Crush Vision

Chapter 9

     I scan the parking lot for my classmates and spot a crowd of people at the entrance to the food bank. I head over and check in with the teacher in charge. Everyone stands talking in clumps, but I notice Emmy standing off to the side. I walk over to her. "Hey, Emmy."

      She looks up. "Henry? I didn't know you were in my group." It might be my imagination, but she almost looks relieved. 
Emmy yawns and sticks her hands in her pockets. "Good thing though; I don't really know anyone else here..."

     "I guess we can just hang out on our own," I hide my confusion. Emmy's really friendly; it's not like she'd have trouble talking to anyone here if she wanted to. But as I take a second glance at the people around us, I realize that the way they're clustered together isn't very welcoming. It doesn't look like they even know we're here—or if they do, they don't seem to care.

    Emmy stifles another yawn. "Yeah."

     I turn away from the crowd and face her. "Anyway, what're we supposed to do today?"

     "We're spending the entire morning putting the heavy canned food into boxes," Emmy sighs. "I think we're doing the same thing in the afternoon, too, but we might be packing backpacks for kids, too."

     Sounds like a lot of work, but I'm up for it. Then I remember. "I forgot to pack a lunch!"

      "They're providing box lunches, remember?" She reminds me.

     "Oh yeah..." Phew, dodged that bullet.

      The teacher calls for our attention and introduces us to an employee, who tells us we'll be working in pairs. Emmy and I glance at each other, and I'm suddenly glad I'm not here by myself. We follow the adults inside, passing shelves of preserved food that reach all the way to the ceiling.

     "What are you doing this summer?" I ask as the group moves along. "There's only a few more weeks of school left."

     "I'm gonna volunteer at the animal shelter!" Emmy perks up and swivels around, walking backwards. "You know, the one by our neighborho—"

    "Watch out," I grab her arm before she backs into a shelf.

     She grins and falls into step beside me. "I'm so excited; I'll get to bathe and feed the animals, and take them on walks—oh Henry you should see them; they're so cute!"

     Emmy's eyes light up and the tiredness disappears from her face. "I wish I could adopt them all!"

     I laugh. "You can't afford that."

     She elbows me in the side. "I know, but a girl can dream."

       A group of workers lead us to another part of the warehouse, where we immediately split off and start working. Emmy and I form part of a big assembly line, and there's barely any time to talk.

     When we finally get a break, I rip open my box lunch and bite into my sandwich, not even bothering to look at the label. I plop down on the concrete and swallow. Tastes like ham and cheese. I keep eating as I wait for Emmy, and finish by the time she arrives. She unwraps a tuna sandwich, wincing as she sits down. "My back hurts..."

     "It's all this bending over," I stretch my arms. "You think we'll do something easier after lunch?"

     Emmy opens a water bottle and takes a sip. "I sure hope so; I can't believe people lift all this heavy stuff every day."

     "Yeah..." I can't tell if the warmth in my face is from all the work we've been doing or Emmy's closeness. She tries to move a box and make more room, but it's too heavy. She crosses her legs, our knees almost touching.

       "We need to do something fun this summer," Emmy rests her chin on her hand.

     I nod. "Any ideas, then?"

     She shakes her head.

     "What about the shelter you mentioned?" I suggest.

     Emmy shrugs. "I guess, but then there's so much that's gonna happen..."

    I crumple up my food wrapper. "What do you mean?"

     "It's like," she huffs and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, "we're all gonna be so busy, and I'm scared it'll go by so fast. There's only so much time left..." Emmy pulls her knees to her chest, and I wonder if she's thinking about college again.

     "It's okay," I tap her shoe and try to reassure her. "We'll figure it out."

     Emmy tries to smile as the adults call for the end of lunch. "Yeah, maybe you're right."

     I rise to my feet and stick out my hand. Emmy takes it and stands up. "Thanks, Henry."

     I give her a little salute as we head back to our work stations, and she giggles. The image of her grin stays in my head. I don't know what's going through her mind, I sneak a glance at Emmy as she tosses her braid over her shoulder and takes her place in line next to me, but I can try to keep a smile on her face.

Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We're halfway through the story, so stay tuned for more!