Chapter 3. Love at first fright.
Like always the three of them walked to school. It was a short walk, about .5miles. Between that walk was Elizabeth's house. She lived in a gray tinted bubble like dome house. It had three different branches that were up in the sky, held by thin tubes connecting the other bubbles to the main dome. There Joey and Todd met up with Elizabeth and walked the rest of the way to their school.
"Hey boys! I just made muffins! Would you like some?!" Elizabeth's mom beamed.
They boys walked in without hesitation and took off their air masks. Once off the sweat smell of freshly baked - artificially grown -> blueberry muffins filled there nostrils. Each of them grabbing an almost foot ball sized muffin began munching down on it. Until they heard the thumping of footsteps rushing down the stairs,
"OKAY I'm ready!" Elizabeth squeaked.
Both boys watched in awe as she grabbed a muffin and took a bite, she dressed differently today. Instead of skinny jeans, she wore jean short shorts, instead of a band T she wore a black tube top that had a heart on it and instead of high tops she wore black and white striped flip flops.
"Let's go, thanks mom the muffin are great!" She said slipping into her full body suit and placing her breathing tank on her back with its long snaky tube going into her face mask so she could breath.
"C'mon before were late!" she rushed out the door the boys following like sheep.
"DAMM!" Todd whispered to Joey behind Elizabeth's back.
"Did you know she looked like that!?" Joey said still mesmerized.
"Naw hommie, I can't believe she's been hiding that from us bro!" Todd said slanging his words.
They both laughed and continued walking. Once inside their school Elizabeth and the boys took off their body suits and yet again, Todd and Joey were speechless. They trailed Elizabeth to their first period class. Only stopping when she did. They all sat in their usual spots. Todd sat quietly texting people on his cell, Elizabeth sat chewing bubble gum-which she had gotten from a friend in her class- occasionally popping a bubble and blushing slightly when the teacher said enough. Joey sat...Looking at Elizabeth still under her spell. When she looked over towards him he would look the other way. Elizabeth started the note.
---Note To Joey---
Hey
Hi.
Wuddup?
Nothing how are you?
I'm great!
That's good.
Something has been bugging me.
What's that?
Who do you like?
Why?
I don't know, I just wanna know.
Well... I don't like anyone.
-----------------------------------
She stopped the note there. Raised her hand and asked to go to the washroom. When she returned five minutes later, she asked to call home, she also looked different. Her makeup was smudged and her eyes were slightly blood shot. The teacher said no, you look fine. Instead of protesting, knowing her voice would crack and she'd let out a tear. She sat quietly with her head down.
"What's wrong?" Joey whispered.
"Nothing." She whispered back.
"Liar. Tell me."
"Why do you care?" She spat at him with acid in her voice.
"I just do now tell me."
"At lunch."
"No now."
"NO! Lunch."
"how do I know you'll be there?"
"You don't. Now shut up and leave me alone."
"Okay. Sorry."
For the rest of the class she sat in silence, with her head down still. Joey sat facing the bored and only glanced at her every 5 minutes checking if she was still there, or if she had changed her mind- to tell him later.
Period one went by slowly. Then it was period too and three, they went by equally as slow for Joey. When the lunch bell rang, Joey ran out of his class, and sprinted to Elizabeth's locker. When she got there, there he was waiting.
"Todd text me. He's not eating lunch with us at the café today." She said trying to start a conversation.
"Okay, let's get going." Joey said eagerly.
They walked in silence, her head still down, refusing to look him in the eyes. Joey tried grabbing her hand but she just put them in her pockets. At the café Elizabeth ordered hot co-co and Joey ordered a ham wrap.
"That's all you're having?" Joey said looking at her small cup of steaming co-co.
"I'm not hungry." She said stirring her drink.
There was a long pause. Then,
"Okay what's wrong, why where you acting weird in math?"
"Do you really not like anyone?"
"Well..Ya I do, that has nothing to do with his, what's wrong?"
"That's has everything to do with this."
"How?" Joey said confused.
"*sigh* Joey. Have you ever liked someone that you can't tell?"
"Yes."
"That's what's wrong." She said in complete honestly.
"Oh My God! You like Todd!" He said getting to ahead of himself.
"NO! YOU IDIOT! I DON'T! OKAY!"
"Then who?"
"You won't tell me." She said making a sour look on her face.
"*sigh* Want the truth. I like you. I have for a while now."
She was dumb struck.
"Is this some kind of sick joke? Did Todd put you up for this!?"
"NO! NO Heavens no...I really do like you."
She looked up for the first time, she looked right into his eyes searching for even the hint of a fib, but came out with nothing. Before she had time to think, he leaned across the table and kissed her. They kissed breathlessly for minutes, until from behind them,
"*cough cough*" It was Todd. "I'm sorry but am I interrupting something?"
The kiss was broken off, and Elizabeth blushed her usual smoldering blaze.
"No we were just talking." Joey said in a very confident voice.
Elizabeth giggled and then Todd sat down.
"I see. OK well if you two don't mind, I'm eating here now." Todd said sitting between the two of them.
Todd sipped on Elizabeth's hot co-co for she was no longer interested in that. She was focused on Joey.
