The cafeteria roared with voices, overlaid with the sound of trays hitting tables. Carter rested her elbows against the empty table, amusing herself with the ongoings of her fellow students. An untouched sandwich sat before her. Footsteps sounded nearby before a tray was placed beside her and Link and Donovan sat down. Carter looked at them.
"You're sitting with me," she said.
"Is that a problem?" Link asked.
She shrugged.
"Nope. Most people just avoid it. The reasons are probably obvious."
"You're not in the same social standings as everyone else," Donovan said.
Carter tried to read his expression, but she would have had more success with a blank sheet of paper.
"That's one reason," she said.
"Then it must be the fact that you're observant, smart and have no problem voicing your thoughts," Link said.
She gave him a lopsided smile.
"Most people usually say smart aleck, or a more negative equivalent to that. But yeah, basically."
Carter's gaze dropped to Link's tray.
"I'll trade you my sandwich for your chicken fingers," she said.
Link shrugged and made the trade.
"Did you stop by a deli before school or something?" Link asked, eyeing the sub.
"There's a place a block down from my house. The owner has kind of adopted me, so she gives me sandwiches."
A girl with black ringlets sauntered over to their table and took a seat by Donovan.
"You're Donovan, right?" She showed off her perfect teeth. "We had AP Lit together this morning. You're new here. I'm Gabby. If you need a tour, I'm always free."
Carter grimaced. A muscular boy across the way scowled and she caught the look. She leaned forward.
"Look, Girl Number 11, do you mind flirting with Donovan, blatantly trying to make you ex-boyfriend jealous, some other time? Some of us are trying to eat here."
Gabby's gaze snapped to Carter and her eyes flickered with annoyance.
"I'm not -"
Carter cut her off by pointing to the angry male on the other side of the room. "You are and it's working. Travis is clearly going to ask you to take him back. Do you really want to risk that relationship for a this guy? Who has already been approached by ten other girls? I'd say the odds are against."
Gabby perked up.
"Travis wants me back?"
"Yes, though the reasons why are beyond even my intelligence," Carter said.
Gabby glared and left, walking over to a muscular boy. A second later they were kissing and Carter gagged.
"How did you know?" Link asked.
"In the thirty second interaction she had with Donovan, Travis looked over here fourteen times, staring daggers at him." Carter shrugged. "But I wouldn't worry about Travis, he's the kind of person who erases his test answers three times before going back to the original. I don't think murder is his thing. Most likely he would show up at your house with a gun, start crying as he pointed it at you and then shoot himself."
Link burst into laughter.
"Wait, you know how many girls have approached Donovan today?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"You've been watching?"
"Sure, like you watch a wildlife documentary, where the lion is about to kill the gazelle," Carter said.
"So I'm the lion?" Donovan said.
Carter gave him a patronizing smile.
"Oh, I never said that," she said.
She bit into a chicken finger, studying Donovan and Link. Groups of girls passed by their table, some tossing out smiles in Donovan's directions, others swinging their hips with more effort. Carter watched as Donovan noticed the girls but had no reaction to it. Her attention eventually shifted to Link.
"Are you going to tell me why you wear fake glasses or should I ignore this fact?" she asked.
Donovan's hand paused for half a heart beat and Link coughed on his sandwich, his eyes watering slightly. Carter handed him a water bottle and he accepted it grateful.
"How do you know my glasses are fake?" Link asked.
"I'm going to pretend like you didn't just call me stupid and repeat the question. Why the fake glasses?"
Link's eyes flicked to Donovan.
"You really have no boundaries, do you?" Donovan asked.
"Boundaries are for those who aren't smart enough to see their way through them. Now?"
Link shrugged, though he struggled to make the action casual.
"I feel comfortable in them," Link said.
"Right, ignoring the fake glasses fact," Carter said.
"I'm starting to understand a little more the reason for the empty table," Link said, grinning.
"No one asked you to sit down here. I sure didn't."
"Why leave when you are about the most entertaining person I've met all day?" Link said.
Carter gave him a mock bow.
"My only aim in life is to please."
Link snorted. A group of students walked past, wealth spilling out of every pore. Link's hands formed half fists. The first son was among the group.
"It appears I'm not the only one who's not a fan of Mason Douglas, first son, future savior of America," Carter said.
Link started at Carter's words.
"What would make you say that?" Link asked.
