Under Her Skin

Chapter 7

Police officer: Assault. Tell me about the assault. 

Me: It all started in the pathetic cafeteria.

Police officer: The cafeteria?

Me: Yes. With lambs.

***

The menu read: Liverwurst Sandwich and canned peas. $13

It smelled like cat food and looked disgusting. Sunny peeked at the lady taking orders. She tapped the cash-out machine with her four-inch nails, then without gloves, she grabbed a stale loaf of bread, slopped it together with some lettuce and pre-cooked liverwurst, and called it a sandwich. When students hesitated over what drink to order, she spoke with repelling language. She looked drunk.

Sunny waved goodbye to the canteen and resorted to sitting at a table with her food. Sunny didn't realize it at the time, but Cole was sitting there with his boys. They all had the same dishes of Liverwurst sandwich, though they were much smaller than the image on the menu. Sunny held her lunch bag with both hands and plopped herself down. Silent as a stone. Still, inevitably, he noticed her.

"Oh, look. It's the Korean girl," he said with rapacious eyes and a shrewd glance and let off a threatening feeling.

"Yeah, the only one in town. Ha-ha-ha," another boy said. Sunny's eyes jumped from one boy to the next, then back down at her lap. She screwed open the lid of her thermos.

Immediately, Cole mumbled incoherently, peering at Sunny with his big red eyes. There was something in there that he didn't know. An unfamiliar odor. And to him, the unknown was the equivalent of nasty.

"Ohh... my... goodness," he said. "What the fuck is that? It reeks." Cole had one hand over his nose now with his thick unibrow furrowed. The others followed, echoing similar phrases along with him. Sunny felt a sting of offense but ignored it, believing that if they had just one spoon of this combo, they would fall in love as she had her first time. Sunny breathed in the smell of steamed rice and drooled a bit.

"It's my mother's roasted lambs," she said. "Would you guys like some? They're my favorite." Those eyes doubled like she had announced something astonishing. Then, as if planned, the table was intruded by laughter.

Big mean arrows were thrown.

"Korean girl." Cole leaned in, holding one hand to his mouth. His breath tickled Sunny's ear. "I think you better put that away before it stinks up this entire building." His whisper wasn't much of a whisper, more of an order.

"Bu—"

"Here in McMurray, we don't eat dogs." Sunny tried to conceal her embarrassment by covering her glass container with her hands, but her red cheeks told it all.

"Lambs, you mean," she said. A sudden wave of shame came over her. She wanted to hide behind Lyssa like a little child, but it was time to own it. Lyssa would want her to. "You aren't dumb enough not to know the difference, are you?" Sunny's voice was unsteady, like a tipping boat. Yet she had sparkles in her eyes because she used her braveness to stop being shy. But her eyes met his, and she saw something cold. He stopped laughing.

Stay calm. Still. Be your own silent hero and eat your food. Her stomach begged. She picked up her—

Sorry, she tried to pick up the lamb. But Cole got there before her and ripped the fork away. Wind around Sunny's neck tightened, tension standing beside her.

"Do you know who you are talking to?" He yelled in her nose. She didn't look up. He grabbed her chin and forced eye contact. Sunny made an effort to free her eyes from his gaze and attend to eating. But he pulled harder, treating Sunny as a football.