To Taste the Fruit by Lorelei Sutton (desktop ebook reader TXT) 📖

pain to my head.  

"Ana! Keep your hands on the road!" I squeal, escaping from her and scrunching myself against the corner of the seat. Stars start to dance before my eyes as Ana snaps her attention to the road and swerves to avoid a mailbox. I bend my face towards my knees anxiously, squeezing my eyes shut. "Dear Lord, please forgive me of my sins..." 

"Noel, you can be so dramatic sometimes," Ana sighs exasperatedly, her voice reaching me through the darkness of my arms. I frown as I realize that she is right. I have been unusually emotional all day, and this emotion has been screwing me over. 

It's the stupid morning’s fault. Yes, I know it may be irrational to blame a phase of the day for the problems in my life, but I’m going to do it anyways. 

"I know you are just trying to avoid telling me the juicy details," Ana continues, looking straight ahead with a smile but still managing to grill me with her intensity. I try to ignore her, looking outside and watching houses, trees, and flowers flash by at an alarming speed. In the corner of my eye I catch her expression twisting into one of anger, and suddenly we swerve again to avoid an oncoming vehicle. “Stay on your side of the road!” She shouts, her voice fading in the strength of the wind.  

“Nothing happened,” I finally say out of the silence, “but he did touch my arm a lot.” I’m trying to understate it, because I know Ana. I know how she blows things out of proportion. 

“He totally likes you.” A big smile spreads across her face. “You guys are the cutest couple.” 

Whoa, wait a minute. 

“We aren’t a couple, Ana. Don’t go crazy, okay?” I have to admit, I’m a little worried. This is why I was afraid to tell her anything. “People touch each other all the time.” 

“Not Sebastian.” She winks. “You know that.” 

“He may not be the touchy-feely type, but-“ 

“But what? It’s absolutely perfect.” She smiles at me, slowing down to pull over at her house. “You guys were made for each other.” 

“Shut up,” I whine, opening the car door. I already know that she will never stop. This will never be over.  

“Oh, by the way, I hope you didn’t forget about Lindsay’s party,” Ana says lightly, leaving the driver’s seat and meeting me in the front of the car. “It’s tonight, you know.” 

“Tonight? Screw it,” I mutter underneath my breath, very much aware that I don’t have the vaguest idea what she is talking about. I usually don’t mind going with Ana to stuff, but tonight I really need to work on getting back on schedule. 

“Remember? It’s her birthday bash.” I stare at her unblinkingly. Nope, not ringing any bells. “Sebastian will be there. You have to come,” Ana finally asserts, shooting me a wide smile and then retreating up to the door. “Pick me up at 7!” She yells as she backs into her house. 

“You really need to learn how to drive by yourself!” I yell after her, my voice much louder than intended. I yank the car door open, plop into the driver’s seat, and start the engine with a huff. So this is what Sebastian was talking about earlier. 

I never really liked Lindsay, but I suppose I could make an appearance at her party. Just for a short time… barely a minute. It wouldn’t take long. And I couldn’t possibly disappoint Ana. She probably needs a ride there, and I can’t leave her alone anyways. 

Who am I kidding? 

Unintentionally I catch a glance of my face as it is reflected in the overhead mirror. It is still bright red, making me glad that no one is here to see my overt display of blushing. Curse my pale skin. Curse these silly emotions taking over my heart. 

It was never supposed to be this way. I was all set to take the secretary position without feelings getting in the way of anything. I’m too young to have a crush on someone, especially someone here. I can’t let myself think of love until I’m well and truly out of Sunny Valley. There can’t be a single reason to stay here. 

It can’t be helped, though, that I am attracted to Sebastian. Everything about him seems to embody everything I would want in a potential boyfriend. I try to be cold and unfeeling about all of this, but his caring attitude and determination just keeps making my heart flutter. What I keep trying to get Ana to understand is that I just can’t get involved in this… these feelings of mine. If I want to leave this place once and for all, I must have nothing to leave behind. 

The same scenes flash by as I travel down the street, watching the orange leaves swirl around me, dancing with elegance and grace. The same pleasant houses sit on the same wide street, the same bright sunshine flooding the horizon, leaving only emptiness in my heart. Nothing has changed, and nothing will change. This place is so… stagnant. 

I enjoy routine more than anyone. I’m not a fool; I know I am crazy. Sunny Valley should especially appeal to me, given its stability. But the monotony of this tiny town is just not enough to feed my ambition. I refuse to believe that this is all the world has to offer.  

It is only minutes before I pull up at my house. By this time I have been completely covered in negativity, draped like a thick blanket over my shoulders. I need some rest right now before I accidentally explode on my mother.  

Quickly I lock the car door, scamper to the front door, and rap on the glass. Soon my mother’s face appears in the doorway. She’s beaming, nearly blinding me with her brightness. 

“You’re back, Noel!” She sings loudly, staring at me through the window with that same irritating smile.  

“Yep,” I reply slowly, evenly matching her gaze. “Let me in.” 

