You Are the Shell to My Tortoise | ✓

16

"I wanted to talk to you about that, but I forgot because of these stupid essays," Melissa said to him. "Her name's Ariel, by the way."

"How did you know that?" Derek asked, frowning at her.

"Jonathan mentioned it in gym class earlier," she said, snickering. "Half the guys we play soccer with are in our literature class. News spreads fast."

"That's not news," Ashley pointed out. "It's just gossip."

Melissa was unfazed. "It's the same thing."

"Okay, her name is Ariel. Now stop cutting into my story," Derek said.

Nodding, Ashley said, "That's right. Raise your hands if you have any questions, guys. Mr. Valentine will make you stand out in the hallway otherwise."

Both Melissa and I chortled at Derek's irritated glare.

"Anyway," he said loudly, "he went to his usual seat by the window, and Ariel followed him. There was someone already sitting at the desk next to his, so she started making a big deal about wanting to sit beside him."

"Oh man," Melissa said, shaking her head. "Poor Carrie. I did a project with her once. She's a nice girl—she didn't deserve this happening to her."

"She actually told Carrie to sit somewhere else," Derek said, snickering. "Obviously, she got turned down."

"I actually thought it was because she wanted to continue sitting next to her friend," Melissa said, deftly nabbing a tater tot off Derek's tray.

"Who would want to give their seat up to someone that entitled?" Ashley wondered.

"Here's the answer—nobody," Melissa said. "At that point I'd turn down money to continue sitting there just out of spite."

"I would've just surrendered and gone to sit in front of the teacher's desk for protection," Derek said. "Her level of delusion scares me. Now quit interrupting me."

"My bad," Melissa said.

He continued, "Carrie insisted she was there first, and then she said she wasn't going to move just because she was told to. Ariel suddenly blew up at her and told her she didn't deserve to sit next to Nolan."

Bursting into a guffaw, Melissa clutched her stomach and groaned. "My sides! Guys, you really should have been there. Wait, wait—let me tell you exactly what she said."

She cleared her throat and composed herself, before speaking in a pitch higher than her usual voice, "You aren't treating this seat with the proper appreciation you should have for it. I'm the one who deserves to sit here!"

Ashley and I stared at her. "Are you serious?"

Derek said, "Right after that, Carrie snapped—"

"I've never heard her shout before," Melissa interjected.

"—and yelled at her that she wanted to sit here, right next to Nolan, and that there was nothing she could do about it."

Mid-laughter, Melissa gasped for breath. "Her friend looked so shocked! I think she didn't mean to blurt it out like that."

"They started arguing with each other, and I bet it would have turned physical if Mrs. Henderson hadn't come in then," he said.

"Tell them the best part," Melissa prompted, nudging him with her elbow.

"I'm getting to it!" He frowned at her. "Right when Mrs. Henderson stepped in, Carrie screamed at Ariel that she liked Nolan before she ever did, and that she was never going to give her seat up to someone like her."