Division

002

I halfway smile of disgust as I enter the loud, terrifying, deep dive of way too loud kids sitting down at lunch tables and chattering their heads off, much to my dismay.

I guess you can say this is my quiet place.

I begin to walk towards the short lunch line, crossing my arms over my chest as I impatiently wait for like hours to get my food.

Lunch is 10 minutes.

And I won't let anything or anyone waste that for me.

I skip ahead of the other kids also on the lunch line, ignoring their angry calls out to me for skipping the lunch line.

They can wait. But I can't.

I make my way to the head of the line, stepping on the front of a boy with blond ruffly hair and raising a playful eyebrow at the same old lunch lady, Betty, who greets me with a warm smile.

''Edith! Still no friends after break? Geez, hun, you can't keep coming to me.''

Betty lets out a chuckle and fixes her apron, making me nod sadly in response and dig into my sweatshirt pocket silently, pulling out three dimes and one dollar.

''This is all my allowance I have today. Mother said if I can get some sort of stupid job that earns me money- she said she would give me more money for food,''

I mumble, dropping the money into Betty's hands as she holds it in her grasp.

''Eden, this still isn't enough money for lunch. You might have to hit the stacks today again baby girl.''

If maybe Mother would pay me more, I wouldn't have to sneak into open gourmet stores after school just to buy a loaf of bread. I guess today that will happen again- even though I know mother will steal whatever I have from me.

That's just another same old routine of my life. I guess I'll let Betty have the money then.

''Please, Just let me off the hook for one more time! No one will know that you are feeding me for free. Even if it the food is some sort of crust-''

''Edith. Please, don't make this harder than it already is. You don't have money for school lunch, you don't get the food. Maybe if you had a friend- they would lend some money to you. I'll you see tomorrow. Next!''

I scratch my head and exit the lunch line, sitting down at a lunch table with no food, watching a group of girls sitting next to me slowly move away from me.

I dig my head into my hands and clench my stomach, trying to avoid the paining feeling of hunger.

''Just wait for tomorrow...Just wait for tomorrow...''