“Say the magic word,” she teases, still half-singing and half-talking. For a little while I glare at her, and she steadily looks back. I wonder how she can possibly keep that ridiculous smile—that consumes half her face—up. 

“…Please,” I croak, and her face instantly disappears. The door swings open and Mother beckons me inside. 

“How was your day, sweetie?” She asks as I wordlessly pass her, dragging my stuff to the base of the stairs. Without a second thought, I trooped up to my room, pens and papers still falling out of my upside-down backpack.  

As soon as I reach the bed I practically fall upon it, sinking deeply into the mattress and closing my eyes. Yes, this feels good. I could probably stay here forever. 

An itch begins at the base of my neck, making me shake slightly. I roll around to get comfortable, reaching with my hand to scratch it. 

I know what it is. It’s the endless itch of restlessness, the desire to move constantly. I’ve been cursed with this since I was little, this powerful drive to always be doing something.  

I struggle for a moment on the bed, laziness intertwined with anxiety, and then my eyes finally start to close, signaling a fitful rest. 

4

“Noel, wake up.” 

I yawn and stretch out on the mattress. Rolling over on my side, I let out a sigh of contentment. 

“Five more minutes…” I groan, being dragged to reality much faster than I want, no, need to be. Ponies are still dancing before my eyes, surrounded by rainbows and living in a garden that grows different colors of Skittles. I reach up to the nearest tree and snatch an orange piece, take a bite, and laugh as the sweet and tangy taste sends me to pure ecstasy.  

"Are you sick?" The voice asks with concern. It's definitely Mom. 

"No..." I blink, my eyes adjusting to the harsh lights surrounding me. "Why... why would you think that?" 

"Well, sweet pea, you never sleep in the afternoons. Right now you are usually still slaving over homework that those monstrous teachers stack you with every night." 

I can't help but laugh at this, sitting up against the wall and looking at my mother. "Is it a crime for me to be sleeping right now?"  

"No!" Her face, aged well and still abounding in natural beauty, twists in frustration. I giggle as she continues. "You know what I mean, Noel." 

"Yes, I do." I reach out and touch her arm, still a bit groggy. "I'm just giving you a hard time, as usual." 

"Did anything happen at school today?" 

"Oh, today was horrible..." Pictures of Kai's face, the election results, and my piercing headache flash through my mind. But then there was Sebastian picking up my papers, and the electrifying chills I felt when he touched my arm. "No, it was a good day..." Conflicting emotions just make things so confusing. 

Still waging an internal battle, my mom decides to state the obvious. "That's a contradiction, sweetheart." 

"Well, it was a little bit of both I guess." I give up on trying to classify my day, red blossoming on my cheeks. Mother stares at me for a minute, then she laughs. 

"It's not often that I get to see you like this!" Her smile grows wide and she reaches out to tousle my hair. "You are so adorable." 

"Mom!" I growl, rolling away from her. 

"I get it, I get it. It's just sometimes I can't help myself," she says, still chuckling. Her laugh irritates me to no end. Seriously, when I picture a classic, crooked-nose Halloween witch in my mind, I don't hear that crazy cackle that kids like to associate with it. The witch always possesses that insane laugh of my mother's; it gives me goosebumps every single time I hear it. I'm not kidding. 

"How cute."  

We both turn in unison at the sound of Ana's voice, I nearly having a heart attack when I see her leaning against the doorway. Instinctively I back away and nearly tumble off my bed. 

"Ana! What the crap are you doing here?" I yell while pulling myself back to the center of the mattress. 

"Making sure you remembered," she replies cooly, her eyes sweeping over my form. "Obviously, you didn't." 

"Who let this psychopath in?!" I point at her while fuming. It was meant to be a joke in my head, but in my post-nap delirium I can tell that I'm only half-joking. She smiles in response, walking closer.  

"Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty." Ana rips all the covers off, leaving me shivering as the chilling air slaps against my body. 

"I let her in five minutes ago," Mother explains apologetically while Ana starts pushing me towards the edge of the bed. Well, thanks. 

"Ana!" I scream as the force from her arms nearly sends me rolling off the mattress. "What the crap! Stop!" 

"We have like ten minutes until we need to leave," Ana says, almost as an afterthought. She turns to my mom and addresses her determinedly. "Mrs. Richards, can you find Noel a slightly dressier outfit for her to wear?" 

"What!" I exclaim as she walks over to my bathroom like she owns the place and starts to plug in my straightening iron. "Where are we going? What's going on?" 

"Party, Noel... the party. I told you earlier today." 

"I don't wanna.." I yawn, leaning back against the bed again. It feels so soft, like I'm floating on a cloud. "I don't even know Lindsay that well. Just go without me. I need to recover..." 

"Noel, you're coming even if I have to drag you there by your feet,” Ana snaps, “Sebastian will probably be waiting for you, anyways.” 

“I don’t want to see Sebastian right now,” I moan as Mother raises an eyebrow inquisitively, “Nor anyone else in this universe.”  

“Don’t be difficult, Noel. Just give up.” Ana tugs on my leg, and this