Together We Fall

Chapter 3

Chapter three

It's been three days since Beatrice made her threat and I haven't heard from her since. She'll just give me cold stares across the cafeteria when she sees me still sitting with Trace and she'll give me mocking smiles in theater class when she sees Trace, Ethan and I goofing around.

Beatrice loves to talk a big game but will never follow through on anything. She'll play on your fear and as long as you encourage it by playing along, she won't stop. But I know better, her words are just a bunch of empty threats. My sitting with Trace has gone against her warning but she never confronted me because she doesn't know how to react when someone isn't scared of her, and that's exactly what I'm not.

If she thinks she can make a snarky order and I'll simply just oblige then she has a whole lot of growing up to do. I'm not going to ditch the people who are slowly becoming good friends of mine just because she told me too.

It's been less than a week but I'm already starting to think my friendship with them may be permanent. For two years at least.

I get my silver Ford fusion and drive out of Wyatt Oaks High School parking lot. Even though I went to lunch today, I didn't eat much of anything. Erica, the green eyed girl I sit beside, gave me some of her Cheese It's .

Though I appreciate the delicious cracker, my stomach is still demonstrating a whale call.

I remember about a taco truck I've been driving past every morning on my way to school. I quickly pull into the parking lot across from it and get out.

From what I can tell, it seems a little shady. The truck is slightly rusted and not many people are around it. If it wasn't for the amazing smell floating through the air I'd get back in my car and go home.

My phone buzzes and I look down to see a text from Josephine inviting me to get dinner with her. Well that's good timing.

"Emma?" I look up from my phone screen and see a beautiful chestnut brown eyed boy staring at me.

"Hey, Mason." I tell him with a smile, surprised he'd be eating from this shabby truck. Based on his body he looks like he takes what goes into it very seriously.

The two of us walk up to the truck and we each order one taco before taking a step back from the window to have a private conversation.

"Who's your taco for?" Mason asks with an amused expression, like he knows something I don't.

I furrow my eyebrows, confused at his question.

Before I have the chance to reply, the man calls my name and holds my food out the window. I take it, thanking him with a smile.

I take a big bite, prepared to savor the delicious flavor.

A few short seconds pass by before the flavor begins to set in. Suddenly, my mouth is filled with grease and what tastes like an entire jar of salt. My tongue begins burning and I can't tell if I'm just being dramatic or if the food is beginning to eat me.

I gag and spit the food back into the wrapper, not caring that it lands on the rest of the taco. My feet carry me to the garbage can a few feet over, my eyes never leaving the taco that just disappointed me.

When the food is in the trash, I look up at Mason who has his thumb placed gently on his bottom lip and a laugh begging to escape.

"Sorry Emma," he says sweetly but I don't miss the hint of amusement, "had I known you were buying the taco for yourself I would've warned you."

"So then who did you buy yours for?"

He laughs and gives me a shy look, "Ethan asked me to pick him up some food."