Ninja Squad: Assault on the City [Book 1]

Chapter 8: One Heck of a Bicker Battle

Liaanna's POV

I sprinted across the vast grassy field, attempting to get to Mr. Ashford's line in time for a name call to make sure everyone was here.

I don't want to miss that, or else I'll get detention. I don't want to get detention on the first day of school. No one does.

"Liaanna," Mr. Ashford announced, holding a clipboard with a paper with all our class's names on it.

"Here," I informed, running in the line just in time.

Someone nudged me from behind. I turned around to see Nahida, just as out of breath as I was.

"Hey Lia," Nahida greeted as she placed her hands on her knees.

"Hello Nahida, and why are you out of breath?" I questioned, scratching my head.

"I should ask you the same question," she answered, taking her hands off her knees.

I nodded as Nahida began to play with her magenta-colored string bracelet. Mr. Ashford kept calling out names until there was none left on the list. He mispronounced a few, but that doesn’t matter.

“I’ll see you at lunch, I have to find my other friends and make sure they’re okay,” Nahida stated, pointing in the direction I believe they’re in.

I nodded in agreement as Nahida walked in the direction she pointed in.

11:47am

After being let back into the school, it was halfway through math class, so our math teacher just let us have free time. What a nice teacher.

I drew in my black sketchbook for the whole period because we couldn’t go on our laptops.

When the bell rang, I was the last to line up. As I slung my backpack over my shoulder and exited the classroom, Cirah stood on the other side of the hallway.

“Took you long enough,” she scoffed, walking towards me.

“I’m sorry, you have to finish a good drawing!” I apologized, readjusting my grip on my sketchbook in my left hand.

She nodded, stopping to open her locker to grab her lunchbox.

I did the same. My locker is below hers because the lockers here are stacked two per column.

I like having a bottom locker because I can kick it closed. If you thought I liked it because I'm short, no.

I'm five feet three inches (5’3), I'm not short at all. Cirah’s an inch shorter, so it's not a problem for her to reach her locker.

After we grabbed our lunches and I kicked my locker closed (super fun), we started walking to the cafeteria.

I haven't walked with someone to a cafeteria in a long, long time, so it felt a little weird walking with someone to go and eat.

When we got to the cafeteria. It was loud as heck. Hundreds of kids filled the green and blue rectangular tables, while some were in line to buy lunch or milk.

As I was scanning for an empty table,  I saw Vannessa, waving her hand at us.

“Do you see Vannessa in the distance?” I asked Cirah, pointing in the direction she was in.

“Yep, way before you did, now move it,” Cirah replied, jogging in Vannessa's direction.

I rolled my eyes as I jogged close behind her.

I dodged a few tables and a few students on the way to Vannessa's table because it was all the way in the back.

“Hello you muffin heads,” I greeted them, sitting down next to Savvanna and dropping my emerald colored lunchbox on the table.