Proving Webster Wrong

Chapter Eleven -- Chloe

Chapter Eleven

Chloe

Andrew pulls the truck into the field behind the elementary school. Without a word he gets out, takes a basket from the bed of the truck, and goes over two a wall of trees and bushes. There are white, and sometimes pale yellow, blooms mixed in with the green leaves. In places green can barely been seen, it was just a wall of blooms. I got out of the car and took a deep breath, enjoying the smell of honeysuckle's filling the air.

After a while he came back over, opened the tailgate, and climbed into the back of the truck. "Come on, we've got a lot to do," he said looking over at me where I still stood by the passenger door.

I took a seat on the tailgate with my legs dangling over. The toes of my shoes brushed against the tall grass. Andrew started counting out honey suckles in two piles, one he slid my way and the other he kept beside him. "Every time you ask a question eat a honey suckle. It'll be easier to keep up with."

I looked down at the pile of flowers. I remember being little and Paige trying to get me to eat the them. She showed me how to bite off the end and get a drop of sweet nectar. I had never actually eaten one though. If Mom ever looked out the window and saw she would come flying outside and then tell Paige how she could get sick from that. One time she yelled at Dad for encouraging it.

Like Mom the idea of what I may catch from the trying to get that drop of nectar scared me, so I never went near and honeysuckles. Paige taught Melanie and Alex what she failed to teach me and Dad always made sure Mom couldn't see when she did.

When I was little I always felt like it was me and Mom against the rest of the family. And then I grew up and Mom turned against me too.

"Do we really have to do this? Why can't we just keep tally marks in the record book or something?"

Andrew shook his head. "I thought you were a counter, not a germ-a-phobe." 

I hated that word, germ-a-phobe. I wasn't scared of germs, but of what they could do to me. What was wrong with not wanting to get a terrible disease that could kill me? And I was a counter, but that didn't mean I wasn't careful about what sort of crawly things I let in my mouth.

My jaw tensed as I looked away from him. At that point of would have rather been at a session with Dr. Evens. At least she would let me just sit there and stare at the wall, at least most of the time. I already had enough annoying relationships in my life, I didn't Andrew to be another one of those.

"Come on, Chloe, it'll be okay."

"Fine, but we're not alternating asking questions. You ask your twenty first." I crossed my arms and squinted at the elementary school in the distance. 

"Alright. Remember the rules." The truck shook a little as he tried to get comfortable. Then I felt fingers brush against my shoulders. It was so fast it was like he his fingers had been burned on contact. I fought against smiling at him being so afraid to touch me. "Uh, you kind of have to turn around so I can see your face." 

With a huff I turned with my back pressed against the side of the truck and my legs stretched out in front of me. Andrew moved so he was sitting on the side of the truck looking down at me, his honeysuckles back in the basket balanced beside him. I raised my eyebrows and waited for the first question.

"Where do you have to be by two today?" He didn't hesitate, just spat out the words and bite of the end of a dark yellow honeysuckle.

"I have an appointment." I had to tell him. Just do it, he's going to keep asking until you do. "With Dr. Evens. And I uh –" I dropped my head back against the truck and ignored the thump followed by a flash of pain.