Isolation (Book #1 of the Taylor Series)

Fifteen

After a few weeks of hanging out with Blake, simultaneously ignoring and being ignored by Sienna, and Stella and Graham arguing off and on, I'd pretty much accepted that this is probably how my life will be until graduation. I will just have to get used to trying to ignore (and inevitably failing) Stella and Graham's commentary about not having sex as much as they used to and talking to Blake at work about how stupid sex is. 

The only thing that's proved difficult is making awkward eye contact with Sienna and Birdie whenever they walk past me in the halls with their arms interlocked. That and always having to look away when Graham and Stella make up by making out in the hallways. Unless, of course, I want to projectile vomit.

"Thanksgiving is the worst holiday known to man." Blake says when he finally takes a break from explaining the newest assignment in his Photography class, "The fact that we invest so much money into something so stupid is offensive." He murmurs, and I let out a small laugh before I take a gulp of my coffee.

Since it started colder, I've learned to love hot coffee as much as Blake does. I'm really happy about that too because now I can utilize my employee discount. Coffee gets expensive nowadays. Even at Peterson's. Our total usually comes to twenty dollars before my discount. Honestly! It's a drink, not liquid gold. Though, I'm sure Blake would beg to differ.

"True, but at least there's free food." I murmur, and he rolls his eyes.

"Says who? Americans spend billions of dollars on Thanksgiving, and for what? To eat one slice of turkey? No wonder nobody cares about the seven deadly sins anymore, nobody wants to admit that, for at least one day a year, they all succumb to gluttony." He sighs contently after he takes a sip of his black coffee. I smile at his rant. He blushes and looks down at the table, rubbing his hands together. I look down at his tattoo and then back up at his face.

"Sounds like you're really passionate about it," He looks up, and shrugs his shoulders awkwardly, "Something tells me that your family doesn't celebrate it."

He lets out a low 'uh' before taking a sip of coffee, "It's not that. It's just that we usually fly over to Switzerland at my maternal Grandmother's demand and she's difficult to say the least. And instead of bailing me out of having to deal with her, my dad's always too busy to do anything besides hire someone to make the food for us." He explains, and I raise my eyebrows at him curiously.

"Maybe that's why Thanksgiving is still around today? Obviously nobody celebrates the genocide of the Native Americans, whether or not they know that's what it symbolizes is irrelevant," I cut him off when he looks like he's about to correct me, "Think about it, it's probably for those who are usually too busy with work to hang out with their families, so they get that one day off every year to just sit around and talk to them." I state it like a question and his eyebrows furrow.

"Maybe so, but it's still a dumb holiday. If nobody in your family complies, then what's the point? Besides, it was definitely built upon the mass genocide of the Native Americans, therefore I absolutely refuse to celebrate it." He declares, tapping the table in a sporadic rhythm.

"True, true." I agree, and roll my eyes at my previous indifference to colonization.

I look around the store and get overwhelmed when I think about how time is going by quite fast. Thanksgiving is literally next week. Next week. My fall semester is almost over! 

That means more homework as my teachers try to hopelessly prepare us for the finals in December that are 40% of our grade. I look around again and then stop when I notice that Blake had been staring at me the whole time. My cheeks redden in embarrassment. I find solace in tapping him on the finger, on his tattoo. He smirks before taking a sip of coffee.