause any problems with the other teachers. Not many of them are as nice as I am."

                  "Is this "detention" going on my record because I don't think you're supposed to talk to me so casually during it like we're BFF's."

                  Sin looked up from his book. "I'm still thinking about it. Your permanent record doesn't really matter much to me or any other teacher here, to be quite frank. You're just a sassy, disrespectful human in my eyes."

                  I clucked my tongue. "Fu--"

                  "Fudge brownies! They had them!" Hunter intercepted perkily as he strolled back into the classroom with a tray full of food from the cafeteria. Apparently, Hunter had rode aimlessly around town on his motorcycle -- which I have no idea how he drove -- until my lunchtime came because he wanted to, and I  quote: "Confirm that Paprika wasn't a hunter so he could return to his hideout in the forest and comb his back hair while howling at the moon."

                  Sin's eye fell into slits as they followed his brother across the room.

                  Setting down my sandwich, I loudly cleared my throat. "Sin, you said in the bathroom that you would discuss my families situation. It's been ten minutes."

                  "Yes, and we have thirty more minutes to resolve this," Sin pointed out, "and I want ten more minutes to read my book."

                  "Can I have your apples?" Hunter asked as he stood in front of my desk, his clouded eyes looking directly them. "They're my favorite."

                  My mouth fell open a little. "How did you know I had apples?" Then a sudden realization hit me. "Wait a minute...how did you know I was a brunette? And that I had plump lips? And how...how do you walk around without one of those stick things?"