The Night We Met

Chapter Eighteen: Dates (And I Don't Mean The Fruit)

Word got around that Salem was gay. Thanks to Teresa. 

Amy still hadn't come to school but she was still showing up for her shifts at the coffee shop. She wouldn't talk about why she stopped going, just that she got her GED and wouldn't be coming back.  

Salem made it through the day with minimal interactions, but sooner or later, someone tripped her in the hall and called her a faggot. Her books fell and she stood up and glared at the person, ready to tell them off. But before she could, someone decked him in the face. 

"Don't talk to her like that, and don't touch her," he warned. It was Tobias. 

The boy spat on his shoes and disappeared down the hall. "You shouldn't have done that," Teresa said. "God says gay people are a sin anyway."

He looked at her. "Where does it say that in The Old Testament?" he asked, waiting for an answer. When she didn't say anything, he spoke again. "It doesn't, does it? I used to be religious. My father was Catholic and my mother is Christian. I read the Bible. Nowhere does it say gay people are sinners. Want to know why? Because sexuality wasn't understood in Biblical times. So check your facts."

He grabbed Salem's wrist and led her out to the field. "Are you okay?" he asked. 

She tugged her hand away from him. "You didn't have to do that," she said. "I can take care of myself."

"I know. I just..." His voice trailed off as he shook his head. 

She touched his arm. "Hey. It's okay. I was gonna ditch anyway." She smirked. "Wanna ditch with me?"

Tobias chuckled lightly. "You know I can't. My mom would have my head if I did."

"You could always... not tell them," she said. 

He snorted. "Some of us care what our parents think."

She sighed dramatically. "Fine," she said. She walked over to the fence that surrounded the school to climb it and dropped on the other side. "Peace out." She blew him a kiss. 

"One day, you're going to get kicked out of school!" he called after. 

She turned around and smiled. "I look forward to that day."

She decided she was going to stop by the coffee shop to get a hot chocolate and grilled cheese, then waste the day away watching Psych. The walk home was chilly since winter was coming around. East Shore had way-too-hot summers and way-too-cold winters. Fall and spring were the best seasons. It never snowed, but it might as well have. 

"Afternoon, Sal," Atticus greeted her when she walked inside. "How is possible you are still enrolled at your school? You're, like, never actually there."

She shrugged and sat down at the counter. "That's a good question. I look forward to the day where I receive that letter that tells me I've been expelled." She gets up and pulls a cookie from the glass case and takes a bite. "I don't even know why they call it 'High School for Above Average Students.' It's the only high school in this town and everyone goes there."

Atticus shrugged. "It's to seem more appealing for people outside of our town. People will think you have to apply and actually have good grades to get in, then we get the smart kids from out of town. It's actually kind of genius."

"In a completely manipulative way," Salem finished. She grabbed a grilled cheese and a hot chocolate. "Peace out, Addie. I'm gonna go watch Psych."

She walked into the back room and Amy was there, shifting through orders. "Amy?" she asked. 

Amy looked through her brown hair at her. "Oh. Hi, Salem."

Salem walked over and sat down at the small table next to her. "Are you doing okay?" she asked. "Are you acting weird because I kissed you? I know that was really uncalled for and I'm so--"

"Don't apologize," she interrupted. "It's not that. My mom is... She just had some stuff going on and I couldn't be in that place anymore. I wanted out and I had a chance, so I took it. Next year is my last year there anyway."

Salem looked at the orders she was looked through. "That looks really boring," she concluded. "I'm gonna go upstairs and watch TV. Want to come with me?" she asked. 

Amy looked visibly relieved. "Yes please," she laughed.