Forbidden Fruit Chapter Seven

The next day, Tracey was arriving at the library. Although she hadn't seen Trisha that day, she was happy about her recent employment. Their school had an annoying pep assembly that day so Tracey was forced to sit with her class rather than her girlfriend. Upon entering the library, she marveled at the beauty. The walls were a clean, eye pleasing shade of cream and the floor was a foggy indigo carpet. Her job was to sort through the books and direct customers to their desired section. As the day progressed, Tracey could feel her tension disappearing. The boss liked her and being near so many books was almost heaven. But what happened after her shift scared her. Practically the minute she entered her room, her cell phone rang. It was Trisha. "Tracey! Thank God you answered! I don't care about the minutes, I'm engaged!"
"What!?"
"My parents ran into money trouble when they first married so they agreed to let the couple's son marry me!"
Tracey didn't know how to react. It was as if fate was against them. "What!? I-I don't know what to say. They're gonna separate us!"
"Not if I have something to do about it. The wedding is scheduled to happen the morning after graduation so the night of we'll have to sneak out."
"Ok. And I don't mind not saying goodbye to my parents…They haven't been talking to me since we came out."
"Same…and I won't have to worry about Demetri cause he'll be in college when we leave."
"Oh Trisha why does this have to happen to us? I really like you."
"I really like you too Tracey…sometimes the world is cruel but we'll make this relationship work."
Tracey wished she could make the conversation last longer but dinner was ready so the girls said their goodbyes. For the rest of the night, a sense of dread clouded her heart. As soon as Trisha hung up, her mother came in. Trisha glared as she spoke. "How could you?"
"Look. Your father and I are sorry but it was either this or go into debt."
"How did the money trouble come up?"
For the first time in Trisha's life, her mother looked ashamed. "I'm not proud of it but we used to be heavy gamblers. One night, we lost."
"So you bet me!? I wasn't even born yet! What if I had been a boy?"
"Then you would have worked for their son. He's now a landscaper."
"I cannot believe you. Instead of wanting me to be happy, you're gonna pawn me off! Anything against Demetri?"
Her mother sighed and leaned against the door. "No. The gambling was before him too…that's why we tried for you. We needed a girl."
Those words were like a punch to the stomach to Trisha. As she tried to absorb them, tears stung her eyes. Much to her dismay, her voice chocked as she spoke. "That's the only reason you had me!? To save your money!?"
"I'm not going to lie. You did help us but your father and I truly love you."
"No, you don't. If you did, you'd let me be with Tracey."
"Oh honey, being with a girl isn't natural. Got intended love to happen between men and women."
"You know what? I still pray every night and I still feel Him. I don't care what you say I'm not marrying that guy!"
"You'll change your mind when you're older."
With that her mother left the room. The tears Trisha had been holding back fell from her eyes like droplets. Laying back in her bed, she cried herself to sleep.
As school began the next morning, the next and final trimester started. With that, new classes and teachers. The girls prayed they were nicer than the last batch. Trisha's first class of the day was marine biology. Walking in, she didn't notice the posters of fish on the walls right away. Her eyes were locked with Tracey. Grinning, she looked to the teacher. An older woman. "Are there assigned seats?"
"Oh no. You may sit where you like."
The girls almost squealed with relief and happiness. After hugging, they sat down next to each other. Trisha spoke first. "Finally, a nice teacher. It feels so good to see you. My night was horrific."
"Oh sweetie I'm sorry. Tell me about it."
Fifteen minutes later Tracey was almost crying for her girlfriend. 'How could her parents not care?' she thought angrily. "Oh Trish. No matter what happens, I'm here for you."
"I know. I'm so grateful for you. I just feel bad for throwing my plans at you. If you have any objections, you can voice them."
Tracey smiled as she spoke. "That's just it. I don't have any. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."
The girls smiled lovingly at each other before turning toward the teacher to hear the run down of the class. It was basically designed to learn about marine life and maybe dissect a fish or two. Trisha chuckled at Tracey's slightly disgusted face and squeezed her hand for reassurance. Trisha wasn't queasy about anything and her girlfriend was the exact opposite. When the teacher, Mrs. Anna, had finished talking, she gave the class a free period. Trisha then turned to Tracey. "So how are you and your parents?"
Tracey shrugged and rolled her eyes. "They're still the same. They tell me they love me but…they've become really distant. Like they don't know how to act around me."
"Same here. I don't think it'll ever be the same…"
"Enough about them though. We finally get to see each other."
For most of the class the girls caught up and talked like most girls do until Trisha briefly mentioned she hadn't seen the movie Edward Scissor hands. Tracey could not believe it. "What!? Oh my gosh you have to watch it. My parents are out of town for a few days so you can come over Saturday and watch it. As for your folks, just tell them you're going to a movie with Demetri. He's going to the movies with his friends that day and they trust him enough not to call."
Trisha, for a few moments, just sat there and blinked until a satisfied smile crossed her lips. "You talked to him didn't you?"
Tracey giggled cutely and replied "Yeah. But now I know what we're gonna do."
"I can't wait."