Free Rotten Apple by Rebecca Eckler Page B

computer. Her mother would feel as embarrassed as Apple did now knowing that someone had read her private thoughts. Then her mother would, for sure, butt out of Apple’s life, maybe for good. I have no choice, thought Apple. I can’t trust writing to ED again. I have to be super protective now. I’ve been burned.

alvanized by the night before’s conversation with Happy, Apple knew that she really had to focus on Plan Z. When the lunch bell rang, she caught up with Zen and asked him straight out, “Come eat lunch with me.” She was sick of being so pathetic. Happily, Zen agreed, and they walked into the cafeteria together. Unfortunately, Apple’s excitement lasted only a moment. Zen spotted Happy and Brooklyn and started heading toward them. There was no way Apple could suggest now that they eat somewhere else—it was too late for that. There was nothing she could do but follow.
    “Can we join you?” Zen asked.
    “Of course!” Happy said, sliding over to make room for both of them.
    Happy was daintily devouring a chopped salad. Brooklyn, as usual, was scoffing down some sort of bean dish. Despondently, Apple started to unwrap her tuna salad sandwich.
    “Great,” said Zen, smiling at Happy. “You know, Happy, you smell like peach.”
    “It’s my conditioner,” Happy laughed, tossing back her hair. “Do you like it?”
    “Oh, yeah. It’s making me really hungry. Let me smell it again,” he said, gently grabbing a chunk of Happy’s beautiful thick blond hair and inhaling deeply. “Yup. I’m definitely hungry for a peach now.”
    Brooklyn and Apple raised their eyebrows at one another. There was no doubt about it—Zen was flirting with Happy. Apple suddenly felt anything but hungry. Her lunch was ruined, and she tossed her sandwich into a nearby garbage can.
    “Let me smell
your
hair,” Happy said to Zen, leaning toward him. “Not too bad either,” she told him. “I like a man who uses a nice-smelling shampoo.”
    Apple couldn’t take it a second longer. She jumped up, wiping crumbs off her pants. “Excuse me, you guys,” she said, interrupting the flirtation. “I forgot one of my books in the classroom. I’d better go get it.”
    “Wait. I’m coming with you,” Brooklyn said, grabbing her yoga mat. “Peace and love!”
    Apple and Brooklyn walked out of the cafeteria. Neither Happy nor Zen seemed to notice they had left. They didn’t even say goodbye.
    “It seems someone and someone wanted to be alone,” Brooklyn said. “God, if they get together, they’ll be like the next Brangelina! They’re both too good-looking,” she added. “The only thing that would be more good-looking would be Happy and Hopper.”
    “You don’t think they actually like each other, do you?” Apple asked Brooklyn.
    “It seemed like they
very much
were into each other. I was about to tell them to get a hotel room. So where did you leave your book?” Brooklyn asked Apple.
    When Apple didn’t respond, Brooklyn laughed. “I knew it! I knew it! You saw that they wanted to be left alone too. You just made up that excuse to get away.”
    “I did not! Happy is a flirt,” Apple protested. “She’s always been a flirt. It doesn’t mean anything. I honestly thought I forgot my book, but I didn’t.” Brooklyn wasn’t exactly right. Apple just felt awful that there she was, probably smelling like tuna, and Happy smelled like peach. She made a mental note to ask Happy what kind of shampoo she used. She wanted to smell like peach too, not like fish.
    “Sure, whatever,” Brooklyn said, heading to the staircase. “You’re not going to believe what my mother did. She took away my cell phone! Can you believe the Helicopter took away my phone? Apparently, calling the theater to check on movie times is not considered an emergency. Apple? Apple? Did you hear what I just said?” Brooklyn shook Apple’s arm.
    Apple’s attention was on a table set up in the hallway.
    An older student named Poppy, who Apple knew