b e a
Even though Hanover High School was quite ghetto and not all that interesting, we had a few things we could take pride in. One, we had a great sports program. I wouldn't know, I'm not an athlete. But based on how many games we won and how many trophies decked the halls, I would say we had something to brag about. Two, our dress code is quite relaxed. I guess that's what happens when most of the school board is run by thirty-year-old women. And three, our cafeteria didn't suck.
The only reason why Cara and I rarely eat there is because it's always overrun by the sophomores. It's like their designated hangout spot. The freshmen take the bleachers, the sophomores have the cafeteria, the juniors have the common hall and the seniors are allowed to leave campus. But besides the population of fifteen-year-olds that occupy the cafeteria, it's not bad. It's always clean, the food is actually appetizing. And there's a bread bar.
Cara and I sat down at the end of the cafeteria. It was one of those days we weren't craving fast food. Besides, they were serving lasagna and we couldn't miss it.
"They better not be paying those lunch ladies minimum wage because damn!" Cara said as she dug her fork into her lunch. "Lord, we thank you for this food. Amen. See Bea? I can be spiritual."
"Sure." I answered and blew on a piece of lasagna on my fork. It smelled amazing. And the breadsticks that it came with were the top tier Olive Garden kind. They put drugs in those breadsticks, I'm telling you.
As we were eating, an uninvited guest showed up and took a seat next to me. Cara and I looked over to see who it was. I nearly choked on my food when Andy nodded at me. Across from us, Cara dropped her fork and raised her eyebrows at him. Her happiness and excitement over the food vanished as quick as half of the world did when Thanos snapped his fingers.
Andy looked over and grinned at Cara. "I thought you said you had no reason to go to the game last week."
Cara shot me a glance. I remained silent and waited for a reply from her. She looked betrayed and sighed. "I didn't have a reason."
"But you were there. I saw you in the bleachers. Don't deny it."
"I wasn't going to de—"
"I saw your eyes brighten when we won."
Cara looked livid. She clenched her jaw and rolled her eyes. I pressed my lips together and slowly reached over to take the plastic knife off her tray. Her piercing gaze switched from Andy to me. I squeaked and pulled my hand back. Andy started to laugh. We both frowned at him.
"Sorry." He chuckled and used his fork to cut through his lasagna. "Don't be so angry, Pearson. I'm just messing with you. Bianca, you were there too. Weren't you sick that day?"
I nodded. "Yeah, but I was feeling better by the end of the day."
"Are you just here to pester us, Mason?" Cara asked Andy, her hand dangerously close to that plastic knife.
Andy remained surprisingly calm. He even looked like he was enjoying this interaction. Like Steve Irwin holding a crocodile. "Are you pestered? Oh, I'm sorry. How do I pacify your wrath, oh merciless goddess? Human sacrifices?"
"Yeah. You can offer yourself up." Cara replied without missing a beat.
"Then I'm all yours." He leaned forward and smirked. Cara, in response, gave him an unamused look. She picked the plastic knife up and smacked his head with the handle. Andy laughed some more.
I sat through their banter, confused. Since when did they get on talking terms? It was common knowledge that half of the football team made bets on Cara, none of them coming remotely close to even talking to her. I had heard that Andy dipped out on the bet because Cara wasn't going to be able to give him immediate satisfaction. I guessed he did it to maintain his pride and record. He had kissed her in fifth grade and that was enough for him.
As for Cara, ever since middle school, she hated Andy and wanted nothing to do with him. When I talked about him, she would sigh like the world was ending. She even went out of her way to avoid bumping into him in the hallways. Ok, she does that to everyone.
Them casually sassing each other back and forth was new to me. I wasn't used to it, and it sprouted new theories and doubts in my mind.
"Is Bea your nickname?" Andy took his attention off Cara to talk to me. I looked at him with wide eyes and nodded. He smiled and I nearly melted at the sight of it. "It's cute. Pearson's the only one who calls you that around here."
"Well, all my friends and family do." I answered. By friends and family, I meant Cara, her parents, mom and my step sisters. It wasn't a long list.
"Can I call you Bea?" Andy asked.
"Of course!" I cried out way too enthusiastically. Cara smiled to herself and ate some lasagna. I kicked her leg from under the table. She winced, but didn't make it obvious. I made a mental note to apologize later.
Cara's phone began vibrating on the table. She picked it up and read the flood of messages she had just received. Judging by her expression, it was something she had to unwillingly deal with. Cara shoved the last of her lasagna into her mouth and picked her bag up. As she swallowed, she waved her hand at me.
"I have Stu-Co stuff to do. See you later!" She called out as she took off, leaving me alone with Andy. I didn't know whether to be nervous or excited.
"She's such a character." Andy said to himself as he watched Cara leave. "I bet you have tons of fun being her friend."
"Do you mean that in a sarcastic way?" I asked. "Well, yeah. I enjoy being her friend. She's just way too honest, but that's what's great about her. She's very dependable."
"And great at repelling creeps." Andy joked, but it wasn't much of a joke since it was true. There were two reasons why I had never had a boyfriend. The first was because I was too in love with Andy. The second was because my best friend scared them all away.
I sighed, worried about her future. "She's never going to get a boyfriend if she keeps this up."
"She'll find someone." Andy rested his elbow on the table. We looked at each other without bothering to turn away. "Love can change people. Look what it did to me."
"Hmm." I wanted to laugh at the irony of it all. It wasn't love that prompted me to change. Rejection was. Not feeling good enough, hating the person I was, all of that was like a slap across the face. Because of that, I became desperate to reinvent myself.
Rejection...
I slapped my hand on the table in realization. Andy looked puzzled as I stared at him with wide eyes. "That girl you mentioned last week. You got rejected, didn't you?"
Andy looked like he had been struck by an arrow. He leaned back and looked at me with parted lips. I had hit it spot on. It made me feel bad. Andy's gaze shifted here and there and he laughed. "Wow. I don't know where that came from, but I'm guessing it's pretty obvious."
Oh shit.
"How'd you figure it out?" Andy asked me.
"I've...been there." I replied and set my hands down at the edge of the table. "Anyway, this girl. Would it be shameless of me to ask who she was?"
"Ah." Andy sighed. He didn't look sad or hurt. He just looked empty and tired. Like he just wanted to escape his feelings. "You probably don't know her. She graduated before we got to high school. She was my brother's girlfriend."
Fuck.
~~~
I went to a private boarding school during my more memorable years of high school and they served vegetarian meals 3 times a day. It wasn't the best, but for vegetarian food, it wasn't bad. I wouldn't know the difference anyway, I was raised with a plant-based diet.
But during grade school, I went to this private school in Asia and the lunches served were all really fucking good. Like the kitchen was open for everyone to watch how the food was made and they were cooking all the damn time. It was gourmet.
v o t e a n d f o l l o w f o r u p d a t e s :)
~ Sharmi