On the A-List

Charlie

We were sitting at our lunch table: me, Alana, Leo, Maddie and Alexa. A few other girls were there - I recognised Tia. She was batting her eyelids at Leo. Sad. He wasn't bothered though - he was completely oblivious. Leo had his arm flopped over Maddie's shoulder whispering something into her ear. She giggled and he leant down to kiss her. I was glad he was happy - I really was - but I can't say I enjoyed the galant displays of love they gave us every lunch. Lexi didn't like it either. She'd never say it to them but it was obvious she was jealous. We all knew both her and Maddie had had a crush on Leo since year 4. Lucky for Maddie, Leo confessed he liked her too last year and they've been inseparable ever since. Obviously Maddie asked Lexi if she was okay with it first - there's some sort of unwritten code girls have about that - but she would never let Maddie down. It would've been weird if Leo and Lexi were dating - they were a year apart anyway. But I can't talk. Alana was a year younger than me and we were still dating. Weren't we? I wasn't sure. I mean, it made sense. Her best friend was dating my best friend. We'd have to spend time together anyway, even if we weren't together. I pushed my spaghetti around the plate with my fork. It was definitely cold now, if it wasn't when I first got it. Glancing over at Leo and Maddie, I put my hand on Alana's lap. It was the least I could do compared to their constant kissing. They weren't full making out; no, that would break so many of the school's PDA rules. They were whispering to each other and Leo had one hand on her shoulder, the other round her waist. He occasionally dipped down for a kiss, casually sweeping her brown-red hair off her face in one smooth movement. I was never like that with Alana. Our interactions were always rigid, wooden, forced. She was beautiful and I liked her, as a friend. It just felt like there was no spark there. And there wasn't.

We looked around at each other's empty or rejected plates and rose from the table together. I swung my rucksack round my shoulders and picked up Alana's pink satchel for her. The few others at the table gathered our plates and scurried over to the metallic stand where piles of cutlery and leftovers were dumped. I grabbed Alana's hand and we strode out of the cafeteria as a group, feeling everybody's stares and envious looks. I knew for a fact that at least half the girls in his year fancied Leo, and most of the boys liked either Alana or Maddie. Sure, they had the boys at their feet but Alexa was a whole different story. The boys in her class worshipped her! She just couldn't see it. She could have any of the boys if she wanted, but she was so caught up on Leo.

We were all used to it. The staring and jealousy. I can't say any of us fully understood why, but we accepted it. I guess we all presumed it was because of our relationships. Suddenly I felt a sharp tapping on my shoulder. Tia came into view as I turned my head. She was pretty, I guess, but nothing special.

"Charlie, babe, can you tell, um," she pointed her finger toward Maddie, "her that Ms Dante needs to see her?" I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to Alana. It was typical of Tia to try and get Maddie away from Leo. I swept a strand of Alana's hair behind her ear, the way I saw Leo do it to Madeline.

"You're so beautiful, babe. I don't tell you enough," I said in her ear. Her cheeks flushed red and she squeezed my hand. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blonde girl next to Tia, the same shade of red Alana had just blushed. But I could tell this wasn't in delight. Something was wrong, and Tia was the cause.