Back at Square One (BEN Drowned)

13

The next day I spent trying my hardest to avoid talking to Weird Chemistry Kid (whose name I'd recently learned was Jason) and enduring the taunts of Charissa-or-something Stevenson in the halls. Apparently, she was the one whose mother had ran into mine at the supermarket the other day. It was especially difficult to let that fact sink in, considering I had no way of telling during the school day exactly what my mom told hers.

All I knew was that now, she had valid grounds to call me things like "little space geek," and "rejected Zelda," all while wearing that million-dollar cheerleader smile of hers. I could take it. All in good fun, right? At least that's how she acted like it was. Well, I did know she was trying to get to me. But like I said earlier; it didn't feel as genuine as it would be if she legitimately hated me.

Some of her quips still stung a little, though.

I walked back from the busted vending machines empty-handed and went to find an available table in the cafeteria. It looked like I'd have to wait until dinner to have a decent meal; my wrinkled one-dollar bills weren't being accepted today, and lunch-line natural selection in my grade was brutal because of approaching midterms. No way in hell was I getting mixed up in that mess.

After a little while of walking around aimlessly, having been indirectly rejected by most of the main tables, I saw that blessed girl Meghan wave me over. Again, she'd probably a topic for another time. Only one other person was sitting at her table, and as uncomfortable as it was, I took a seat next to her. And across from him.

"So you guys know each other," Jason said after a long awkward silence, probably as some attempt to break the ice. I nodded silently. Meghan flew into the topic like nothing would please her more.

"Yeah! Used to hang out all the time in middle school, but then kinda lost track. Still talk, though. How do you two..." her eyes flitted back and forth between us, waiting for someone else to speak up.

"Chemistry class," I answered reluctantly, avoiding eye contact with Jason. While I didn't look at him directly, I did see him shoot Meghan a look. A look that seemed to communicate, If you say anything, I will kill you. Meghan looked confused for a second, then let out a silent "oh!", puffed up her cheeks and nodded.

I didn't really know what to make of that; only that he might've already mentioned me to her, and he didn't want her to say anything stupid in front of me about it. I kind of understood. Either way, I decided it was probably best to ignore it and carry on.

The rest of lunch went surprisingly smoothly, and despite not eating anything I was able to make it through the day. There was just this one little hitch in the halls on the way to Art 2 that stuck with me.

I saw a group of girls almost all wearing the same kind of crop-top hoodie abomination that I would never be allowed to own, chattering away in their own isolated corner like something big was about to take place. Maybe Sephora was dropping some new lipstick, or palette, or some crap today. Maybe they'd heard through the grapevine that someone they knew was recently outed as gay. But when I got closer I knew instantly it was nothing of the sort.

"Oh, my god, right? I mean...it's just so weird! Stalling for time? Putting their head down? Not yelling at you for everything you've been put up to?"

"You know what they say; buy them low and sell 'em high."

"That makes no sense, Sarah."

"Oh. Well, you know what I mean. This means they've got some weak point. I don't know exactly what it is, but something has to have happened to make them act like this."

"Well, then, like, what do we do with that? I just feel weird about it, guys."

"It's fine. You don't have to do anything, anyway. But if you want to be on time for that sale at—"