Curvy Girls Can't Date Cowboys - Kelsie Stelting Page 0,10
said conspiratorially, “You’re right, though.”
Tarra smiled smugly at her plate.
“Cara?” Mom asked.
She shrugged just as her twin had, and I swore it was like déjà vu. “I got sent to the office for punching that boy.”
Mom’s eyebrows rose. “You what?”
“He called her Annie! I’m supposed to be my ‘own person,’ and my own person was mad.” She shrugged again and sawed at her chicken with a butter knife.
Mom gazed toward the ceiling. “How do we handle disputes?”
“With our words,” the twins echoed.
Mom gave them an exasperated glare, then gave up completely. “Ginger, please tell me you didn’t have any altercations today.”
“Well...” I sighed, thinking of Ray. “Can I ask you a question?”
She set her fork down. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I know the store sells organic and GMO-free...but...why?”
Her eyebrows drew together. “Because it’s healthier. What kind of question is that?”
“I don’t know.” I toyed with a floppy stick of asparagus. “I guess I just wanted to know how you knew it was healthier?”
“They spray pesticides on plants to kill bugs to make more money. If it kills bugs, imagine what it does to us.”
“Who’s they?” I asked.
“People we don’t buy from. Not to mention how wrong it is to keep those animals locked up in cages. Google ‘farrowing crates’ and you’ll see why we want cage-free meat and eggs.” Her words were coming faster now, and her nostrils flared. “The fact that people raise animals in those conditions… It’s despicable! I never want to be a part of that. Like this chicken.” She held up a forkful of meat. “I can eat it knowing it had a good life, outside of those cages and having grain shoved down its throat every day or was fed antibiotics just to—”
“Okay, okay!” I cried, holding up my hands. “I’m sorry I asked.”
She shook her head, frustrated. “Whoever made you think organic wasn’t better was lying. You tell them you almost died because of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and make them look you in the eyes. That’s what factory farming does. It kills.”
Memories of the summer I spent in and out of the hospital overtook my mind. It was the worst three months of my life, and if Ray’s family had anything to do with it, I hated them that much more.
For a moment, we were all quiet; the only sound was silverware scraping on plates.
“You should be thankful for your father,” Mom said, still not done. “He works ‘til the store closes every night to make sure that you and countless other people have good food to eat and don’t have to go through what we went through.”
What we went through. I knew it had been hard on them, my illness, but I didn’t need the reminder. I wanted to forget about it altogether.
I gave Cori a desperate look, and she perked up. “I made all of my free throws today in practice.”
Mom glanced at me before looking at Cori and saying distractedly, “That’s good, honey. Keep up the good work.”
I finished the rest of my meal as quickly as I could and went to my room.
Eight
After staying up way too late researching conventional and organic agriculture, I felt even more lost than before. There had to be a million sources and no clear answers. Even with my Academy training on research, I had a hard time parsing apart the opposite sides. That just made me angrier. Who was I to believe? My parents, who’d dedicated their lives to our family’s safety, or Ray, a cantankerous high school senior who’d grown up on a ranch?
I was exhausted and still had to see Ray this morning. I couldn’t wait for this project to be over so we could go back to ignoring each other.
As I reached my friends surrounding Rory’s locker, I let out a big yawn.
“Late night?” Rory asked.
“You have no idea,” I muttered.
Jordan grinned at me. “I have news. Well, two newses.”
I laughed. “I’m pretty sure that’s not a word.”
She just shook her head slightly. “Kai asked me to Spring Fling. It should be fun, right? Not lame?”
“If you have a date.” I answered. For the last three years, I’d gone to every (school sponsored and chaperoned) dance alone, not because I wanted to, but because no one had asked me.
Jordan nodded slowly. “Who are you guys going with?”
“Beckett, “Rory easily answered.
I wished I had that. Someone I was so confident in I didn’t have to ask at all to just know.
“Duh,” Jordan said with a laugh, then looked at Callie, Zara, and me.