Cupid's Daughter

Chapter 25~ No the Other New Kid got Slapped with a Hamburger Patty you Idiot

After a couple months in New York I had mastered my routine. I would wake up at seven a.m., get dressed and eat breakfast as my mother prepped herself for filming (totally ignoring me in the meantime), waddle off to school where the day of classes and sitting in the cafeteria would go torturously slowly, and then I would go home and lock myself in my room to read stupid sappy romance novels. I was undoubtedly and uncontrollably moping, but at least I could admit it.

As I walked into the cafeteria one Tuesday lunchtime, however, the routine was broken when I was sat eating my pasta and minding my own business, when suddenly something warm and sloppy slapped me across the face. A hamburger; bread, lettuce, tomato, patty and all, was splayed across my face and chest, and a chorus of laughter and 'oh shit man's' surrounded me. Closing my eyes and grabbing my napkin, I wiped my face and took a deep steadying breath. Wasn't this school meant to be all prestigious and fancy? So how come I was getting hit in the face with lunch meats?

"Sorry man, I didn't mean to hit you." A voice appeared out of nowhere, and I heard the unoccupied seat in front of me scrape against the floor as the person sat down. Once the mustard was off of my face, I managed to open my eyes and squint at the human, who I could now see was a male, in annoyance.

I scowled at the-- quite handsome, may I add-- boy and didn't say anything, pulling a pickle from my forehead and chucking it onto my tray.

The boy held back a chuckle, his dark hair curling around his ears, and he had the kind of dazzling smile that I had only seen on one other person before. In fact, the two boys didn't just have that in common, their faces were shockingly similar. I looked down at my food as I pushed the thought away.

"You must be new; I'm Levi." The boy held his hand out to me and I shook it dryly.

"Nice to meet you." I muttered sarcastically with a fake smile, "Now if you don't mind, I need to go and hose off before someone mistakes me for a lunch food and tries to eat me." I gave him a sharp nod and stood up to leave, dumping the contents of my tray in the garbage on the way out.

Briefly, I wondered what the heck had gotten into me lately. I was being rude to strangers and acting miserably. This was not the Isabelle Conway I knew myself to be.

"Wait, wait!" Levi called after me, and I paused mid-step to throw my head up to the ceiling. "Can't I at least know your name?"

Shaking my head to clear it, I turned to Levi and tried on a smile, forcing myself to be polite. "Isabelle. My name is Isabelle."

And that's how my unlikely first friendship started at Eleanor James Academy; with a hamburger and a kid called Levi. Levi introduced me to his group, which consisted of his best friend Luke, Luke's girlfriend Matilda and the identical twins Ash and Ari.

As much as I hated to admit, I started to feel like I belonged a little more. I mean, nothing could ever replace my friendship with Sam and JC and... the others, but I didn't hate my new school as much as I thought I would.

"Hey ditzy, what are you dreaming about in that pretty little head of yours?" Levi asked through a mouthful of hamburger, yes hamburger, one day as we all sat down in the cafeteria for lunch. I had stopped going to the coffee shop or sitting by myself at lunch since Levi had taken me under his wing, and even though I was socially awkward and didn't mind isolation, I was thankful for that.

I sighed and popped some fries into my mouth as Ash and Ari bickered over whether Bruce Lee or Sylvester Stallone would win in a fight.

Sylvester Stallone, duh.

"Just my old school, I guess." I admitted.

Matilda frowned. "You miss your friends?"

"What, aren't we good enough for you?" Luke chimed in playfully, shooting me a smirk. I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head, feigning snobbishness.

"Oh darling, you know I only befriend pre-royalty and celebrities. You thought you made the cut? That's adorable." I put on a terrible posh British accent and took a drink of my soda with my pinkies up before seeing Luke's face and snorting with laughter, the soda coming out of my nose.

"How ladylike." Levi mused, sending me a wink as I mopped myself up with a napkin.

"Shut up." I muttered, still smiling at my own goofiness.

Just then a tall girl with huge strawberry blonde curls appeared in front of us, holding up a poster with the words 'Senior Prom' written on it. Luke and Levi noticeably shrunk back into their seats with boredom as Matilda, Ari and Ash perked up.

"Have you all bought your tickets to Senior Prom yet? There's limited available!" The blonde told us with a sparkling smile, sounding like a commercial that everyone hated.

"But it's Senior Prom, there's enough tickets for the whole Senior class." Levi pointed out in a bored voice as he bit into an apple.

The blonde girl's smile fell and her lips twisted into a scowl instead. "Just answer the question, Rosenthal. Tickets or no?"

Levi rolled his eyes and shoved his hand into his pocket to retrieve his wallet. "Two." He stated bluntly, before turning on a fake smile and adding, "Please." Blondie took his money and handed him two tickets, before turning to the other members of the group. Matilda forced Luke to buy two tickets and the twins bought a ticket for each other, but I shook my head when Blondie reached me, staring at the date written on the poster.

"No thank you, I'm going to have to pass on this one." I said firmly but politely, and was greeted by the unimpressed and downright angered glares of my friends.

"Senior Prom is a right of passage!" Ari all but shrieked at me, and Ash stared at me like I'd lost my mind.

I shrugged and continued to poke at my fries and salad until Blondie gave up on trying to sell me a ticket and left with a sour expression.

The twins and everyone else continued to grill me about Senior Prom, but there was no way that I was going. For a start I didn't have a partner or a dress, and two... well, two, I had plans with Netflix that night.

There was no way I was going to Prom.