Camp Red Lake

Chapter 8. Nutrition

The cafeteria was located outside. As we made our way down the stairs, I noticed students had begun lining up in front of little open windows that were part of the cafeteria structure. The lunch ladies served the food in little trays behind the glass and slipped it through the small opening at the bottom. Every student took a tray. Croy and Jason gabbed casually as they stood in the line. I stood behind them, clutching my binder.

"Hey Croy, hey Jase!" A trio of girls waved before making their way over to us.

"Hey Mary, Madeline, Brenda."

Jason greeted as they stood beside us. "Oh my god when we saw you guys, we couldn't resist, we just had to make our way over! So, how's the first day of Senior year treating you guys?" The freckly brunette asked before shoving me out of the line with her messenger bag. I tried squeezing back in, but her chunky blond friend elbowed me casually. The other brunette then flipped her ponytail, smacking me in the face and causing me to trip over my own feet. I landed with a hard thud outside the line.

"How embarrassing!" The freckly brunette laughed as her friends joined in. Croy turned around when he heard the sound my book-bag made when it hit the concrete.

"You're right, it really is fucking embarrassing when people get caught trying to CUT!" Croy exclaimed loudly.

"Hey, no cutting!" A guy from behind us yelled.

"Yeah, go to the back!" another girl whined.

"Cutters!" The trio's faces fell as he put them on blast. Hastily and with their heads glued to the floor, they shuffled out of the line and made their way towards the back. I looked at Croy bewildered as he bent down and held out his hand.

"You okay?" He asked, his voice softer than I'd heard it before. I could feel warmth rushing to my cheeks. For a second, I was caught off guard by his looks. This being the first time I had ever really studied him closely. A stupid nod was all I managed in response as he helped me up. Jason gathered my binder and bag.

"Sorry about that, I didn't notice they were pushing you out of the line." He apologized as he handed back my stuff.

"It-it's fine." I managed to stammer as I hid my blushing face behind the binder. My heart was still racing.

"Great, you broke her!" Croy teased Jason.

"Shut up!" The brunette chuckled before punching him playfully on the shoulder. "If anything, you're the one who broke her!" My heart nearly jumped to my throat when a crooked smile spread across Croy's lips.

"Yeah right." He laughed before slapping his friend on the back. That smile was all it took, for something small and unrecognizable to begin festering in a corner of my heart.

After we had all gotten our trays, we made our way over to the shaded area, towards the only purple table in the clearing. Myra and Allison were already sitting down and they were bickering about which was more practical in a fight, short or long hair. "It's a liability! someone can easily grab you by your hair and drag you around!" Myra protested. "Healthy hair is strong! You could tie someone up like Rapunzel if you know how to care for it!" 

"I personally love the idea of climbing into a girl's bedroom window by using only her hair." Jason butted in as he took a seat next to Croy. I sat next to the girls on the opposite side of the table. Everybody laughed when Myra playfully tossed her stale bread roll at him. After we'd all settled, everyone chatted casually as they ate their breakfast. After talking about their new classes, the conversation shifted from school related to past related.

"Yeah, I remember when Myra came in, she was real shrimpy!" Jason teased. 

"Still is." Croy retorted, eliciting a snicker from Allison.

"Hey, shut up Jason! When you were fourteen your face looked like the underbelly of a whale!" Orange juice nearly shot out my nose. This caused everybody to laugh even more. I snuck a glance at Croy and noticed he seemed to be in a good mood. So, I figured I'd take advantage and ask the question that had been on my mind since I met him.

"What about you Croy? How did you end up in here?" I asked casually as I sipped milk from my carton. A deathly silence fell over the table.

"Hazel no." Myra mouthed anxiously as she glanced at Croy. Jason placed a hand on his friend's shoulder as his complexion changed dramatically.

"Dude, breathe..." Jason urged cautiously. Croy's face had lost its color and the smile that had previously framed his lips turned into a scowl.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"You're right." He interrupted. "You shouldn't have." He snapped before standing up and storming off. Everybody glanced at each other worriedly, then sympathetically at me.

"Hey, it's not your fault." Myra reassured. I shook my head.

"You're wrong, it is my fault, but I'm going to fix it." I affirmed before picking up his bag and going after him.

"Hazel don't!" Myra screamed, but I ignored her plea.

"Croy, wait up!" I shouted as I power walked across the campus trying to catch up."Go away." He muttered without stopping." But you forgot your bag!" He continued walking. "Come on, I didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted to get to know you bet-"

"That's the problem isn't it?" He interrupted again. "You think everyone wants to be your friend. You think everybody owes you something." I shook my head. "No, that's not-"

"Yes, it is!" He screamed as he turned to face me. His ocean eyes had darkened. I dropped his bag and took a step back, startled by his expression. It was so different from the one he'd worn when he helped me. "You think everyone needs to tell you about their past, that everybody is just begging for your friendship, well you're wrong! I was trying. I was making a conscious effort to be nice to you and I can clearly see that was a mistake."

"Effort?" I squeaked as he picked up his bag from the floor. "I was just trying to-"

"We are NOT friends!" He snapped again, this time getting so close, I could smell his minted breath. My heart cringed as he walked past me.

"Just stay away from me."

(A/N: Is it just me or is Croy kinda moody lol. Thank you guys so much for reading and keep your eyes out for the next chapter! If you liked this chapter feel free to vote. I love you all <3)