Innocence

Chapter 3

  "That was short." My mom said as I slipped into the front seat next to her.
   She looked up from her phone and then tucked it into her purse. I pulled the car door closed and stared straight ahead.
   "Yeah." I mumbled.
   "What did you guys talk about?"
   "He just asked me if there was anything bothering me." I only wanted to tell her half of it. I didn't want to talk about how I cried or Parker's last words to me. She wouldn't get it.
   "And is there anything bothering you?" She urged.
   "No." I shrugged to seem as laid back as possible.
   We drove the rest of the way home in silence.

   The next day was Monday, which meant: school. Better yet, I woke up twenty minutes after my alarm went off. That thing was garbage. I needed a new alarm clock.
   Knowing my usual "I'm going to be late" routine, I sat on the toilet while simultaneously brushing my hair with my right hand and brushing my teeth with my left hand. After I finished my business, I stood up, spit into the toilet, tossed my toothbrush across the bathroom and into my sink, then used the toilet paper. I pulled up my pants, fished my toothbrush out of the sink, then washed my hands. I'd skip breakfast.
   "Mom, I'm ready to go!" I shouted as I turned the hallway corner and scooped up my backpack by the garage door.
   My mom sleepily stepped out of her room. She was still wearing her pink robe and didn't plan on changing.
   "All right. I'm ready to drive you then." She croaked, still half asleep.
   She grabbed the car keys off of the washing machine and I met her in the car. Most of our rides were in silence of late. As was this one. She pulled up to the school curb just as the first bell was ringing. I kissed her cheek, and pushed my way out of the car and into the crowd of students.
   My stomach growled, making it impossible to focus during first and second period. My English teacher scolded me for not eating breakfast as she claimed the it was "the most important meal of the day." I brushed her off, saying that I was fine. But my stomach kept eating away at me. It was giving me a headache.
   Third period meant P. E. I was usually okay at sports, but today I told the teacher I was horribly nauseous and needed to sit on the sidelines of today's basketball game. He allowed it. I wasn't really lying. My stomach was driving me insane. I laid down on the cold floor of the gym. The cold felt nice against my burning skin. The sounds of the basketballs being dribbled across the gym echoed in my head giving me a terrible headache. It was like all hell was crashing down on my body. I barely noticed when the bell rang, signifying the end of the period.
   Lunch.
   I'd never been so ready for lunchtime. I raced to the front of the cafeteria, not caring who I had to trample. I needed food, surely they would understand. Darn it. Someone beat me. Only one person to wait behind wasn't so bad. I rocked back and forth on my feet, staring hungrily at the food choices. There were chicken tenders, hash browns, meatloaf, salads, and yet no matter what I looked at I wanted it all.
   Finally, the boy in front of me picked up his tray and began to move out of the line. He started to walk away, but I recognized him. It was Jesse. He stopped and stared blankly at me. I waved and he nodded back, expressionless.
   "I'll save you a seat." He said.
   I was in shock. But before I could respond he had walked off. Never mind. Food. I grabbed a tray of chicken tenders and fries and started moving toward my usual seat next to my friends. I stopped.
   Jesse sat in the back corner of the cafeteria. Alone. Obviously, "save me a seat" was an over statement. I decided that I needed to sit next to him. Just once. I turned to walk towards his table. I was almost there when another girl set down her tray next to him and climbed into the seat. I smiled to see that I wasn't the only one to feel bad for him. I sat down my tray across from Jesse.
   "Wait." He threw his hand out, motioning me to freeze. "You can't sit there."
   "Oh." I was confused. "Why?"
   "Because Olly is sitting there. You can't sit on top of him."
   For safety measures, I slid my tray across from the girl. I wasn't going to argue with Jesse. There was no one there, but I was going to play along.
   I took that time to study the girl. She was short and her dark hair only came down to her chin. But she had the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. She wore a light green dress with lace fringes. It looked like it was for a child, but I made no comment.
   "Hi, my name is Bell." I said to her.
   "I'm Bug." She replied.
   It felt as though her eyes bore deep into my soul. It was like she could read all of my deepest, darkest secrets.
   "No, Olly." Said Jesse. "Parker isn't here."
   I froze. "What did you say, Jesse?"
   Jesse blinked a few times, seeming as though he was trying to regain his thought.
   "Olly asked if Parker was going to sit with us for lunch. I told him that Parker isn't here. He figured since you guys were friends that Parker would sit with us too."
   How did Jesse know about Parker? Even if he could hear everything I talked about with Dr. Adams, Parker's name was never mentioned. I chose to let it slide, but deep down I felt my heart break again. Jesse obviously didn't know what he was saying.
   "Oh, yeah." I trembled. "Sorry, Olly. Parker isn't here."
   Jesse started laughing hysterically. I didn't understand what was going on. That's when Bug set down her fork and clung to Jesse's arm.
   "It's okay, Jesse." Bug whispered. "Olly wants you to calmly eat your food now."
   Jesse stopped laughing abruptly. He picked up his own fork and began shoving hash browns into his mouth.
   "Don't mind him." Bug told me in her soft voice that I was beginning to like. "He has schizophrenia. He can't help it. But he's still my best friend and I wouldn't trade him for anyone else." She stopped and smiled to herself. "Olly thinks you're cute, by the way."
   I smiled back, better understanding the situation. Olly was one of Jesse's many hallucinations that I'd get to meet. For some reason, I found that I was enjoying myself. Jesse and Bug weren't that bad after all.
   That's when I remembered my stomach. I followed Jesse's lead and began scarfing down all that was on my lunch tray.