Orchard

6

I awoke with a jolt. It was still dark outside, and I checked my clock. 3:46 AM. I sat in my bed for a while until I heard a small knock at my window. I was scared shitless, I've always been a paranoid person. 3:46 AM and something is knocking at my window? Oh hell no. I cautiously lifted the covers and slowly got out of the bed. I half expected some creature to grab my ankles and yank my off the bed, thankfully that didn't happen. I approached my window and the knock came again. I breathed deeply and tried to calm myself down, as I slowly moved my curtains aside, I jumped. Demitri was peering into my window. "What the hell?" I mouthed to him. "Come outside!" I heard him say, muttled by the glass. "This is fucking nuts," I said to myself outloud.

I crept out of my room, hating my feet more and more as the old wood floors creaked beneath them. I was beyond terrified, no longer of my imagination. I was terrified of my mother. As I walked past her room, I peered inside. She seemed to be asleep. I prayed that she was. After I reassured myself that she was sleeping, I walked faster to the front door. Now was the real test, getting this goddamn near 100lb door to open silently. I looked behind me one last time to check if mother was watching, and when she wasn't there, I slowly opened the door. It made a loud, eerie creak and I wanted to slam it shut and run back to my room, but my heart told my brain to shut up and go outside. The ground beneath my bare feet was freezing cold and the grass was covered in dew.

"Demitri?" I whispered. "Here, Celeste," he said in a low tone. I looked to the left where my window was and he was sitting down below it on the side of the house. "Oh my god your hair!" He exclaimed. "Oh, it's nothing don't worry..." I said sadly. I walked over to him, on the wet grass which felt disgusting, and stood over him. "It's almost 4 AM, Demitri. We have school in like 3 hours." I said, agitated. I was excited to see him but he could've waited till morning. "Celeste," He began, "I was so worried about you. I tried texting you and calling you but I remembered you didn't have your phone." It made me smile that he cared about me. "You care about me..." I said softly. He stood up, and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Of course!" He said, a little too loud. I panicked and imagined the scenario that would play out if my mother awakened. "Keep it down," I said hurriedly, and grabbed his hand. I lead him further from my house, under a large oak tree. "Your mom, she doesn't like me huh?" He asked, looking down at his feet. "Of course not, did you not hear what she said to you at the cafe?" I replied in a hushed voice. "I don't speak French, Celeste." He said plainly. I had forgotten. "She told you to burn in hell..." I whispered. Demitri lifted my chin and I saw his ocean-like eyes in the moonlight.

It felt like a dream, like one of those romance movies, it just didn't feel real. Was this a dream? "Is this a dream?" I asked him. "No, silly." He said smiling down at me, his hand still gently lifting my chin up to him. "Sure feels like one though." He said, and he leaned in and kissed me. Every single part of my body jolted, in a good way. Like I said, never had contact with guys. This was my first kiss. He let go of my chin and moved his hands down my back, and he stopped kissing me for a moment and smiled. "What was that?" I said, my eyes wide. "A kiss, Celeste." He said and he laughed. "Oh.." I said slowly, "I know but- nevermind" I smiled at him too.

He kissed me one more time, like a peck, and then we sat under the tree. I could still see my house from here and every part of me believed my mother would come raging out. "I'm so scared," I told him, "I feel like she's watching." I buried my head into his shoulder. "She isn't, don't worry" He said. "How do you know?" I asked. He looked at me awkwardly and his mouth contorted as if he wanted to say something but he couldn't. "What?" I asked. "I just know, Celeste." He replied. I laughed, "You some sort of psychic?" I asked, teasingly. He looked at me wide eyed, "No." He said, in a serious tone. I took my head off his shoulder, "I guess I should go back inside, before Mother wakes up." I said, looking down at my hands. "Why do you call her mother instead of mom or my mom?" He asked, and I looked over at him, "That's how she likes to be called." We sat in silence for a few moments. "I see," He said plainly. "You better get inside before she kills us both, sorry I can't walk you to the door," He stood up and reached his hand down to help me up. When I got up, he spun me around and laughed. The dew had soaked my entire ass, it was so uncomfortable. "Celeste it looks like you shit yourself ," He said, laughing. I shoved him, "Shut up!" I said playfully.

I hugged him one last time before heading to the house. I watched as he walked down the road, he went to the left. His house must be somewhere down there. I was curious about his family. And why did he have such a thing against psychics? I mean, he hadn't said "I hate psychics" but when I joked about it, he got serious, really fast.

I was shaking as I opened the heavy door to our house, slowly and carefully. I finally opened it enough to squeeze my body through, and then shut it with extreme caution. I was scared to turn around when I was inside, fearing that my mother was behind me. "Celeste," She'd say, "I saw you with the boy again." and then I'm sure she would beat me or whip me or whatever "mess up more than your hair"
meant. I turned around, gulping, and sighed when she wasn't there. The relief was so, so intense. It felt amazing to just see my empty living room. I walked down the hall, and by her room. She wasn't in the bed anymore. I covered my mouth from screaming, or gasping, or whatever I would've done in that moment of immense terror. I prayed she was just using the bathroom and hadn't noticed my absence.

I shuffled to my room and I was breathing heavily and shaking from pure fear. When I opened the door to my room, Mother was sitting on my bed. "Where have you been?" She asked in a worried voice. "Outside, I'm sorry I had to take a walk." I replied, my voice shaking. Like she was going to buy that. She stood up, and rested her hand on my shoulder. She leaned in close to my ear.

"I know you were with him."