The Story of Carrots

27 February 2014

Carrots

The word carrot rang in Nikki’s ears at lunch. Carrots. Carrots. Carrots. It made her so angry. She looked to the left but didn’t see Sarah- the only friend who seemed to care about not branding people carrots out of all her friends. She gulped and turned towards her friends again.

“I hate when people call people carrots,” She muttered, holding the sides of her head.

“I don’t like eating carrots,” Mary wrinkled her nose, as she took a fry from her bag and placed it in her mouth. Disgusting cafeteria food.

“They are so annoying. Some celebrities are such carrots. I hate them so much. They are so irritating,” Alyssa groaned, then drank out of a water bottle.

“Youtubers too,” Ariana added. “All of them.”

Nikki closed her eyes, holding onto her knit sweater before losing her insanity and turned to her carrot calling friends. “There shouldn’t be carrots. If you’re a fan, you’re a fan. Some people don’t get the memo of bands that quickly. Maybe they don’t have cable, maybe they got their phones taken away and only find out about them through a chain of people,” Nikki said and her friends stared at her before turning back to their conversation. “They’re such idiots,” Alyssa groaned.

“You know it hurts when people call them carrots? It’s like calling someone stupid, only a few people can take it okay,” Nikki clipped, vexed at their remarks.

“I’m a proud carrot,” Priscilla shouted happily, and Nikki shook her head, rolling her eyes inwardly. “Good for you.”

“That’s really dumb,” Emmy and Ariana said in unison.

“Why would you be disappointed because someone called you a carrot?” Emmy sniffed.

Ariana laughed and they smirked at each other, ignoring Nikki for the rest of the time, another dread forming in her heart.

“You know how I said I’m making more friends?” Nikki asked Ariella, her friend across from her, who nodded. She wasn’t apart of the carrot calling group.“You’re practically friends with everyone.”
“Whatever,” Nikki said, then immediately felt bad. “Sorry. Anyways, I don’t know if I made the right choices.”

Her other friends, Jay and Mary turned their heads. “What do you mean?” Jay asked.

She pointed quickly at Ariana before turning back. “Emmy?” Mary whispered.

Nikki shook her head and pointed fast again before putting it down. “Who?” Mary inquired, still confused. “Ariana?”

Nikki nodded and gulped, sad because she’d known Ariana since fifth grade and now they were in eighth. “She’s becoming more popular but really... You say I’m becoming more popular but I have you guys to keep me grounded, so I think I’m okay. But… Ariana and them have whole groups becoming more popular and they know it and they’re abusing it. They’re becoming meaner. I don’t know if I should be disappointed about becoming their friends or not,” She whispered, looking down at her lap. “And Emmy is really rude by the way.”

“I told you,” Mary responded.

“She told me to shut up because I’m stupid,” Nikki turned her head away and Mary’s lips tightened.

“I insult you guys all the time but you guys don’t mind right? Because you know that I don’t mean it,” Mary asked quietly. She turned to Ariella. “I insult you most.”

“And then you take it out all on me,” Nikki laughed.

“And Jay never insults anybody, she just debates with you on show and books,” Mary laughed and Jay almost spit out her food, reeling her body backwards on the lunch seat mirthfully.

“I call you dipshit a lot,” Mary said to Nikki who shook her head. “No, you just give me that look,” She snorted. Nikki sighed and turned her heads to the girls who were now talking about if a girl had a boy name or a boy had a girl name they were transgender. Nikki’s heart dropped and she her face slowly turned its way to their direction. Emmy laughed aloud. “That means Nikki’s transgender!” She laughed, and it wasn’t a nice one. Rough and loud and cold.

The rest of the carrot calling group laughed and she turned her head back to her closest, most trusted friends, and shook her hair in front of her face, smoothing it out so no one would see her stinging eyes.

Bad memories are the ones you remember best.