It was lunch time at my college and for once, I decided not to go home in order to avoid eating. Instead, I stayed in the cafeteria, gladly nibbling on a few strawberries and guzzling down water. I watched from my seat as Cassidy was up at the salad bar, picking out her favourite combination and also occasionally stopping to talk to some girl or guy I'd never met before. Everybody loved Cassidy and I was astonished that she preferred to be friends with me instead of being crowded by a gaggle of other girls. That was why I loved her- because she loved me.
She returned with her colourful mixed salad and slapped the tray down on the table, elegantly straightening her back as she sat opposite me. I drank my water and smiled, and she smiled back. "Hi, Stell."
I swallowed my water and went back to my strawberries. "Hey, Cass."
Through a mouthful of pure, clean lettuce, she pointed her plastic fork at me. "I noticed you've been eating more since the last time I saw you. Were you on a diet or something?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.
I had a small, content and neutral smile on my face. Lately, things were just going my way. I was happy and despite being close 'friends' with Gotham's most wanted murderer, things seemed to be looking up for me. I felt like lady luck was on my side for once.
"No, not really," I lied kindly, the type of lie you'd tell to reassure someone it didn't matter anymore. "Maybe you just didn't catch me eating as much." I shrugged.
She nodded in understanding and swallowed her food, waving her fork about enthusiastically. "Well anyway, you don't need to go on a diet. You're, like, the skinniest person I know," She said, then awkwardly gritted her teeth, looking over to the infamous anorexic girl of our school. She sat at her lonely table, in her skin tight vest and shorts and her greasy brown hair up in a ponytail. She had a sullen, threatening glare, and her plate full of food, which everybody in the cafeteria knew she wasn't going to touch, instead it was all on display, such a waste. "Well... almost. Not as skinny as anorexic Alice." She mocked her nickname, but not cruelly.
Despite her careless comment, I just nodded in agreement. I disagreed with the bashing on eating disorders- and any disorder in general, really- but Alice wasn't actually a very nice person anyway. Still, that gave me no reason to bitch about somebody I barely knew, so I kept my mouth shut.
Cassidy's eyes lit up and she hummed through her full mouth to get my attention. "Hey!" She suddenly gasped, like she'd had an epiphany. "I meant to tell you. Y'know my dad works for Wayne Enterprises? Well, Bruce Wayne's holding a party Saturday night and my parents are taking me. You wanna come?"
I put a skinned strawberry stalk on my paper plate and furrowed my brows. "Well, is it okay for me to?"
She shrugged. "Depends what your mom says. My parents said it's fine, I can invite whoever I want."
I nodded gladly, smiling. "Sure, I don't see why not."
She grabbed my hands and sighed gratefully. "You're the bestest friend in the whole world, you know that?"
I laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I know."
She ate her salad some more. "I suggest you bring one of your books or something. It's probably gonna be really boring," She complained. "Just rich people and pervy old men."
"But you're rich people."
"But I'm not pervy old men." Cass pointed out.
I smirked. "Touché."
A full afternoon and two Starbucks lattes later, I got home and the first thing I was greeted to was a post-it note stuck on the door. I took it off and scanned over it, sighing disappointedly afterwards.
