Read Online Seeds of Hate by Melissa Perea - Free Book Online
Authors: Melissa Perea
Tags: Contemporary, Young Adult
Ads: Link
into."
What high school has turned me into? I had never thought of it that way before. Who would I be if I didn't care? We both stopped kicking, the chalk almost absent from the ground.
"Maybe I should start wearing all black. You think that will help?"
He laughed. "I'm not sure you could pull it off. Besides, your clothes are every much you."
I was about to ask him what he meant, but he walked to his bag, brushed the dirt off and knocked twice on the brick wall.
"What was that for?" I asked.
He looked down, his expression quizzical. "What was what for?" he asked.
I mimicked his gesture, knocking on the brick wall twice.
"Oh. Superstition. Good luck. Wishful thinking. I don't know really. One day I just started doing it after each conversation with Javi ended. Hopeful that there would be another."
I squinted as the sun began to appear from behind the gym. "You don't really think that he'd walk away from you now?"
Izzy placed both hands in his pockets and bounced on the balls of his feet. "No, not at all, but there are other things to fear happening or repeating themselves. It's like history says. I just refuse to believe it."
I stood up next to him, several inches below his eye level. "Some things must be worth repeating though."
"Yeah, maybe." He cocked his head to the side. "Like what?"
I pulled my lips inside my mouth and twisted my right earring again. "Can't think of anything at the moment, but I'm sure that's just a personal defect," I replied with a laugh and then reached down for my bag.
"Well, we will have to make it our mission to find something worth repeating since neither of us can give an example." His feet began to walk backward, toward his next destination.
I smiled. "Thanks, Israel."
"Please." He shook his head and scratched his chin. "Izzy. I hate my given name. If you call me Israel, I'll call you Fruity."
Pulling the strap of my bag over my head, I walked toward him and offered him my hand. "Izzy it is." And we shook.
Turning in opposite directions, we walked away. I had made a friend.
Chapter 11
Brat Pack
(Selah)
The week carried on and by Friday sitting at the brick wall felt normal. A part of my accepted routine. I had a routine. A place to belong. Somewhere to be.
It was nice.
Izzy and I had zero in common, but conversation was easy and we got along well.
"What do you usually do on the weekends?" I asked, curious as to what the Saturday and Sunday world of every other high school student but me looked like.
He was fiddling with his binder and cramming in some last minute assignment when he finally replied, "I work."
I waited for something more. An elaboration, but that was it.
"Work?" I repeated.
"Yeah, remember how I said my parents own a bakery? Well, our whole family helps on the weekends. It gets crazy busy."
"Doesn't sound so bad. Do you ever get a day off?" I asked, wondering if he had any form of a social life outside of Javier and class.
"Not really, but I'm saving up for college. I can have fun later," he replied, while continuing to focus on his assignment.
I fidgeted with my shoelaces. Looking around the campus, I positioned myself to stand and walk away.
"What about you?" he returned as he pushed his bag against the wall and finally relaxed.
"Oh, um, I don't do anything really. Home. School. Reading and homework in between. That's about it." But it would be nice to change that. It would be nice to change a lot of things.
"You don't go and do things with your godparents? Trips or dinners or anything?" he asked. Izzy was sweet, but I got the idea he felt everyone went home to people they loved. Or people who loved them in return.
"My presence is tolerated. They dragged me around when I was younger because they had to. When I hit high school, I was left home a lot. I didn't complain though. At that point, I wanted to be alone."
"Well, you are more than welcome to come and hang out at the bakery. We're busy, but at least it gives you a place to chill."
An
What high school has turned me into? I had never thought of it that way before. Who would I be if I didn't care? We both stopped kicking, the chalk almost absent from the ground.
"Maybe I should start wearing all black. You think that will help?"
He laughed. "I'm not sure you could pull it off. Besides, your clothes are every much you."
I was about to ask him what he meant, but he walked to his bag, brushed the dirt off and knocked twice on the brick wall.
"What was that for?" I asked.
He looked down, his expression quizzical. "What was what for?" he asked.
I mimicked his gesture, knocking on the brick wall twice.
"Oh. Superstition. Good luck. Wishful thinking. I don't know really. One day I just started doing it after each conversation with Javi ended. Hopeful that there would be another."
I squinted as the sun began to appear from behind the gym. "You don't really think that he'd walk away from you now?"
Izzy placed both hands in his pockets and bounced on the balls of his feet. "No, not at all, but there are other things to fear happening or repeating themselves. It's like history says. I just refuse to believe it."
I stood up next to him, several inches below his eye level. "Some things must be worth repeating though."
"Yeah, maybe." He cocked his head to the side. "Like what?"
I pulled my lips inside my mouth and twisted my right earring again. "Can't think of anything at the moment, but I'm sure that's just a personal defect," I replied with a laugh and then reached down for my bag.
"Well, we will have to make it our mission to find something worth repeating since neither of us can give an example." His feet began to walk backward, toward his next destination.
I smiled. "Thanks, Israel."
"Please." He shook his head and scratched his chin. "Izzy. I hate my given name. If you call me Israel, I'll call you Fruity."
Pulling the strap of my bag over my head, I walked toward him and offered him my hand. "Izzy it is." And we shook.
Turning in opposite directions, we walked away. I had made a friend.
Chapter 11
Brat Pack
(Selah)
The week carried on and by Friday sitting at the brick wall felt normal. A part of my accepted routine. I had a routine. A place to belong. Somewhere to be.
It was nice.
Izzy and I had zero in common, but conversation was easy and we got along well.
"What do you usually do on the weekends?" I asked, curious as to what the Saturday and Sunday world of every other high school student but me looked like.
He was fiddling with his binder and cramming in some last minute assignment when he finally replied, "I work."
I waited for something more. An elaboration, but that was it.
"Work?" I repeated.
"Yeah, remember how I said my parents own a bakery? Well, our whole family helps on the weekends. It gets crazy busy."
"Doesn't sound so bad. Do you ever get a day off?" I asked, wondering if he had any form of a social life outside of Javier and class.
"Not really, but I'm saving up for college. I can have fun later," he replied, while continuing to focus on his assignment.
I fidgeted with my shoelaces. Looking around the campus, I positioned myself to stand and walk away.
"What about you?" he returned as he pushed his bag against the wall and finally relaxed.
"Oh, um, I don't do anything really. Home. School. Reading and homework in between. That's about it." But it would be nice to change that. It would be nice to change a lot of things.
"You don't go and do things with your godparents? Trips or dinners or anything?" he asked. Izzy was sweet, but I got the idea he felt everyone went home to people they loved. Or people who loved them in return.
"My presence is tolerated. They dragged me around when I was younger because they had to. When I hit high school, I was left home a lot. I didn't complain though. At that point, I wanted to be alone."
"Well, you are more than welcome to come and hang out at the bakery. We're busy, but at least it gives you a place to chill."
An
Similar Books
