Chapter 6

I jogged down the stairs and helped myself to the breakfast Nora prepared. Eggs and bacon on bagels. I skipped on the eggs and bacon though because I was a vegetarian. I spread cream cheese on a bagel and opted for some of the oatmeal sitting on the stove. Patrick watched my choices with confusion.

"You don't want any bacon or eggs? I picked it up fresh last night. A friend of mine owns a farm not too far from here. It's all fresh," Patrick asked. I blushed, feeling rude for not acknowledging the effort.

"I'm actually a vegetarian. I don't eat meat," I answered. He chuckled and shook his head as he walked away.

"Not yet anyway," he muttered under his breath. It didn't sound like it was meant for my ears but I heard it anyway. I ignored his weird comment and ate quickly before Nora fetched me for school. We walked outside and into the crisp air. I was glad I grabbed the extra jacket. No doubt the cold turned my face pink. We got in her beat up, gray pickup truck and headed down the cracked and worn asphalt road.

"I think you'll like the school. It's full of good kids. I heard you tell Pat that you were a vegetarian this morning," Nora admitted. I nodded sheepishly.

"I have been since I was nine years old," I said for sake of conversation. When people normally asked, I always said it was a personal choice based on a documentary I watched, or something along those lines. It was easier than trying to explain the real reason. It was easier than saying it was because Evelyn used to tie me up, make me watch as she beheaded a chicken and barely cooked it. By the time she was done "cooking", my face would be red and blotchy from crying over the bloodshed. Then, she force-fed me the meal, every bite, until I was so full that I would throw up the partially raw meat. She would then, re-feed it to me until every bite was kept down.

"I packed you a lunch, but it was a ham sandwich, so here's some money to buy your own lunch. It's the best I could do with a last minute's notice," Nora apologized as she held out a twenty. I felt bad. She was trying her best to make me feel at home and I wasn't making it that easy.

Looking around, I saw the truck was parked in the front of a very old but huge building. Kids from 14 to 19 years old were hanging around, knowing exactly where to go and when. Something I would have to get used to all over again. I reached over and pulled her into a hug as I released a breath. I felt her love for me rolling off of her and reveled in it.

"Thanks grandma," I said softly. I heard her small gasp before she held onto me even tighter. When I pulled away, I saw the tears she was trying to hold back. She looked happy; like it was something she had been waiting to hear. She held a smile as she touched my cheek gently for a moment.

"Great, now you're going to make me start blubbering," she chuckled as she tried to dry her eyes. "Go; you're going to be late for school," she sniffed as her hand fell away from her face. I took the money she offered me and stepped out of the heated cab of the truck and into the cold. I pulled my jacket around myself a little tighter as I headed towards the unknown that was my new school. My new life.