"Seriously?" she said. "Do I have a stupid sign on my forehead or something? I'm not blind. Anyone with half a brain and barely working retina could tell. You two have beef or something?"
The group took a neighboring table, their voices doubling the volume of the cafeteria. Mason's gaze landed on their table. His jaw flexed in response and he turned away.
"Apparently you do have beef. What is it?"
Link focused on the table, playing with part of his sandwich.
"Do you ever get tired of being smart?" Donovan asked, before Link could respond.
"Always," Carter said.
Link looked up and smiled.
"It was just a question, Link," she said. "Answer. Don't answer. It's your choice. Punch me in the face if you want. Although I wouldn't advise that last one, I'd lay you out flat before you knew what happened."
Donovan's lips twitched. Link shrugged, glancing at Mason's table for a split second.
"We've met a couple times. They were never good interactions. That's all," Link said, his voice controlled though there was tension beneath.
She studied his face for a long second, then picked up another chicken finger.
"Alright" she said. "You wouldn't be the first to have a bad run in with Mason. Heck, if he wasn't the first son I would have murdered him ages ago."
The stiffness in Link's shoulders relaxed and he chuckled.
******************
Carter disembarked the bus, stepping into a quiet neighborhood. A spring breeze wandered by her pulling in its wake clusters of dead leaves that scratched against the sidewalk and tumbled into each other. She walked the short distance to the deli that sat tucked away between looming apartment buildings.
Light poured from the front windows, giving off a welcoming glow. The bell over the door dinged and warmth encased Carter as she stepped inside. The smell of toasted bread, meat, and cheese wafted through the air. The low murmurings of customers floated from crowded tables. A woman in her late thirties with shoulder length light brown hair, soft, round, tan features and motherly cinnamon eyes, stood behind the counter.
"Hey girly," the woman said.
"You do that because it annoys me, don't you?" Carter said.
Maggie gave her a generous smile.
"Of course. Ethan, man the register for me," Maggie called back.
She grabbed two cookies from a display case and rounded the counter. She handed one to Carter and moved to an empty booth, sliding in.
"How was school?" Maggie said.
Carter took the spot opposite her, taking a bite of the cookie. She shrugged, glancing over the deli's occupants.
"Fine," she said. "We got a new group of students in today. Apparently their school had a mold problem."
"What do you think of them?"
"Five are politicians' kids. One has parents going through a pretty bad divorce. One has a secret drinking problem and another has a vision problem that hasn't been dealt with. And another one is the kid of a news reporter."
"Look at you making friends," Maggie said, playfully slapping Carter's arm.
"What? No. I've only met two of the transfers. The other people I just noticed in passing or had a class with them."
"I see. Did you talk to any of them?"
"Two of them. Although I'm struggling to figure out what their deal is."
"Not everyone has to have a deal, Carter."
"They don't have to but everyone does."
Maggie gave her a long appraising look.
"Were you at least nice when you met them?" Maggie asked.
Carter finished off the cookie, wiping crumbs from her fingers.
"When have you ever known me not to be nice?"
Maggie gave her a flat look and Carter smirked.
"They walked with me to class and then sat with me at lunch, so that means either of two things. One, they have seen past my rough exterior to the warm hearted young lady that I am." Maggie snorted and Carter threw her a glare. "Or two, they are both insane and found my observant mumblings intelligible."
Maggie leaned forward, her eyes alight with intrigue.
"They sat with you, huh? What are they like?" she asked.
"Link is smart, but uncertain of himself. He has a tendency to hide behind other's. His best friend is attractive and draws everyones attention but it doesn't bother him. He seems to be comfortable with being constantly passed over and missed."
Carter frowned as her gaze trailed off.
"Donovan is a complex puzzle. He has gotten no end of attention. Although he seems to dislike it, he doesn't make any effort to discourage it. He seems to use it almost as a shield to mask something else, though I have yet to figure that out. He's unreadable to an extent I could believe he was an assassin. No normal person has that much control over their emotions and facial expressions..."
Maggie placed a hand on top of Carter's.
"Hun, was there anything you liked about these new students?" she asked.
Carter looked at her puzzled.
"Of course."
Maggie laughed, the sound bright and open. The bell rang and a stream customers poured in, discarding coats and pulling off hats.
"It looks like I'll be needed. Is Steve joining you here or will you take sandwiches home?"
