Emory

Chapter 2

The following Friday Juliet and I watched the boys LacCrosse game then started walking over to Lee’s family restaurant.

“Are you ready for the best pasta of your life?” Lee asks us enthusiastically as he and Carson jog to catch up with us.

“What’s in it” I ask cautiously. I don't want to offend him but Juliet and I do not eat meat.

“Anything you want. That is what’s so great about it. You and Jules could get the vegetarian parm or eggplant!”

“I don’t think I can eat cheese.” I look over at Juliet, “Have you ever had cheese?”

She thinks for a second then says, “Hmm, no I don’t think I have.”

“You have never eaten cheese before?” Carson questions in an unbelieving tone.

“Not once.” Juliet replies easily. “We eat only fruits, veg, nuts, and beans at home. Most of it is homegrown and the rest from farmers markets. It’s really good for you.”

“You are missing out on the cheese though!” Is Carson reply, not really paying attention to the whole strict diet, just the absence of cheese from it. “I eat cheese at every meal.”

“I can’t remember the last time I ate at a restaurant.” I mentioned. “Even at school I pack my lunch and eat out on the patio, the cafeteria smells so bad. And before that we were home schooled.”

“Cheese in my eggs”

“Ugh I hate the smell. That first day I thought I was going to puke.” Juliet added

“Cheese on my sandwich.”

“Yeah I got a major headache in there.”

“You girls have some strong noses. It never bothered me.” Lee said. “But I am glad you moved us to the patio. It’s a lot quieter and not so crammed.”

"Cheese on my potatoes."

“And it’s not as cold.” I chimed in.

“Cheese on my nachos.”

The good thing about living in a small town is that everything is about a twenty minute walking distance away. We walk in and the boys sit down at a table seated by the window. Still standing I get a whiff of something foul and start to feel really sick. It's like my insides are turning on me. I grip the table and then I eot a hint of a chemical and it makes my hand felt tingly. I lifted my hand off the table and grip Juliet instead. She leans in towards me and I realize she must have been queasy as well.

“Umm…” I hear her say as she swallows. “I think I need some fresh air.”

“Me too.” I take her hand as she turns to leave so I could be dragged behind her.

Instantly the fresh air seems to brush over my entire body, like it was cleansing me. We both take in deep breathes like we were fighting off an asthma attack.

“It smells in there.” Juliet says as she stands up straighter. I follow her as she walks over to the clearing and we sit down in the grass. 

“Yeah. They must sell burgers there. The only other time I felt a hint of this was when we took that fieldtrip to see how food was delivered in the third grade.” She gives an exaggerated shiver at my memory.

“I think I’m ready to go home. We can catch up on studies tomorrow or something. There’s no way I’m going back in there.”

“Fine,” I sigh, “I’ll tell Carson.”