The next week flew by. Between school, drills and kitchen service, I barely had time to rest. Every day that Croy and I had service together, we wound up getting into some sort of food related fight. Our second day there, Croy tossed a banana peel on the floor in front of me causing me to slip. I threw my arms in the air, trying to grab onto the counter, but instead I knocked over the large container of flour that was next to him. I laughed when he ended up covered in flour from head to toe.
The third day they were serving Jell-O, and Croy used his spork as a catapult to throw some at me. We ended up hitting Katie in face.
On day four we oversaw the bread. It was our job to take the finished rolls out of the oven and place them on the counter for the next lady to add the sandwich ingredients. We ended up having a sword fight with two giant loaves of sourdough. Day five was ice cream day, we both ended up covered in it.
On day six it was Caroline's birthday, so we all pitched in and baked her a cake. After the dinner rush, Katie brought in a couple of colored candles and placed them on the cake. When we all gathered around her to sing, I noticed that Croy was missing.
"Wait Katie, Croy's not here, shouldn't we wait for him to come back so we can all sing together?" Katie shook her head.
"I don't think he'll comeback right now dear..." She trailed off before counting to three.
"Happy birthday to you...."
After singing to Caroline, everybody sat down to enjoy their piece of cake.
"Have you seen Croy?" I asked Karina, another one of the lunch ladies. She was the one that had told me boys were dense.
"I think he's outside, that boy has never liked birthdays." I furrowed my brows at her comment.
"Why not?" I asked as I waited for her to cut another slice. She shook her head as she handed it to me.
"That's not my story to tell..." she muttered, a sad smile framing her face. "If you're going out there, take him a piece, will you? Maybe it'll cheer him up." I nodded and excused myself before making my way out the back. I found him sitting on the concrete floor, his back pressed against the wall just around the corner. My stomach churned when I noticed small puffs of smoke coming out of his mouth.
"Ew, stop that!" I scolded as I sat next to him and yanked the cigarette out of his mouth.
"Hey! Do you have any idea how hard it was to get my hands on that!? Those things are worth gold here!" I ignored him and tossed it on the ground beside us before stepping on it.
"Smoking is a filthy habit! Not only does it rot your teeth, but it's terrible for your health!" He sighed loudly before burying his face in his knees.
"I didn't ask for a lecture from an anti-smoking campaign." He muttered without looking up.
"I brought you a piece of cake." I said as I placed it beside him.
"I don't want it." He mumbled.
"You don't like ice-cream cake?" I asked as I shoved a sporkful into my mouth.
"I hate birthdays." He informed.
"Well that's not the cake's fault. Are you sure you won't take just a little bite? It's cookies and cream." I offered in a sing-song voice.
"I said NO!" He snapped angrily. His outburst made my eyes water. I glanced down at my feet, hoping he wouldn't notice. He did. "Haze, I'm-" I shook my head and interrupted him.
"I'm going back inside." I said before picking up my plate and leaving him alone with his thoughts. When our break was over, he came back inside and threw away the empty paper plate in the trashcan beside me. I pretended to concentrate on the tomatoes I was dicing as he walked past me and glanced at me for a brief second. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when he went back to chopping carrots.
That afternoon, as we were taking off our aprons, Katie walked up to us. "Here." She said with a smile as she handed me a piece of paper.
"What is it?" I asked as I read the print.
"Your certificate of completion. I know your last day is tomorrow, but I managed to pull some strings and got you off the hook early. I also can't imagine you guys destroying my kitchen another day! Your punishment hours are complete!" My face lit up as I threw my arms around the chubby lady. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I shouted gratefully before picking up my book bag and making my way outside. The sun was beginning to set, giving the sky an orange hue. A large smile framed my face as I walked down the path towards my cabin, the fresh fall breeze blew through my hair once I'd untied it. I would need a cut soon.
"Hey, wait up!" Croy called as he hurried to catch up.
"Why? So, you can yell at me again?" I huffed as I continued walking.
"I'm sorry." He apologized as he matched my pace.
"Trust me, I get it, you don't want to be friends." He groaned.
"That's not how it is, and you know it. Come on, you've got to admit you were being a little annoying!" I stopped in my tracks.
"Annoying!?" I asked, anger coursing through me. "Well sorry for worrying about you!" I snapped irately as I stomped past him. "Hey!" I hissed as he grabbed my wrist and held me back.
"Will you stop nagging and listen!?"
"Oh, so now I'm a nag?" I asked, my hands on my hips. At this point I was just trying to pick a fight. He pissed me off so now it was my turn.
"Ugh, I can't tell you anything! You always have to go and make a big deal out of everything!" He shouted as he tugged on his hair.
"Well sorry for being such a BURDEN!" I yelled before shoving my hands in my pockets and stalking past him.
"Just chill out!" He shouted as he followed me. I was about to say something else, but the feel of cold laminate between my fingers threw me off.
"Shit." I cussed when I realized what it was.
"Is that the key-card to the main freezer?" He asked when I took it out of my pocket. I nodded. "You better go put those back before you get in trouble. They're gonna need them tomorrow morning."
"Fiinnee." I huffed before dropping my book-bag and jogging back to the kitchen. Everyone was gone already and most of the lights were off when I walked in. All except the one by the entrance. I placed the keys in the drawer where they were normally stored, then turned to make my way out when a clattering noise made me glance up.
"What...the?" I muttered when I realized the door to the small freezer, was open. "Katie?" I called out but there was no answer. Quietly, I walked over and peeked in the door. My eyes widened when I noticed Scaggot, stuffing his duffel-bag with string cheese, berries and yogurt. "You're stealing!?" I blurted out, causing him to turn around.
I bolted towards the door. "The hell!? You're not going anywhere!" He shouted as he ran after me and pulled me in by the hair. A yelp escaped my throat as he shoved me against the wall, then covered my mouth. "You're stupid if you think I'm gonna let you go after what you saw." Without thinking I opened my mouth and bit the skin on his palm.
"You bitch!" He screamed as he let go. I took off at full speed towards the door, but I wasn't fast enough. He pulled me back by my arm and flung me onto the floor.
"Get off!" I screamed when he tried subduing me and kicked him in the gut. The hit caused him to stagger backwards. "Croy!" I yelled as I forced myself to stand. I ran for the door, but Scaggot yanked me back again and shoved me into the freezer. Boxes of berries fell on top of me as I hit the shelves hard with my back.
I squirmed as he pinned both my hands above my head. "Help!!" I screamed, my voice becoming muffled when Scaggot shoved a dirty rag in my mouth. I whimpered as he took out a pocketknife and pressed the cold metal against my cheek.
"Be a good girl and hold still for me, will you? Wouldn't want something to happen to that pretty face of yours." I obliged and stood still as Scaggot tied my wrists together with some baking twine he found on the floor, then stuck some duct tape over my lips. "What do you say we have some fun before I leave you in here?" He grinned as he leaned in and sniffed my neck.
My stomach churned as he began kissing my jaw and collar bone. I fought off the urge to vomit. "You're so hot." He whispered as he slid his hand up my shirt. Tears rolled down my cheeks as he groped me. "Too bad you're such a pain in the ass." He muttered as he aimed to slide his hand down my pants.