Letterman (Chaennie)

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Jennie is beginning to think that everyone at the Goodwin School is color blind or something.

The minute that she walks in, one of the teachers hands her this obnoxiously bright, neon green coat with the word VOLUNTEER stamped across it in bold letters. It's hideous. Jennie prefers more subtle colors, like the black and red of her own school, but she doesn't complain, and neither does anyone else. That's probably because the other volunteers consist of middle-aged women with nothing better to do on the weekend than play with plants.

No sane person near Jennie's age would ever do this out of their own free will. It's hot as hell out and, to make matters worse, one of the handsy, old ladies keeps on pinching Jennie's cheek while calling her a 'little slice of carrot cake'.

Ugh.

Despite her inner complaints, Jennie stays silent and polite, following the line of people right up to the greenhouse, where everyone gathers in a small circle.

"Okay, dearies. Gather 'round." A woman with a pleasant, almost motherly voice gestures at her. Jennie reads her name tag: Ms. Taylor. "First off, I want to thank you all for coming here. Not many people want to lend a helping hand, but as you may know, we've had to do a lot of re-planting since someone vandalized the greenhouse."

Jennie feels a mild spark of guilt.
 

She looks down at the dirt underneath her boots, as if making eye contact will somehow reveal all of her secrets.

Her guilt isn't why she's here. Well. It's not the main reason. It certainly makes the top three on her list, but number one is Rosie. Jennie wants an excuse to see her (no matter how creepy this plan is) and she's pretty sure Rosie will show up at some point. Plus, Frank invited her.

So.

It's not that weird that she's here. Technically, she was invited here, and if she sees a certain brunette, so be it.

It's fine.

"I'd like half of you guys to start laying out seeds and the other half to set up some pots along the left shelf." Ms. Taylor orders gently and then looks directly at Jennie. "You. What's your name?"

Um.

"Jennie." She replies unsurely.

"Okay, Jennie. Why don't you go lift the bags of soil over there, you'll probably be able to handle it best. Set them down right here."

Jennie nods and follows her pointed finger to the pile of bags in the corner. She sort of likes being the strongest one here, even if that's not a huge accomplishment when she's against old ladies.

The next half hour or so passes uneventfully. She falls into an easy rhythm of lifting a bag, carrying it across the garden, and dropping it down near the edge of the greenhouse.

Lift, carry, and drop. Repeat. Lift, carry, and drop. Repeat. Jennie gets tired of it quickly, her mind wandering to keep the boredom from setting in. When will Rosie be here?

Lift, carry, and drop. What if she doesn't come at all?

Lift, carry, and drop. What if Jennie did this all for nothing?

Lift, carry, and drop. And where the hell is Frank?

"Lemonade break!" Ms. Taylor calls out.

Thank god.

Jennie drops the bag she's holding. It lands with a quiet thump. She sighs lowly and drags her hand across her forehead, wiping a layer of sweat off of her skin. Ew. Lifting her arms hurts a little bit and there's a dull ache in her chest, like she may be on the verge of getting sick.