Chain Reaction 1.2: As A Friend

     Today, I visit my friend Sade, and she gushes in a bubbly way, considering it her sacred duty to bring me up to date on the latest gossip. I can't help but wonder if she's also plying me to add to her gossip knowledge. After all, the whole school is buzzing about my reappearance the other day.
     "Bri, you wouldn't believe it. Well, maybe you would, knowing him, but Alex Goth slipped on some wet tiles in the cafeteria. His food went everywhere all over him! Then, to make it even better, he started crying when everybody laughed at him. It was so funny!"
     My mouth drops some. "Was he hurt?"
     She rolls her eyes. "No, of course not. He was crying because he was embarrassed, but honestly, how can you not laugh at something like that? It was like it was taken straight out of a bad sitcom!" She cocks her head for a second. "So, how has living like a wild child been treating you?"
    I take my turn rolling my eyes. "I'm not a wild child. It's like an extended camping trip."
    "Surely, somebody has to own the land you're camping on. Do you think you'll get caught? Where is it anyway?"
     Leading questions. "I won't get caught. I'm out of the way," I answer vaguely.

     Thankfully, she drops her leading questions, still eager to tell me more about my once-classmates. Then, she insists that I eat something. I don't say no to that.
     "You're so skinny; it makes me sick with jealousy," she lightly growls. I laugh it off and change the subject.

      Her mom's work attire is scary.

     The next day, I go to visit Alex at his house. He looks thrilled when he responds to his butler's summons.

     "Have anything to eat you want, Brielle," his mom says when she walks in and gets something out of the refrigerator.
     I halfway turn and look at her suspiciously. Alex told her.

     Then, his sister and Phillip, a boy from school, walk into the kitchen. The way they smile blandly and act like they're guarding the doorway make me feel like I'm in an ambush. Maybe I'm just imagining it.
     "Hey, Cassandra," Alex says in a bit of surprise, obviously not expecting a visit from his sister. I begin to relax.

      Alex's voice gets really quiet all of a sudden. "Hey, Brielle. I talked to my mother and father, and they say they'd love to have you here. They're worried about you otherwise." He looks so pleased with himself the way he sits and smiles at me.
      My ears feel hot as I work to control the anger building inside me. How could he do that to me?! That was supposed to be a secret. I guess I never specifically told him to keep it to himself. Well, if the whole school knows, it'll surely get to a few adults too.
      "Alex, how many times am I going to have to tell you that I'm fine?"
      "Okay, okay." He quickly changes the subject to a video he saw on YouTube. Then, he invites me up to his room to play chess.

       His room is the one on the very top of the house. I've always thought it was the coolest room ever. When I'd exclaim over it when we were kids, he'd merely shrug and grin like he liked it but didn't think it was as cool as I thought it was.

      "You know, Cassandra's old room is really cool too. It has its own balcony and everything," he says in a mock-casual way.
      "Alex..." I lightly growl at him.
      He pretends not to notice my aggravation. "So, what are you going to do tomorrow? You can always sleep here tonight if you want." His cheeks get red for a second. "In Cassandra's room, of course."
       "I think I'm going to go treasure hunting at the park," I tell him, not commenting on where I plan to sleep tonight.
      We finish the chess game, and he goes downstairs to do something. I get sleepy. After he'd mentioned where I was sleeping tonight, I'd started getting more and more tired.

     I still stubbornly refuse to sleep in Cass's room. I don't want to sleep in Alex's bed either, so I choose to take a nap on a little window seat he has. I have to admit, it's very comfortable. Sleep finds me within seconds.

      Afterwards, I go downstairs to get something to eat.
      "We have all this food, and you choose yogurt to eat?" Alex asks, not hiding his aggravation at my selection.
      "What?" I ask innocently. "You're just having a grilled cheese sandwich." I haven't a doubt in my mind that it's all organic.
      He shakes his head and has a seat.

      Stuffy. Formal. And he acts like it's normal.
      I smile to myself as I think, This is loads different than simply sitting on my cooler and eating.

      "I like seeing you smile," he tells me quietly.
      "Then quit fussing at me about where I should sleep and what I should eat," I reply.
      He doesn't take the hint. "They've put fresh sheets on Cassandra's old bed for you. Please don't sleep in a mold-infested, bug-filled tent tonight. I'm asking you as a friend."
      I get up and move to sit next to him. I have to put a stop to this once and for all...if that's possible.

     "Alex, listen to me. I'm asking you as a friend to stop trying to convince me to live here. I'm perfectly happy where I am. I realize that's hard for you to understand, but I'm fine. The tent is neither mold-filled or bug-infested or whatever it was you said." I watch his face fall to a true pout.
     "Brielle, you don't see what I see. You've lost weight already. I worry about your health out there in the elements the way you are."
     "I'm fine," I insist.

     "If I could just see your living arrangements for myself, maybe I'd feel better. What I'm imagining is hopefully far worse than what it actually is." He looks at me pleadingly.
     I haven't shown or told anyone where my little clearing is, not even Nyla. I don't want Alexander to know, and I tell him that.
     "Well, don't leave just yet. Let me walk you home as far as you're comfortable, okay?" he requests and gets up to take our dishes to the sink.

      While he's in the kitchen, I quietly get up. I worry that if I let Alex walk me in the direction of my campsite that he'll secretly follow me once I thought he was gone. I don't feel like playing games this evening in order to throw him off the trail.

     I'm sorry, Alex, but I can't have you following me, I think as I sneak out of his house. I need to keep a low profile for a while.