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Lizzy | Mario
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THE next day, Lizzy had returned into the swing of things, nestled back in the groove of routine, and she was already praying for another illness to afflict her. Yesterday was much easier—lying around all day, sleeping whenever she pleased, warm pajamas adorning her body. Now, a bucket load of homework that she missed yesterday weighed itself down on her shoulders both literally and figuratively as Lizzy was about to collapse under the burden of her backpack.
"Watch out!" someone exclaimed when she accidentally barged into him because of the bulk on her back and the exhaustion in her mind. Lizzy almost tipped over but luckily the person assisted in steadying her. Lizzy's tired eyes finally adjusted and realized that she had plowed into Reece, her fellow peer, coworker, and friend.
"Oh, hey Reece. Sorry about that," Lizzy apologized, adjusting the mass on her shoulders. She altered the balance of weight too far forward and almost tumbled headfirst into Reece but he helped her stay fixed with two stable feet on the ground. "Thanks," she told him, her hand finger-combing her curly hair nervously.
"No problem. I'd never let you fall to the floor." Reece drove his glasses further up on his nose, a blush creeping onto his cheeks. Lizzy was just about to turn around and head to her next class when he blurted, "I never see you around in school. Do you want to—I don't know—sit next to each other at lunch or something sometime?" Lizzy whirled around like an awkward ballerina, her backpack causing her to lean too far to the right. Again, Reece aided her until she found her balance.
"You want to have lunch with me?" Lizzy asked dubiously. It wasn't that she didn't like Reece; in fact, she considered him one of her good friends. It struck her odd, however, that he desired to hang out with her especially since he shared in the smarter, richer side of the school's social hierarchy. He and Lizzy belonged to two vastly different groups with only their jobs at Once and Floral linking them together.
"Uh, yeah. But only if you want to." Reece rubbed his neck sheepishly, his skin blotchy and rouge.
"Sure, why not?" Lizzy was in the mood to defy the social structure of her high school. Besides, Reece could possibly be the perfect buffer for Mateo and Teagan's eventual outburst, delaying that fight and maintaining peace for a little while longer. Reece's eyesight finally met hers (he usually avoided her gaze whenever they conversed together) and such an intense delight radiated from it that Lizzy had to take a small step backward. She didn't know that simply accepting his offer for them to enjoy lunch together would create such a reaction from him. His exhilaration was so infectious that Lizzy couldn't help but grin as well.
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The homework continued to pile on, a perpetual stack of assignments and papers wadded inside of her backpack. For a while, the clock's hands were ticking by so slowly that Lizzy wondered if lunchtime would ever arrive. Sure enough, it did and Lizzy was grateful to shove her Nike backpack into her locker and forget about her homework even if it was for only a half an hour.
Lizzy recognized Reece, a sore thumb standing awkwardly in the middle of the lunchroom, a tray in his hands, the only student unsure of where he was supposed to be. When he spotted Lizzy, relief clouded over his features and Lizzy pointed to the open rectangular table at the far end of the room, away from the obnoxious jocks in leatherman jackets and the strange, sketchy group of students that were constantly up to no good.
She joined Reece, throwing her purple lunch sack onto the table and sitting across from him. "Mateo and Teagan usually sit by me, just to warn you," Lizzy notified him before revealing her microwaveable pizza rolls and sliced apples that she would dip in caramel.
Reece was already devouring his chicken patty sandwich and baby carrots. He swallowed before speaking: "Mateo is in my physics class but I don't think I've ever met Teagan before."
Lizzy resisted the urge to chuckle knowingly. If Reece didn't know Teagan, he was in for a real treat. "She's...an interesting human."
Reece didn't appear to be listening. His attention was averted somewhere else, his glasses slipping forward from their typical perched spot. Lizzy searched to see what was holding his attention. Then, she witnessed it too and her heart lapsed deep into her chest until it was difficult for her to breathe. Reece voiced the display they both were currently scrutinizing as though they were in a museum: "I thought you said Mateo usually sits by you?"
