Beautiful Dead Flowers

That's Why It Hurts

Greigh POV:

It is finally time to follow through with my promise I made Ina of accompanying her to the apple orchard. It's not such a bad thought; I just needed Ina to spill what she was covering up with Jason.

I get in a pair of jeans and a white flannel, ready to pick apples and but cider. Ina comes to the front entrance with a creamy white hoodie, ripped black skinny jeans, and a glowing aura. She recently got her hair cut too; just above her shoulders, and it's down in it's natural waves. It looks great on her, but that's not the reason she's glowing and I know it.

It's because she's proud of herself for getting me to come.

"I've got my wallet," I tell her. "Are you ready to go? Got a bag for the apples?"

"Yep!" She grins, holding up a giant clear garbage bag. "Let's go!"

Her cheery energy makes me a little less crabby about this whole apple orchard trip, and I grin back at her, holding the door open.

"Go ahead," I say, and she smiles at me radiantly, like I'm her favourite person in the world.

But I know it's not true. And we'll talk about the blackmailing situation later.

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"Greigh! Greigh, Greigh, Greigh! They're selling candy apples!" Ina exclaims, clutching my arm and shaking it for my attention, excitement influential like a kid at the candy store.

"Alright, I guess we have to get some, then." I roll my eyes.

I pay for the apples, then come back to find Ina in line for a tractor ride.

"Ina, what are you doing?" I ask, handing over her candy apple.

"We have to do a tractor ride!" She says, stars in her eyes. "They show you how to pick the apple correctly."

"Ina, we don't have to spend our money to get on a tour with a big polluting vehicle with the guide literally only says 'magic shirts' and 'eye to the sky'." I roll my eyes. "I know how to pick an apple correctly, I'll show you."

"Fine." Ina huffs as I drag her out of the line, and bring her over to the pick your own payment table. 

"We would like to pick our own, please." I indicate towards the clear trash bad Ina has still clutched in her hand as she licks the candy apple.

The woman at the register nods.

"Here, take a bucket to put your bag in." She shows us to the bag. "To pick that bag it'll be $15.50, please." She nods.

I pull the cash out of my wallet, hand it to her, then grab the bucket, Ina and go.

We walk out to one of the rows of apple trees, and Ina gasps in amazement.

"The trees are huge!" She shouts, voice breaking.

I laugh, and grin.

"We get to pick as many as we can fit in the basket." I raise it up.

"Yes!" Ina exclaims, and attempts to yank a juicy red one off of a tree. After struggling for a moment, she laughs. "How do you do this?"

I snicker at her pathetic attempt, and grab her hand that still has a grasp on the apple. The chilly weather has made her hands cold.

"Your hands are warm." Ina smiles as if warmed by a camp fire.

"You're just cold blooded," I tease, and she sticks her tongue out. "Okay, so you lift the apple upside down like this, and pull a bit..."

The apple comes off the tree and right into her hands as I turn them in the right movement.

"Woah! That's so cool!" She grins, and puts it in the basket. We stand still for a moment, then, I let her hand go, leaving her blushing.

"Okay, and now, we have to fill the basket." I grin, raising an eyebrow. Ina understands the mission.

"Oh you're on."

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Ina beats me by a whopping twenty one apples, and she's a laughing mess by the end of it. Her hair is flying everywhere, courtesy of the wind, and she carries the basket up as we make our way back to the car.

"That was great," I grin. "The student becomes the master."

"Yep; sorry." Ina laughs unapologetically. "Let's get cider, and then go home. It's starting to crowd." She says.

"Roger that." I reply, and we head off.

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We get home, and Ina opens the door for me as I lug in the plastic bag, apples filling it to the brim and it appears as though it might rip at the seams. We enter the house, and I set the apple bag down on the counter as Ina taps my shoulder. I turn to her, distractedly sweeping my hair away from my face, messy due to the virtue of the wind outside today.

"Hey... Greigh-"

"What's up?" I nod, knowing what's coming and wanting it over quickly.

"Greigh." Ina says with a tired crossness in her voice.

"What." I ask, more of a demand than a question, and we both know damn well I'm just playing dumb.

"You know what I'm going to say, don't be stupid." She sighs, jutting one hip out and resting a hand on the doorway wall to trap me in.

"Damn it, Ina, you had to ruin a good day, didn't you?" I throw up my arms in disgruntlement.

"Okay, sorry, I should've started off better. Let me try again. " She spins around abruptly, triggering a snigger out of me.

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow. 

"Yes, shut up." She gives me a dirty look, and starts. "Thank you, Greigh, for coming with me today. I really had a lot of fun with you. We should do this more often."

I give her an impassive look. "Go on."

"But... you won't cooperate." She says. "I just... I've suggested things like this ever since we started living here together, and this is the first event you've actually agreed to."

"... And? It hasn't been that long." I shrug nonchalantly.

"Greigh. It's been six months. I won't stand for your hermit behavior any longer." She backhands my chest. "You and I are going to do more things. Get out more. I'm going to have you make friends. You're going to know everyone in this neighborhood by the end of this month. I don't care if you're going to end up having to erase everyone's minds if they find out; you have to have human interaction. You can't stay in the house all the time."

"I'm going to end up getting hurt! Do you know what caring for people and then have them turn their backs on you instantly is like?" I shout, slamming my fist on the kitchen countertop.

I instantly regret my choice of words, but it's true. As soon as people learn about my manipulative abilities, they just shut me out and spread the rumors. But I suppose I'm a hypocrite of doing the same thing.

"I do know what that's like," Ina says sharply. "I've been a victim of it, I'm quite aware."

"Ina I didn't-"

"No, I know you meant it. That's why it hurts." Ina nods, and walks away.

I ruined a good day, and I know it.