The F-boy Project

Chapter 5: Adding, Subtracting and Multiplying isn't right

"What does this mean?" He asked, pointing to question number 10.

"Oh," I said. "That's easy."

I began to explain the question to him. A few minutes later, Antoni finished the rest of the worksheet and sat beside me.

"What's with all the people talking about Mercedes and Tyler," he asked suddenly, glancing around the room.

"Oh... Uh, I have no idea. What are they saying?" I looked at him warily, wondering why he was asking me questions like this.

"That it was true Mercedes and Tyler had sex," butted in Oliver, coming to stand by Antoni. "They totally did though, even if they both deny it. You can tell, it's that obvious. I'm not even surprised that this is their second child- I mean, the whole not talking for three years was a cover-up obviously. They didn't want people knowing they're having sex."

"Wait," I said, not caring that I was talking to Fuckboy Oliver. "Second child?"

Oliver nodded, "Yeah. Like back in-"

He never got to finish.

The bell rang, signaling for fifth period lunch. I grabbed my stuff, as well as Mercedes', and went to the cafeteria. Avoiding the fuckboys as they began pointing out asses, I hurried into the room, looking around for Mercedes. I couldn't find her, yet a second later, a voice grumbling profanities caught my attention.

I glanced behind me to see Mercedes walking up to me and holding a baby carriage. I fell in step with her as we went to our normal table.

"Stupid ass," growled Mercedes darkly, "I told him not to-"

"Hold up bitch." I interrupted. "What happened?"

"Go get our lunch, then I'll tell you. I need to stay here with the baby, I don't trust people," she said sharply, sitting down next to the carriage.

I nodded, heading to the lunch line. Seconds later however, I heard a loud voice boasting behind me about something.

"Yeah and so I told him to back off 'cause he was getting too close for my liking. And so then, since Mercedes is just so weak now because this is her second child and all, she egged on her secret baby daddy and he punched me in the face! I mean, I was only commenting on their baby, there was no need for him to punch me!"

A girl sighed dreamily. "Mercedes is so lucky. I wish I was having children with Tyler."

"Mercedes is a bitch. It's wonder that her baby daddy even stayed with her," another girl said sourly. "But wait, Martin, tell us how Tyler acted when you approached them outside?"

The voice, who I guessed was Martin, snorted heartily and replied, "Well, he was being unusually overprotective! Sure, there was a couple months old of a baby there, but my guess is that she's preggers again. He wouldn't be that overprotective if there was only one kid and Mercedes herself."

"Oh my God," a third girl gasped. "Mercedes is pregnant again?"

"Holy crap she is?" another person exclaimed, "Where's Tyler? We should congratulate them."

"To be honest, I have no idea but..."

I tuned the group out, grabbing two lunch trays, paying, and going back to the table. I sat down next to Mercedes, sliding her one of the lunch trays, and before I knew it, blurted out:

"Are you pregnant?"

Mercedes spat out her juice, glaring at me and then slapped me.

"Who told you," she growled, continuing to glare at me.

I held my cheek before answering. "First of all, do that again and I'll murder you in the spot. Second, Martin was behind me, boasting about it. A lot of people think you're expecting your third child."

My best friend narrowed her eyes and began looking around. "He is so dead."

"Wait," I said quickly. "But is it true?"

Mercedes threw her hands up in the air and sighed exaggeratedly. "Oh my God, no. If I even had one damn kid, you would've seen them running around my house. Now, this kid," she gestured to the carriage. "Is for Home Ec."

She removed the blanket covering the baby and I leaned in, seeing for the first time that it was fake and ugly.

"People are so stupid nowadays," she spat, covering the baby back up.

"Why do you have it now?" I asked, biting into a fry.

Mercedes sighed again and scowled darkly. "Because damn Tyler got I.S.S for the rest of the day for punching Martin in the face."

"And...? You couldn't have been gone that long from class just because you had to get baby."

"And I told the principal that Mrs. Garcia gave me and Tyler detention just because we brought the baby on the floor since it was crying. She didn't believe us that it was for a project. Apparently, this isn't the only complaint about her, so possibly she might be fired."

"She's always been a bitch."

"Agreed."

The rest of lunch was set in comfortable silence- the baby didn't even cry at all. The bell had rung a second ago and we had just walked out of the cafeteria when Mercedes looked at me.

"Someone needs to watch Oliver for 6th period."

I met her gaze and nodded, "And Antoni and Connor. Totally forgot about that."

Mercedes closed her eyes for a moment then reopened them, calling out, "Ethan! Can you come here for a sec?"

A boy with blond-ish hair and gray eyes jogged up to us. "Yeah? What's up Mercedes?"

She smiled. "Do you mind keeping an eye on Oliver for me during Woodshop? Please? It's for something I have to do."

"Uh, sure." Ethan nodded, and Mercedes gave him a high five.

"Tell me if anything unusual happens," she said and Ethan nodded again, walking off.

"That's one down," I said. "But what about the others?"

"You'll see," was all that Mercedes said before she walked off to Latin. I hope this wasn't going to be bad.