East Chapel Academy

Chapter 13- Nia

"Are you sure you don't want to go sit with your friends?" Lavender asked as we ate our lunch. Lavender's lunch was a mod podge of items from the cafeteria. Fries, salad, pizza, and a few pieces of sushi, lined her tray. I wasn't even sure if she was that hungry, but if she just got it because she could.

I went for something simpler, there was only a Caesar salad and a cup of pineapple and strawberries. It was by far the best lunch I've ever had. The food at Jefferson was basically slop in a bag.

"I'm sure," I said, stabbing a piece of pineapple with my fork. "Unless you don't want me to sit you, if you're too cool for me."

"That's not what I said." She blew her blonde bangs out of her eyes. She had pulled it up during gym, she complained during the whole yoga session. She said it was sham, but I found it to be very relaxing. "It's just your boyfriend keeps looking over here, and it's starting to freak me out."

I turned to see what she was talking about. From his table across the cafeteria, Marcus looked over at us. I gave him a small wave, that he returned with a small smile. I turned back to Lavender, a soft smile on my lips.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said to her.

"Then why do you have a date on Saturday?"

"It's not a date," I told her. "We're studying." We're just studying for our chemistry test, but have I been thinking about what I'm going to wear like it's a date. Hell, yes.

"Yeah, save that for somebody who believes it," she said, in disbelief. "When you get done studying you can come over to my house. I live next door."

"Really, that's awesome," I said around a piece of pineapple. "I will."

"It's the house that looks like a giant greenhouse," she explained.

"Greenhouse?"

"My parents grow things and study them. They make all natural skincare and medicines, stuff like that."

"That's cool, what's the name of their brand?"

"Ever heard of Herbalina?"

"Your parents own Herbalina!" Tasha swears by their moisturizer, but the only way she can afford it is through her discount at work. I see their ads in magazines all the time. I got my grandmother their cold cream for Christmas last year, and it set me back like fifty bucks.

"Yep, they do," she sighed. "But they're like super hardcore about it. They're vegan, all natural everything, no deodorant."

I looked down at her meat and dairy filled tray. "But you eat meat and dairy..."

"Oh, I'm not vegan. I love ice cream, and chicken, and steak, and leather goods," she explained. "I was for a long time, but when I turned ten they said I was old enough to make my own decisions, and I decided I didn't want to do it anymore."

"And they were fine with that?" If they're as hardcore as she says they are I can't imagine they were okay with her deciding to eat meat.

"No, they went on this whole 'animals are our friends not food,' speech. But they still couldn't change my mind," she shrugged. "My mom still cringes when she sees me eat chicken nuggets."

I laughed. "So they really don't wear deodorant?"

She shook her head. "Nope, it can get pretty rank in the summer time. They're working on formulating an all-natural deodorant right now—it's not working."

Lavender told me about all her parents experiments, and all the weird things she made her do to test their products. Now that I know more about her parent's crazy dietary restrictions, it makes sense why she piles her tray high with so many kinds of food. She's spent over half her life eating vegetables or some form of it. Tofu chicken nuggets, I don't think so.