The Nobodies

4: The Rotted Apple In The Bushel

© Amber Kalkes 2015

Song: "I Had Me A Girl" By The Civil Wars

Chapter Four: The Rotted Apple In The Bushel

Gripping the steering wheel tightly in my hands, I tried to keep my panicking to a minimum. I was a grown woman at this point. I should have been able to handle the simple task of going into town and grocery shopping. Gran was right, we needed food and with the influx of farmers coming in I didn't have to be tight fisted about the expenses this week. Maybe I'd even be able to stop and get me a few new clothes while I was in the area.

Of course, once I actually hit town that whole feeling changed. I could feel their eyes on me. The townspeople of Thornton were watching the very recognizable truck with scathing eyes. I didn't have to look at them to know it either. They never failed to be watching anytime I had before and then whispering to their closest neighbor. Gran could ignore that kind of behavior but I still couldn't find the will within myself to follow her example. No matter how long I lived with it, I doubted that I even would.

The roar of my truck, a beat up little gem I had nicknamed Penny, came to an end when I pulled to the side of the road and parked her outside Annie's flower shop. I knew it would my last stop of the day since Annie had our shipments of herbs on hold for us. Usually it was Gran who came down to get those but I was sure that since it was getting towards the end of the month there would be another box waiting. It seemed easier to get it all now. Maybe that way I wouldn't have to come back later to get it and at that point I would have done anything to avoid town visits if I didn't have to.

The bottom of my run down white sneakers plodded against the concrete sidewalk as I made my way to my first stop, the grocery store. Unluckily for me, Gran was not the best cook in the world. She instead left all the cooking to me which was a poor choice for her. I wasn't much of a chef either but I tried to make do with what I could. Usually that meant experimenting with ramen recipes. So, without further ado, I made my way directly to the soups and noodles aisle.

Swinging the basket in my hand, I tried to ignore the curious looks I was receiving in favor of looking my options. Chicken and beef flavor were a must but could I get away with sneaking in some shrimp flavor ramen? Since Gran was allergic to shrimp the chances were slim to none but I really did love it the most. Biting the inside of my cheek, I held the basket under the shelf and just started pushing in as many chicken and beef packets as I could. Of course the basket filled quickly and eventually began spilling over.

I sighed and put the basket on the floor before sitting on the cold linoleum below. I became distracted by my need to play it like Tetris so I could fit more in so I wasn't paying much attention to my surroundings. It actually wasn't until I saw a pair of shoes out of the corner of my eye did I even notice I wasn't alone anymore. Looking up I found a pair of tan slacks and trailed my eyes up to see that came with a torso. It wasn't until I reached the face that I realized being alone was a bad thing. Making a face I turned back to my basket I tried to ignore his presence.

"Hey, sweetheart," He greeted, amusement clear in his voice, "You having troubles?"

Sighing heavily, I looked up and gave him a dry look. It was Newman Parks, Miss Lucinda's most obnoxious relative. A known bully and even a bigger entitled piece of shit, Newman was not the kind of people I wanted to associate with. In fact, staying as far away from him was advisable to most people. He was one of those people that considered those who didn't stand with him, standing against him and if you weren't with him he made it his job to make your life a living hell.

He'd done it to me in high school. He was the handsome, rich and popular boy and I was considered the perfect mark for his harassment. Looking at him right then, it wasn't hard to figure why he was so looked up to in this town. With his perfectly quaffed dark hair, matching dark eyes and designer clothes, Newman was the very image of everything this town stood for. He was closed minded, elitist and every inch the pride of his well standing family. All the kids wanted to be friends with him or at least stay on his good side long enough to be ignored. I never had a chance against someone like that.