Cherry Berry

 a/n: this is my one shot entry to the Young Writers writing contest on the theme of rebellion. i really do hope you guys enjoy it and if you do, please vote! anyways, the official word count for this story (excluding this author's note) is: 1998 words. 

also, this story's dedicated to the tayyaba1404 for the amazing cover! :D

          Family dinners at the Gilberts' house were often times a maddening and puzzling experience for Freya to witness. Not that it should have been, she was after all a Gilbert herself and shouldn't have felt like an outcast in her own family. The problem, however, was that Freya was an outcast in a family that enjoyed indulging themselves in the most recent suburbia gossip. Though, Freya did not take pleasure on educating herself in the latest blasphemy, that wasn't necessarily the whole reason she felt secluded from family dinners. She felt secluded because her entire family felt as though Freya, a sixteen-year-old girl, was too young to understand the scandalous topics revolving around sex and drugs. But little they did know, she did. As a matter of fact, Freya knew more than enough, but she would never admit that to her family because admitting that to them would mean coming clean about certain situations. And that, perhaps, was the most frustrating thing for Freya-- she never really could talk to her parents about anything.

          "Did you hear about Marie Lancaster's daughter?" 

          "What about Marie Lancaster?" Donald Gilbert asked from the right end of the dinner table. "Did she sleep with another customer from that rusty diner again?"

          On the other end of the table, Denise Gilbert, let out an obnoxious laugh. "I wouldn't be surprised!" She exclaimed. "I'm actually surprised that diner hasn't closed down because of her. In my opinion, having a former stripper serving people their foods just isn't good business; people are there to eat their food, not see her boobs."

          Kathleen chuckled. "A lot of girls dress like that at my school, you know? It's actually so disgusting, but they probably just do it for attention." She gave a small shrug and Freya rolled her eyes. "But I wasn't talking about Marie Lancaster, I was talking about her daughter... I think it's Jane, right?"

          "Jade."

          Freya's entire family looked at her.

          "What?" Freya blushed. "That's her name. We have English together." She lied. They didn't have English together. They didn't have any class together. Freya simply admired Jade from afar like any other crush.

          Kathleen rolled her eyes. "But anyways, apparently Jade Lancaster 's pregnant at sixteen. Just like her mother. What a shame..."

          Donald started shaking his head in disapproval. "It is a shame," he stated. "This is what happens when teenagers start having sex before marriage--"

          "Not to mention the fact that this Jade is becoming a slut like her mother," Denise stated. 

          "I don't think she's a slut."

          Again, Freya's entire family looked back to her, but this time with wide eyes.

          "What do you mean she's not a slut?" Kathleen snapped. "Jade sleeps with every boy at school! She also dresses exactly like her mother. If that's not a slut, I don't know what is."

          "Honey, are you friends with Jade Lancaster?" Denise asked. "Why are you defending that girl?"

          Freya shrugged. There were a lot of reasons why she felt the need to defend a girl she barely knew or even talked to. "No, but I just think the term 'slut' is very degrading to women. Besides, you three should stop judging other people based on stupid rumours."