Trapped in School (Watty Awards 2012 Nominee)

Chapter Eleven: Pizza

Lunch was fantastic.

Pizza, in all of its cheesy glory, bubbled in the stove, with me watching it from my cross-legged position on the floor like a child watching the microwave. Lucas gave me an odd look from his spot on the counter and set down his book entitled “How to Read Literature like a Professor.”

“You know, they say a watched pot never boils,” he said. I rolled my eyes.

“This is pizza, not water. Pizza is like Chuck Norris, it defies boiling,” I replied. I’m not quite sure if this made any sense, but the flavorful aroma of tangy sauce and spicy pepperoni was kind of screwing with my filter and I was lucky to manage proper English. Lucas scrunched his eyebrows together.

“You act like you’ve never had pizza before,” he said.

“Only once,” I replied. A silence filled the room and at first I didn’t notice, too fixated with staring through the little stove window. But when I finally did turn around, I saw Lucas with wide eyes that showed way too much white. I frowned.

“What?” I asked.

“You’ve only had pizza once?” he said.

“Uh, yeah. So?”

“So? You’ve only had pizza once.”

“It’s not my fault that I don’t get to choose what I eat. My family has a personal chef, and we’re vegetarian so….”

“Wait, hold up. You’re a Veg Head?”

“Not by choice, but yes, I am,” I shrugged, turning my attention back to the pizza in fear that I might have missed something exciting like an explosion of a cheese bubble or the swelling of the crust. I hadn’t.

Much to my surprise, I heard a plop beside me and saw Lucas leaning against the counter, book back in his hand. I glared at him, but he didn’t budge.

“So this is like a big deal for you,” he said, thumbing through the pages of his book in search of his lost spot.

“Uh yeah, so don’t ruin it for me,” I said. I faced the oven again, embracing the way the heat hit my face like a sunbather enjoying the heat of the sun. Lucas chuckled.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I wasn’t planning on it,” he said.

Sweetheart?

I mean, yeah, he was being sarcastic, but the way he said it sounded a little….endearing. Like he was my friend or something. I shook the notion out of my head, blinking rapidly for a few seconds to get my focus back. Lucas and I couldn’t be friends, not only did we hate each other, but I didn’t have friends.

And neither did he for that matter.

On the rare occasions that I went to the cafeteria (seeing as I usually spend my lunches in the library helping put away books and eating a salad) I always found Lucas to be alone, hiding his DS under the table and tapping away at some game. Sure, he would talk to people on occasion and sit with some of the other gamers in classes, but he never really had a clique to retreat to like everyone else. It was the one thing we had in common, but unlike him I wasn’t content being a loner.

“What was that?” he asked.

Shit. I was talking to myself again.

“Nothing,” I said hastily. I leaned foreword, squinting at the pizza. “Is it done yet?”

We sat at the window while we ate, opposite of each other on the ledge, shoes toe to toe. The pizza was absolute perfection, and I forgot all of my manners as I ate, licking my fingers and smacking my lips happily. Somehow, knowing that my mother would cringe at the sight made it taste even better. Lucas laughed at the spectacle, commenting about what an “attractive” dinner date I would be.

“Oh, what do I care anyways?” I said, taking another bite. Oh my gosh, this pizza was better than anime. I took a moment to savor the taste before going on to talk with my mouth full “It’s not rike anyron would ask me onna date,” I slurred through the pizza. Miraculously, Lucas understood me perfectly.

“I would,” he said with a smile.

A/N-- Cliffhanger!!! Please don't kill me. So sorry for lying to you all and having a really slow update. I've been cooped up at the theater these past few days and haven't had much time to write. Please vote! I want to get my rating back up (sorry, I'm a little selfish in that department!). You guys are great fans, the comments are so sweet, so I just want to say thank you all who keep reading. Do any of you read fanfiction? Because I have an account. Links on my profile!

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