An apple a day does NOT keep the doctor away

“This is boring, Elizabeth,” Caleb, my best friend, complained rather loudly as we were walking towards the grove of apple trees. We were where I lived, a farm that was about ten kilometers away from our school. Caleb lived closer to the school than I did, only a kilometer away, but he often came over because my house was a lot cooler (he hasn’t admitted that yet, but I’m sure he’s thinking it). 

Caleb loves pies, especially apple pies, so when I needed to go apple picking, I immediately called him so we could get the apples together. His first reaction, of course, was shock. I knew that he really didn’t like apples, except for when they’re in pies, but I needed someone to go apple picking with me. I like the apple orchard, it’s really pretty, especially as the sun sets because the sky would be tainted in red, and I could see all the rows of trees. But I only go apple picking when I really have to, because you could occasionally find a worm that would be lurking in an apple, and the worst part would be when you find out there’s a worm in your hand.

Believe me, I’ve screamed at least fifteen times. 

It took about thirty minutes to convince Caleb, but he finally agreed to come. He ONLY agreed because I bribed him by saying that when we finished, we would bake some pies afterward. To him, pies are the yummiest things ever. I like pies, but to me, pizza tastes better. 

Normally, when he comes over, he avoids the apple orchard that my grandparents grew. But today, things would be different.

Caleb was the sort of person who always stuck out, wearing flashy clothes and dying his straight blonde hair different shades all the time. (I prefer keeping my curly hair red, thank you very much.) So when he came over today, I was astounded to find him in regular clothes. Caleb was wearing golden-brown shorts, and his shirt was blue. It was actually the first time I’d ever seen Caleb in clothes that normal people wear, and it was weird. I was dressed normally as well, but my jeans and yellow T-shirt (with the shade that EXACTLY matched my amber-colored eyes) were better fashion choices. 

“Be quiet,” I told Caleb. “Or else you won’t be able to eat the pie we’re going to make! Plus, it’s only been FIVE minutes since we started walking.”

“No it hasn’t!” he protested. “It’s been five HOURS.”

“Caleb, remember about the how I said no pie-?”

“Ugh, fine, I’ll stop!” Caleb muttered, but I could still hear him. I decided not to mention it, though, because he’d just leave me to pick apples by myself.

I also haven’t told Caleb about the worms yet. I thought he’d figure it out by now, with me dropping hints every few minutes, but honestly, it’s like he doesn’t even notice. 

“Finally! We’re here! Now can we please quickly get the apples so we can make the pies?” Caleb asked as we reached the top of the hill with all the apple trees. 

“Sure,” I sighed. “Let me teach you how to pick apples. Get the ones that look the ripest, but watch out for-”

“Aha!” Caleb rudely interrupted me and grabbed a random apple from a tree. He grinned and showed me the apple, which had a worm crawling around it, right about to touch Caleb.

“EW!” Caleb yelped when he realized the worm was millimeters away from him. He screamed.

Did I mention he detests insects and small creatures of all kinds?

“-Worms,” I finished.

Caleb glared at me with his brown-colored eyes. “Too late, Lizzy.”

Caleb knows that I absolutely do NOT like that nickname. Yet he does it anyway, because, you know, that’s the sort of thing that he does.

“My name is Elizabeth,” I reminded him, trying not to push him. “I tell you that every day. ELIZABETH and LIZZY are completely different names!’

“Yeah, but Lizzy isn’t your name!”

“Exactly!” I agreed. 

“It’s your nickname,” Caleb reasoned. Sadly, he had a point.

“Whatever!” I snapped. “Let’s just get some apples to bake your pie.”

“Can we make a blueberry pie instead?” asked Caleb hopefully. 

“No.”

“Aw, come on, Elizabeth! Why can’t we do a blueberry pie? They taste really, really, good. Maybe not as much as apple pies, but it doesn’t matter, because if we get blueberries, there will be a smaller chance of finding worms!”

“Because you just called me Lizzy and I don’t have any blueberries.” 

Caleb grumbled something under his breath.

“Come on, let’s just hurry up and finish this!” I told him. “I’m getting hungry, I really want to eat pie.”

“A pie would be great,” Caleb admitted.

I nodded in agreement. For once, he was right about something. 

Suddenly, an apple dropped down on Caleb's head. Caleb, who was scared that the worm had unleashed his worm-friends on him, screamed.

“LET’S GET OUTTA HERE!” Caleb yelled. He dropped the apple, (which he apparently forgot to put away in the first place) received a dude, seriously? look from the worm, who was very annoyed, and ran away. By ‘away,’ I mean right to me. 

He slammed into me, and that’s when everything went downhill. Literally. He knocked me over, which caused me to fall down the hill that the grove perched upon. I rolled down the path we’d walked, and bounced on stone after stone. 

The only clear thought in my mind as I tumbled down the hill was ow ow ow that hurts.

Finally, I stopped at the very bottom of the hill. “OWW!” I said, in a lot of pain.

“LIZZY!” Caleb gasped, trying to run down the hill. However, he failed and managed to slip over a stray tree branch and landed with a huge THUMP right next to me.

“That hurt,” he muttered, clutching his leg in pain which he apparently fell on.

“Stay still,” I ordered, clearing my mind from the pain on my left arm and focusing on my friend. I wasn’t much of a medic, but I’d learned how to do first aid after I broke my leg in an incident that involved me climbing on a tree and a bunch of stray cats (don’t ask. Long story). That’s probably why I prefer dogs.

“Stay still. Okay, I can do that.” 

“I think you’re fine,” I said as I assessed his injuries. “You’ve only had a small scrape, plus a bruise, for five seconds, and you’re already making a big deal of it.”

Caleb rolled his eyes, but responded, “what about you? Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I lied, trying not to show him my arm, which could be broken, or my shoulder, that was probably dislocated. I turned away.

“You’re really hurt, aren’t you?” Caleb realized. ‘I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine, and I’m not that hurt,” I said.

“Liar,” Caleb snorted.

“I’m fine! I just need to-” I tried getting up but fell right back again on my butt. 

“I’m going to go get help,” Caleb said, getting up, hiding his face so I couldn’t see how guilty he was (although it was pretty obvious).

“Okay,” I said, with no strength to argue. I leaned back on the hill and closed my eyes. “You do know your way around here, right?”

“Yep. I’ll come back,” he promised.

“Oh, and Caleb?” With one last effort to cheer him up (he was looking really depressed at this point), I made a terrible joke. 

“Yeah?”

“I guess the apple doesn’t keep the doctor away, huh?”

Caleb grinned, but his smile quickly faded. He looked on the horizon, and was about to start running to my house when a noticed a shadowy figure in the cornfields, “I see your mom!” he shouted, even though I could see her quite clearly. “I’ll get help.” With that, he sprinted away.