The Understorey, Book One of The Leaving Series by Fisher Amelie

self preservation. You think I enjoy having to be ‘put
up’ with? What would you know about it anyway? You’re just as much
of a freak, or whatever their definition of a freak is, as I am.
Yet, since you’re the king of their football team they look right
past it. I know you listen to all the same music I do. I know that
you secretly think my clothing is kind of cool.” She slid her hands
down her waist. “I have a pretty good feeling that you can’t stand
most of your lemming friends and I’m also willing to bet you don’t
really care what they think.”
    “Oh yeah? And what makes you think I don’t care
what they think? They are my friends after all.”
    “Because you’re sitting at this table while your friends whisper and stare.” She threw her eyes in the
direction of the team table. “If you cared so much, you wouldn’t be
here at all. You’re perfectly aware of the trouble I’m going to
cause you by being here right now. Still, here you are.”
    She had hit the nail on the head. I didn’t
care. I only cared, selfishly I admit, for my ownreputation because
I was a teenager and hopelessly shallow in the matters of position
within the young community. However difficult it was to keep up the
false pretense of our town’s expectations of me, I knew too well,
as Jules did, the load of being the town’s black sheep. I chose the
former because it seemed easier.
    “Truthfully Elliott Gray? I’m confident you’re
as sick of this place as I am but you just quite haven’t figured
out how to let it go. You’re too afraid of losing the security of
your popularity that you’d rather not risk being unique and
possibly opening yourself up to new and amazing things. You’re too
afraid to be yourself and that’s just pathetic to me. Now, if
you’ll excuse me.”
    She gathered her bag and made her way toward
the door leaving me stunned by the sudden turn of events. My,
my, my! Who does Julia Jacobs thinks she is? I immediately
stood to chase after her. I wasn’t about to give her the last
word.
    Outside of the cafeteria I caught her arm and
pressed her back against a locker. She looked at me with shocked
eyes as the electricity clung and snapped against the lockers
around us. I kept my hand on her arm to help drive the point
home.
        “Who do you think you are
passing a judgment like that on me? You don’t know me. You’ve never
bothered to find out if I was the same Elliott or not. You don’t
like to be judged by your appearance or actions and yet look at the
massive contradiction that is you judging me by mine! I was trying
to get to know you again Jules. I wanted to know more about you and
not because I had ulterior motives but because I was sincerely
interested in you. You should know this. This” I said
gesturing with my free hand around us, “ should be proof
enough.”
    I let go of her arm and we both relaxed from
the release of the lit tension. She stared seriously into my
eyes.
        “I’m.....I’m sorry
Elliott. You’re right. I, I did judge you unfairly.”
    “Well, good,” I said, running my fingers through
my hair, “and I’m sorry if I ever gave you the impression that I
was anything like the idiots just beyond those doors.”
She smiled and sniffed.
    “So?” I asked.
    “So, I think that maybe you should call me
tonight.”
    “Seriously? That would be really nice.”
    “Alright. Here.”
    She grabbed my hand and took a pen from the
inside pocket of her bag. She wrote her number on my palm then
looked up at me and smiled before releasing our grip.
        “If this were a movie,
this would be where we break away from one another and the gooey
music would be cued, but....” I said.
    “But we still have like twenty minutes of lunch
together? And third period next?”
I moved next to Jules at the lockers. We slid to the linoleum floor
in unison.
    We ate and passed back and forth simple
questions like, what’s your