Surviving the McLane Boys - New and Improved

4: Rumours and a Fight

Chapter 4 - Rumours and a Fight

The bell for lunch rings and once again – I’m stuck in the doorway. I manage to squeeze through the mess of sweaty teens due to my size but once through, I’m squashed against the wall due to my lack of strength to push through. High school’s kind of like those animal shows. You’ve got the whole ‘Survival of the Fittest’ thing going on; if you’re short and weak like me, you tend to get trampled on and pushed aside.

A head of mussed auburn hair catches my eye in amongst the crowd and I smile in relief.

“Whoa! Watch it buster!” Mitch yells as she violently shoves a guy pressed up against her, away. She stomps over to me “God, the guys at this school! They think they can grope you at every turn! I mean what is with that?”

I don’t really know what to say so I just nod my head and agree.

The strong smell of greasy unidentifiable cafeteria food immediate invades my nose as we turn a corner down a hallway leading to where I suppose we’re eating.

As soon as I walk in I’m overwhelmed by the smells and sounds inside the cafeteria. I feel the uncomfortable tingle of eyes focusing on me and I notice a couple of girls sitting at a table glance at me before whispering exaggeratedly among themselves.  

They’re looking at me as if I have a kick me sign on my back and loser written across my forehead.

I quickly look over my shoulder and rub my forehead just to make sure as I follow Mitch to the lunch line but I already know why. This morning’s escapades didn’t take long to get around.

Mitch peers around a particularly tall boy’s shoulder to see what’s on offer today as the line slowly moves forward.

“Anything good?” I ask tentatively, aware that everyone within a twenty foot radius is craning in to listen to what I’ve got to say.

Mitch turns around and makes a face at me, “Most of it looks ok, but I’d stay away from ‘Meatloaf Surprise’.” She shudders.

“It’s probably soy meat or something…”

“Yeah probably,” Mitch laughs. 

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah that’s her, the girl in the purple top, next to Marshland. She’s the one that Lucy’s targeted! She came to school with the McLane’s this morning.”

I glance around the cafeteria and catch people still staring at me. I hear other bits of conversations as the line slowly moves forward.

“You know what I heard? Apparently she’s got a foam pad or something stuffed down her pants to make her butt look bigger.”

“Ew! As if!”

“I also heard she got plastic surgery for her whole face!”

“She’s got a nice ass.”

“I’d tap that.”

“Wonder if she has a boyfriend or not…”

“I heard she doesn’t!”

 “Did you know she got a boob job when she was 14!”

“Seriously? You can do that?”

“Chyeah – she did.”

“Apparently she’s already hooked up with Trent!”