A Silence Full of Sound

Chapter 13

I think the shock was evident on my face because Hailey looked over at me and laughed "That was my reaction too." She said.

"What? A scout? That's big!" I signed to Sammy, a little too obviously. We both looked around afterwards to see if anyone had seen. Hailey chuckled opposite me.

"It's not that big a deal. Plus, there's so many good players on this team, who even knows if they'll want me." Sammy said.

"They'll be crazy if they didn't." Hailey said as she interlocked her arm with Sammy's. They smiled at each other and Hailey kissed Sammy's cheek. They were adorable.

"Okay, okay. I'll be there. But quick, leave. Before I throw up my breakfast at your adorableness." I signed back, waving Sammy away.

He chuckled a little and smiled. He pulled Hailey up and out of her chair. "Come on," he said to Hailey. "Apparently Gatsby needs her attention."

"Actually, Fitzgerald does." I signed. He laughed and shook his head as he and Hailey walked away. I watched as they left. "See you later, Loser." Sammy said quickly turning around to face me with a smirk before shutting the cafeteria door behind him.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

I hadn't spoken much to Alice all day. She was in my classes, but had sat next to Justin a lot of the time. I had missed gossiping with my best friend through passed notes.

When lunch rolled around, I waited in the queue for the fries when someone came up and stood next to me.

"Hey. I've been looking all over for you." Alice's red hair bounced on her shoulders. Her smile radiated across her face. She was alone, but for how much longer I didn't know.

I waved at her and gave her a small smile. There were two girls in front of me that looked to be deciding on whether to get the fries or the side salad next to it. From the way they looked, both really wanted the fries, but they both picked up a salad each.

I sighed, slightly disappointed with the girls in front. I walked up to the counter and picked the biggest portion of fries on the countertop and placed them neatly on my tray. Then grabbed a bottle of soda and a chocolate bar.

"So, I was wondering whether you wanted to come over and sit with me and Justin this lunch? I've missed you. It feels like I haven't seen you in forever." Alice said, pulling on my right arm for emphasis. She signalled over to Justin's table. It was covered with jocks and cheerleaders. The girls I had seen in the cafeteria earlier that day were all sat around Justin and the hefty, ginger guy next to him. Again, they were all listening to Justin telling a funny story.

Honestly, does that guy ever shut up? He could give Lucas a run for his money!

Alice looked over at me, her eyes pleading with me. "Come on, Ri. Please?"

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and nodded. Alice did a few small jumps of excitement whilst I grabbed another piece of chocolate. If I was sitting with Justin, I would need the extra sweetness.

Alice pulled me over to their table. When we arrived, she introduced me again to some of the people around the table. Nobody really paid attention to me. The guys continued to talk over each other and the cheerleaders dotted around the table gave me weird looks. It was almost as if they thought I didn't belong there.

They were right. I didn't.

Alice pulled me down into an empty seat but before she could sit down next to me, Justin had pulled her around the table and onto his lap. She giggled and played with a strand of hair at the front of her head, and started to join in Justin's conversation with an overly-interested blonde cheerleader.