Orchard

7

I froze, I felt a shudder go down my spine like lightning. Mother had said nothing more, she just left my room, slamming the door shut. I stood there, staring at my bed. I was afraid to move, I felt like she was still there. Choking me, haunting me. I heard the door to her room close, so I slowly moved towards my bed. I was so frightened that I thought every thing and anything I did would put my life in danger. I laid down in the bed and stared at the ceiling until the sun came up.

My alarm went off at precisely 6:30 AM, and it startled me. "Oh." I said outloud, as it took me from my "ceiling trance." Today I would not be wearing a dress, I chose a cute pink peplum top and light wash jeans. I sat at my vanity, and got a full understanding of my new hair. I started to cry. I had never seen my hair so short in this mirror. My hair had been long since I was 6 years old, of course it had to grow out from when I was born. I dried my tears. Maybe this hair was a symbol that I wasn't a child anymore, I was becoming an adult. I brushed my new "adult" hair and marched out to the kitchen. Mother was sitting at the table reading the newspaper. I didn't have time for her lunatic charades concerning Demitri. I speed-walked right past her and to the refrigerator. "Not even a good morning, Celeste Antoinette?" I hated when she used my middle name. I ignored her. I was done, fed up.

She slammed her tea on the table, spilling it everywhere. I jumped in shock. She started crying. "I just want to protect you," She said, bawling. "Mother..." I began. "No!" She screamed, the sound of it rang in my ears. I felt sorry for her, watching her cry. "You don't need to protect me." I said, and I slammed the fridge shut.

I stopped midway to my room, "And if you are trying to protect me, you sure as fuck aren't doing it right."

I grabbed my backpack, and it still had the 10$ I packed for my lunch yesterday. Today I would use it for breakfast. I was not going back in that kitchen. I could hear my mother in hysterics from my room. I swung my door open and bolted out of the house. I didn't feel like ever coming back to it. I reached up and touched my hair again, suddenly feeling self-concious. Demitri had only seen it in the dark, what if he didn't like me anymore? I laughed at myself for being so ridiculous.

Half way to the school, I saw Demitri. He was standing under a stop sign that someone wrote "Don't (STOP) Believin'" on. He walked up to me smiling. "Hello, Celeste." I hugged him, "Hello, Demitri," I said. "Do you mind if we stop at McDonalds real quick? I didn't eat breakfast."

We got to McDonald's and there was a huge ass line of kids from OHS. I never came here in the mornings so I didn't realize how packed it actually got. "Well damn, reminds me of the clubs in New York!" Demitri said, laughing. "Yeah except were in line for a McMuffin not liquor and girls," I replied with a grin. As we waited in the line of atleast 20 students, I thought of my mother. Demitri looked at me with concern in his blue eyes. "What happened last night?" He said, worriedly. "My mother, she said she knew what I was up to. But I swear she was asleep, she must've woken up when I came back inside, and then assumed I was with you!" I said angrily. "She was asleep." He said shortly, "I told you she wasn't watching, it was assumption," He continued. I just shook my head and looked on, we were moving up a little in line. "Celeste I have to tell you something." Demitri said with urgency. "What?"

"Never mind it can wait."

I finally got to the counter, a girl named Jaymie took my order. She had reddish brown hair with blonde streaks in it, and she wore black glasses. Her eyes were a pretty greenish-blue. "Welcome to McDonald's" She said, "Can I-" Demitri cut her off. "Yeah she's just gonna have a sausage McMuffin let's hurry please," And he slapped his debit card on the counter. I looked at him the way a mother looks at a child for pointing, or unknowingly calling someone fat. "Demitri.." I muttered. "What? It got the job done. Look here comes your food right now."

I got my breakfast, and we walked out the door. "Why were you so rude to her, Demitri?" I asked with disgust. "She was judging you." He said plainly, "She was thinking about your hair and she thought how terrible it was." I stared at him like he belonged in a mental institution. "What the fuck? Demitri please," I scoffed.

"That's what I have to tell you Celeste."

I put down my bag and yanked his arm, "You have to tell me you're being rude to strangers for no reason? And then you're going to make up some voodoo bull shit about what she was thinking?"

"It's not fucking voodoo. You asked me why I moved here, remember? Well this is why. I have a fucked up mind, I can hear what everyone around me thinks." He said, his face was red with anger.

"You've gone nuts," I said, shaking my head. I thought I met this amazing, sweet guy and he was actually a psychopath.

"I'm not a psychopath, Celeste..." He tried to grab my hand, but I pulled it away. "Please, Celeste."

I started to cry. I don't know why, I hated confrontation especially with Demitri. Part of me wanted to kiss him and part of me wanted to slap him in the face for trying to make me believe such nonsense. He pulled me in close to him and I let him, my tears sank into his shirt. "Celeste, I know I shouldn't have told you but I had to, I couldn't keep it a secret anymore." I cried harder. Stop talking nonsense, I thought.

"It's not nonsense!" He said roughly. I was thoroughly creeped out and had enough of it. "Demitri I have to get to school," I said.

"We have 20 minutes Celeste. I know how you really feel, and you can go ahead and leave. I just hope you remember yesterday, I really do care about you."

"I care about you too, Demitri." I said, I grabbed my bag and I walked off towards the school. I turned around once, and he was still standing there, like a lost puppy. I wondered if he was trying to scare me away, was this a sick way of saying he isn't interested anymore? Did he mean he cared about me as a friend? No, he kissed me. We were more than friends. He practically repeated my thoughts to me... I didn't know what to believe. I don't believe in the supernatural, or psychics, or witches or whatever the fuck he says he is. I cried the whole way to school, not out of sadness, out of confusion. Demitri had been confusing me ever since we met.