The Hybrid Read Online Free

reason, Bethany felt compelled to sit next to her today. Gertrude
looked
over
at
her,
watching as
she
fumbled
through her small pink Coach purse, pulling out a small
tube of sparkly pink lip-gloss.
    Bethany was wearing a strappy pink tank top with a
white cardigan over it. On the bottom, she wore a blue
denim mini skirt, and a pair of white lacey wedges. It
seemed odd to Gertrude that she was wearing something
more suitable for warmer weather, but she thought maybe Bethany’s body was acclimated to the chilling temperature, assuming she had grown up here.
    “What’s your name?” Bethany asked, enthusiastically,
holding out her hand, waiting for Gertrude to take it.
“Gertrude.
Gertrude
Mason,” she
replied,
grabbing
Bethany’s open hand. “But I prefer Tru.”
“Where are you from?”
Bethany released Gertrude’s
hand and then applied her lip-gloss, still staring at Gertrude intently.
“San Diego.” It sounded like a disease the way she had
said it, but it was only because of the way Gertrude had
felt when she was living there. Gertrude anxiously looked
at the clock on the wall behind the teacher. Barely five
minutes of class had passed.
“Why did you move here?” Bethany badgered. “Of all
the places you could have moved to.” She pushed the tube
back into her purse, replacing it with a mechanical pencil.
Woodcrest Hills was not exactly a tourist hotspot. It
was located about half an hour north of the Montana and
Idaho border, high in the mountains, completely surrounded by forest. It was cloudy and rainy, with the occasional sun during the summer, and snowstorms during
the winter. It was a small town, there couldn’t have been
more than three thousand people that lived in the town
year round, but it was old and had a personality of its
own.
“I needed to be away from my mom for a while.” Gertrude turned to look at Bethany with a blank stare on her
face. Bethany quickly looked away, embarrassed that she
had brought up what was obviously a touchy subject for
Gertrude. But Gertrude wasn’t embarrassed. She wasn’t
afraid of telling people the truth. She had never lied before, so why start today?
But
before
Gertrude
could
finish
her
explanation,
Bethany spoke again. “Oh, I see.” Her voice was a little
quieter than before. But after a few minutes of silence,
she continued on. “So do you have any brothers or sisters?” she asked.
“No,” Gertrude replied. “Just me.”
“I have two brothers,” Bethany said slightly boastful.
“They’re
jerks sometimes,
but
I
love
them.” Bethany
looked up at the white board, copied down a few lines,
and then looked back at Tru. “So do you like it here?”
“Yeah, I mean, it’s definitely different.” Gertrude didn’t
know how to answer the question. She was happier now,
she just wasn’t sure if she would ever truly like Woodcrest Hills.
    But, as Bethany continued to ask, Tru continued to
answer each and every single one of her questions, without hesitation, as she waited for the class to finish and the
passing bell to ring. If Bethany felt it was odd that Gertrude hadn’t asked her a single question in return, she
didn’t show it. She just listened intently as Gertrude divulged her entire life story.
    “So, what’s your next class?” Bethany asked when the
bell finally rang.
Gertrude quickly packed up her books and slung her
backpack over her shoulder. Bethany, too, picked up her
own belongings, shoving her pencil back into her purse,
as Gertrude followed her out of the classroom with her
books tightly pressed against her chest.
“Math with Mrs. Stubs.” Tru replied when they made it
out into the crowded, enclosed hallway.
“Oh! I thought I had seen you in another class!”
“You’re in that class, too?” Tru asked. She immediately
felt bad that she hadn’t even noticed Bethany was in another class with her.
“Yup,” Bethany said with a smile on her face. “Well, I
guess we can walk there together.”
Gertrude was slightly happy she had