Rude To Her

“Hello, Palmer,” Hunter approached her as she was putting some books on her locker. Palmer had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at his presence.

“Hi, Hunter. What can I help you with?” She asked, closing her locker door and walking towards her classroom. Hunter walked next to her, trying to make conversation. 

“I was wondering since the barn party is this Saturday, and you have agreed on a date; maybe we could go together?” He asked, showing her a flirtatious smile. Palmer sucked in a breath as she turned around to face him.

“I’m sorry, but I’ll be going with Faith and Gunner, and we also invited Christopher,” she replied. Hunter looked at her with narrowed eyes before he laughed.

“You mean to tell me you’re going out with that, that gallon of milk?”

“Watch your mouth, Hunter. I better not hear you talk about him that way again, and you know what? I don’t want to go out on a date with you anymore.”

Palmer walked away before he said another word. She was upset and didn’t even want to see his face. Walking around the corner, she could see a crowd forming, and curiosity got the best of her. 

She tried to squeeze in between the students to get to the front when she saw Mitchell, one of Hunter’s friends, pushing Christopher against the wall.

“Come on, Casper. What are you going to do about it? We rule this school. We do whatever we want,” Mitchell said as he punched him in his face. Palmer approached them and pushed him so hard that he almost fell on the floor.

“How dare you? You, Jerk! Why would you punch him like that?”

“Come on, Palmer. Don’t tell me he’s your best friend now,” Hunter said as he approached them. She scoffed and helped Christopher get up from the floor. 

“What if I want him to be my best friend? You don’t tell me what to do, Hunter!” She said as she pulled Christopher by the hand and took him straight to the nurse’s office. Mrs. King let them in right away, and Christopher sat down on the bed to get checked. 

“Well, that’s going to turn into a big shiner for you, kiddo,” she said as she was putting some cream on his bruise. 

“Hunter is such an idiot. I should have never agreed to go out with him, and now that I told him I didn’t want to, he’s upset. His friends are all jerks. I don’t like them,” Palmer said, folding her arms on her chest.

Christopher couldn’t help but look at her with admiration. Such an independent girl and he was just pathetic. Palmer noticed he was looking at her but quickly looked away when she saw him. A smile escaped her lips as her cheeks blushed suddenly. She wasn’t sure why, but it felt so lovely.

After Mrs. King finished, they walked out of the office, and she walked with him to his next class. “So how’s Misty and the foal?” He asked shyly.

“They’re doing good. We named him Jackal because he’s already a naughty one. Do you want to come to my house and see him? It doesn’t have to be today if you don’t want to, but maybe Friday when we’re done shopping?”

Christopher thought about it for a minute but agreed to see them. She squealed in excitement and kissed him on the cheek, making him clear his throat.

“See you at lunchtime?” She asked, and he nodded, surprisingly looking forward to that hour.

“I made sure to bring money today,” he replied, making her laugh. It was a very beautiful laugh, and he couldn’t help but smile. They both waved goodbye before they each headed to their classrooms.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Lunchtime had arrived, and all three friends were sitting in their usual spot. 

“You haven’t seen Christopher?” Palmer asked. Faith shrugged her shoulder and shook her head.

“No. Christopher was in class, but then he hurried out of the classroom before I did and didn’t see him anymore,” Faith replied. Palmer thought it was strange, so she skipped lunch and looked for him. 

After a few minutes, she saw him sitting under a tree and walked over. She sat next to him and stayed there in comfortable silence. It wasn’t too long before he spoke.

“Can I help you?” Christopher asked with a nervous smile while he read his book.

“Yes, you can. You can help me if you stop being a loner and join us for lunch,” Palmer replied, and Christopher couldn’t look at her face. She scooted closer to him and tried to see what he was reading. 

“A Science book, interesting.”

“Please, Palmer. If you could just let me be for a moment. I need to be alone,” he said, going back to his book.

“But, I would love to…”

“Palmer! Please leave me alone.”

Palmer stayed there, quiet for a minute, and she could feel her eyes stinging from some unshed tears. Suddenly, she was upset. Her cheeks turned red, and a frown crept up her face.

“Fine! All I wanted was to keep you company. If being alone is all you want, then go ahead. But I have to tell you; it’s not fun. I should know.” She stood up and walked away, leaving Christopher looking at her back, disappearing through the cafeteria doors. He closed his eyes and face palmed himself, realizing how rude he was to her. 

Christopher closed his book and headed to his next class. He couldn’t stop thinking about Palmer. He would have to apologize to her and ask what she meant by knowing how it felt like not having friends.

It was the end of school, and Christopher was waiting for Palmer at the door. He would miss the bus, but he still wanted to wait for her.

“Hey, Christopher! Are you waiting for someone?” Gunner asked as he was coming out of the building.

“Yes, have you seen Palmer? I have to talk to her.”

“Palmer left an hour ago. She called her mom, saying she wasn’t feeling well, so she came to pick her up.”

He looked around, letting out a sigh. His bus had left him. 

“Do you mind giving me a ride to her ranch? I really need to talk to her,” he said, and Gunner gestured to him to get in his truck before they drove off.

“So, what happened?” He asked Christopher.

“I was kind of rude to her,” he replied, holding his backpack close to him as he looked down.

“Listen, dude. Palmer is very extroverted, but she wasn’t like that before. She was like you. Shy and no friends. She also made it her mission to make others feel included and wanted. That’s why she is not giving up on you. From the moment she saw you, she liked you, and she really means well. Hell, she wouldn’t stop talking about you from the moment she found out you were in town.”

Christopher could only hear him talk, and he couldn't believe half of what Gunner was saying. There was no way Palmer was a shy girl. She doesn’t even show a hint of it. 

A few minutes later, Gunner parked in the driveway and let Christopher out. 

“Do you want me to wait? I can take you home,” he asked.

“No, that’s okay. It might be a while,” Christopher replied, waving goodbye and walking to the front porch of Palmer’s house. Daisy answered the door as soon as he knocked, and with a sweet smile, she greeted him.

“Hi, Christopher. I’m surprised to see you here. If you’re looking for Palmer, she’s at the stables checking on Jackal. She seemed sad. Do you know why?”

“Yes, Mrs. Wright. I do. Can I go see her?” 

“Sure. Go ahead, and maybe you can cheer her up.”

He headed towards the stall, and when he walked in, Palmer was sitting on a block of hay, looking at the foal feed from his mother. He stood there, trying to think of words to say without making her upset. Palmer looked up and gave him a faint smile, and that is when he knew his attitude still hurt her.

“He looks great and very active,” he broke the silence. 

“Yes, he does. He’s beautiful,” Palmer replied, petting the little equine’s mane. Christopher looked around and took a deep breath before he said anything else.

“I’m sorry, Palmer. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just needed some space to think. There is so much going on in my life, and I needed a moment for myself.”

Palmer stood up from the hay and dusted her pants as she approached the wooden wall that separated her from him. Crossing her arms on top of it, she looked at Christopher straight into his eyes and smiled.

“It’s okay. I forgive you. But I want you to tell me if anything is bothering you. It would be nice if you could trust me. I want to be here for you when you need it.”

Christopher looked at her with a smile. He knew she was genuine, he could see it in her eyes, but he was still afraid to trust anyone. He thought they were there for him, only to be left alone.