"Captain said he was working late so I'll just take them home," Carter said.
"Alright, come to the counter and I'll get them ready," Maggie said, sliding out of the booth.
Carter followed her and leaned on the edge of the counter, arms crossed as she studied the other customers, her brain spitting out observation. A few minutes later, a finger prodded her back and Carter turned.
"Here you are hun," Maggie said.
Carter smiled and accepted the wrapped sandwiches.
"Tell Steve to be safe and make sure he comes home in one piece," Maggie said.
Carter's stomach flipped as she nodded, giving Maggie a tight smile. Sandwiches tucked under her arm, she stepped from the confines of the deli into the crisp air. Cars flashed by, headlights bouncing off the dark road, as street lights began to blink on. In the distance the last ray of the sun peeked out behind tall houses.
Carter glanced to her left before trotting across the street and down a wide alley. Tall wooden fences lined the road, obscuring backyards. The metal stairs rang out as she jogged up them and stopped before a white front door. She slid the key in and shouldered the door open, revealing a worn family room that lead to a small dining room, with a table scattered with papers and a kitchen that held scores from the gun range on the fridge. The keys clicked in the ceramic bowl as she tossed them in and kicked the door shut.
*****************
A low lamp flooded the apartment with warm, yellow light. Textbooks and notebooks were strewn about Carter. She sat with her feet tucked up on the couch, a computer on her lap. The small apartment lay quiet around her until footsteps resounded on the metal staircase outside. Carter scrambled for a pencil as the lock clicked. She sent the pencil flying as the door swung open.
"Heads up!" she yelled.
Her father snatched the pencil from the air, frowning at her.
"Is that anyway to greet your father?" he asked.
Carter tossed aside her computer and shrugged.
"Don't worry, I calculated it so the eraser would have hit you. It would have startled any attacker just enough for me to take them down."
Her father kicked the door shut and slipped out of his coat.
"Why throw it at all?" he asked.
"You're wearing different shoes than this morning. It made your tread sound different."
"There was an incident with the pond. It could have been Maggie," he said.
He swept aside papers and joined her on the couch.
"No, she wears sneakers and doesn't have your whisper tread," Carter said.
"Whose daughter are you?"
"Your's, I have the blood work to prove it."
Her father laughed, the sound pushing away the lonely feeling of the apartment.
"How was work?" Carter asked.
Her father stood, heading towards the small kitchen.
"Fine."
"What happened with the pond?"
"It's classified. How was school?"
"It's classified," she answered.
He father looked at her over the refrigerator door. Carter gave him a wide toothy grin. His head disappeared and he returned with the sandwiches Maggie had given her. He handed her one and sat back on the couch. She pulled away the plastic and took a bite. After moments of comfortable silence, she shifted. Her father's gaze fell to her and one eyebrow raised.
"Are you planning to ask Maggie out? Because I am totally cool with it," she said.
"Sarge."
"I think she has already adopted me in her mind," Carter said.
Her father rubbed his forehead.
"Sarge, I don't know."
"It's been 4 years, since..." Carter scowled and her fingers clenched, then the feeling passed. "I just don't want you dying a lonely old man."
"I won't. I have you. You are all I need. My world is complete," her father said.
Carter snorted and balled up the plastic wrapper, tossing it at him. He caught it.
"I'm running away with my Marine boyfriend remember," she said.
"Still not funny. You'll date a Navy Seal or no guy at all. I want you with someone that can protect you."
Carter saluted with a mocking expression.
"Yes, Captain, as you say."
Her father stood, collecting the trash.
"Finish your homework and we'll do a quick gun assembling quiz afterwards. I have to go pack for tomorrow," he said.
Carter frowned, pulling her computer back onto her lap. Her father glanced at her from the kitchen.
"It's only four days, Sarge," he said.
She gave a stiff nod.
"I know."
**********************************************************************
Poodle doodle! (Okay, yup totally failed again.)
So....what did you think?! Not about the chapter silly, about....okay fine tell me what you thought of the chapter, I know you're dying to.
Gosh now that we've moved on from that let's talk about guys! Okay favorite male actor of all time?
Dylan O'Brien! Ha! Called it faster than you! 😉 (Though we all know mine is really Grant Gustin)
Vote, comment, follow! Gosh I wish there was a more amusing way to say that. I'll work on it. 😉