Early Bird | ✓

07 | crow

He slowly rose from the lunch table like the morning sun in the horizon, his face expressionless.  Utilizing his quick reflexes that he mastered in karate, Mateo snatched Teagan's hat from her head, uncovering her horrid haircut.  Her static hat hair soared through the air in every direction.  Lizzy gasped and covered her mouth in horror.  To her, the whole situation resembled a scary movie.

Teagan sat motionless and everything around her seemed to move in slow motion.  Mateo's jaw had plummeted, realization finally dawning, her hat still gripped in his hand.  "S-Sorry, T," he stuttered, his normally tan face bleaching until it became a cloudlike.  Tension in the room proliferated as kids from the other tables gawked at the scene.  Lizzy's hands were laced together tightly as she prepared herself for Teagan's rage to burst forth like a firework.

From Teagan's mouth emitted no words.  Yet.  She simply held the palm of her hand toward Mateo, her fingers curled and yearning for her hat.  Mateo's hand that held it inched forward until the fabric gently grazed Teagan's olive skin.  Her fingers leisurely clutched the cloth, her eyes revealing no emotion whatsoever.  Lizzy held her breath as she scrutinized the interaction, unsure of what would happen next.

Teagan pulled Mateo close to her by jerking her hat toward her with his hand still connected to it as he was never given the opportunity to let go.  Mateo vacillated on what to do and he settled on continuing to hold on for dear life.  Their faces were mere centimeters away from each other, one frightened out of his wits and the other a calm livid that was about to snap like a stick.  Teagan's lips came to rest on his ear.  "Next time," she whispered, wrath ingrained in her tone, "stay out of my fucking business and leave me alone.  Next time, don't be an ass.  We'll talk about this later."  Teagan then shoved Mateo away from her presence, propelling him backward along with her hat, which was still gripped in his hand.  The powerful momentum meant that he couldn't stop himself from tripping over the lunch bench and slamming his head onto the white-tiled floor.  The principal sent him to the doctor and Mateo was diagnosed with a mild concussion.

Lizzy really, really, really didn't want a repeat of that situation again.

Unfortunately for Lizzy, lunchtime arrived faster than a cheetah.  Overwhelming suspense and anxiety conquered her as she stood in the lunch line, robotically speaking with the kind lunch ladies who gave her concerned looks.  Once her tray was crammed with her favorites, she strode into the cafeteria where many teenagers were milling about, shouting in loud voices and laughing wildly with their friends.  Lizzy appeared to be the oddball, the only one with a grimace on her face and worry in her eyes.

Lizzy wandered over to her usual table, meandering on the long route while avoiding collisions with careless, rowdy students.  She finally turned the corner and began advancing toward Mateo who was already seated in their habitual spot.  He seemed a little lonely, sitting there all by himself.  He searched about for his two best friends, scanning the cafeteria multiple times but they were nowhere to be found.

Lizzy poked him on the shoulder before sitting beside him.  Mateo instantaneously smiled in relief, his once stiff and tense shoulders relaxing.  "I'm so glad you're here.  I thought you and T were going to ditch me today."

Lizzy plastered a faux grin, praying that it veiled her all of the feelings that were roaring through her system.  "You know we wouldn't ditch you."

Mateo's smile vanished as quickly as it had come.  "Then, where is T?"

"I don't know."

Mateo sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hands tiredly.  "You heard about our fight?"

She nodded albeit a little uncomfortably.  She absolutely abhorred it when her two best friends in the whole world fought.

Mateo glanced sideways at her.  "Is she still mad at me?"

Lizzy wasn't sure if she should holler aloud or laugh hysterically or sob dramatically.  Mateo could be wholly unobservant sometimes.

He must've noticed the 'duh' expression on her face.  His lips quirked upward into a slight smirk.  "I'm just an idiot, huh?"

She just patted his shoulder and turned to her lunch.  No words needed to be spoken to confirm his question.  Lizzy knew it as well as himself, a mutual understanding streaming between them.  Mateo groaned, frustrated, his eyes rifling longingly through the writhing mass of eating and talking students.  When they landed on Paisley, it reaffirmed what Lizzy was already well aware of—this boy was as blind as a bat.

Teagan never did join them for lunch that day.

❁
A/N:
Surprise update because I really love this story and I want you guys to read it. Fun fact: I have about 20 more chapters of this story already written, I just haven't posted them lol. As long as I stay on top of editing and writing, I should have enough content to update at least once a week. No Mario in this chapter but I need to intensify the drama with Teagan and Mateo ;) If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote and comment!

- Payton