Mateo was sitting at the popular kids' table, plopped right next to Paisley. He was laughing at some joke one of the admired boys, Wyatt, must've told. Lizzy's voice was lodged in her throat and she was unable to articulate her thoughts on the matter. Anger surged through her like a tidal wave, enraged at Mateo who had decided to abandon her and Teagan. Every year since she could remember, she, Teagan, and Mateo had sat next to one another. All it took was one day and he had thrown all of those years, their joyous childhood, out the window like a piece of garbage. Lizzy and Teagan clearly weren't good enough for him anymore with Paisley around.
As Lizzy and Reece were gawking at Mateo and his betrayal, Teagan sauntered up to their table, throwing her lunch on the surface. "What'd I miss?" she asked chirpily, clearly unaware of Mateo's new lunch location. When all she received was silence in response, Teagan examined the cafeteria in the same direction of Lizzy and Reece. "What're you—" she paused midsentence, her concentration coming in contact with Mateo and Paisley like a punch in the stomach. Without a word, Teagan collected her lunch and bolted from the lunchroom, sprinting like a flash of lightning.
Lizzy and Reece finally unglued their stare, similar to Lizzy's raggedy doll whose eyes eventually became unhinged from constant use. They exchanged worried expressions, wondering to where Teagan had absconded. "I should probably go find her." Lizzy stood awkwardly, feeling awful that she had to leave Reece.
Reece quickly grabbed Lizzy by the edge of her striped sweatshirt, bewilderment still lingering in his expression. "What was that about? Like I get that he's your friend and all and that it must suck having him sit at another table but she just...stormed away like it hurt her more than you." Lizzy hesitated, unsure of how much information she was allowed to relay to Reece. His gaze obviated from hers and he returned to his lunch after Lizzy became dilatory for a few minutes and stayed silent like a hush that falls over a crowd when an important person is about to speak.
"Let's just say that Teagan doesn't care about a lot of people but the few that do, like Mateo, reign over her heart like a king who isn't conscious of his subjects' thoughts and feelings," Lizzy described for Reece who gave her a knowing look and waved her off to search for Teagan.
Lizzy hurried in the direction that she remembered Teagan had headed, swirling about the various corridors of the labyrinth of their high school. She investigated every classroom, a rapid peek before moving on, checked every shadowy corner and janitor's closet, and rifled through every room, nook, and cranny as though she was at home looking through her dresser's drawers for an outfit for the day. Lizzy gasped, breathless, her face flushed with sweat dripping down her forehead like a melted ice cream cone. She finally reached the final bathroom of their high school. It was her last resort—if Teagan wasn't inside, Lizzy wasn't sure where she'd inspect next.
Luckily, Lizzy heard someone sniveling inside, muffled by the almost soundproof walls. She pressed open the swinging bathroom door before cautiously entering, having no clue of what awaited her on the other side. Sure enough, Teagan was crouched on the tiled floor, her knees to her chest, her face streaked with mascara-stained tears. Her murky-colored hair seemed as though it had been struck with lightning, frizzy and pointing in all directions.
"Teagan?" Lizzy asked carefully, treading the warzone with soft steps in case there were any bombs still lying around.
Teagan's head slowly rose from where it was cradled in her hands, her miserable eyes meeting Lizzy's pitiful ones. "Yeah?"
Lizzy joined her friend, sliding down on the wall before plopping by her side. They both stared at the dingy bathroom with paper towels scattered about and the stall doors wide open and empty. Teagan leaned her heavy head on Lizzy's shoulder while Lizzy placed a loving and supportive hand on her knee. "You know that mystery novel I'm working on that's all about death and violence?" Teagan inquired, her voice cracking like an egg.
Lizzy nodded, patting her friend on the knee. No words skidded through her lips; for now, the best thing Lizzy could do was just exist and be there for Teagan, making sure she wasn't alone in her heartache. "I've been kind of stuck in a slump for a while and I think I've finally got the solution," Teagan continued.
"And what's that?"
"What I needed was another victim for my main character to murder. And I think modeling a character after Mateo will do just fine. What do you think?"
Lizzy laughed. "That's a great plan. Ten out of ten recommend. Perfect way to let out all your anger and frustration." Mario's advice flickered like a dying light gaining fuel in the back of her mind. "Speaking of letting it out and letting go, are there any parties this weekend that we could attend? I need to let loose, dude, and so do you."
Teagan shrugged and sniffled, her tears evaporating from her skin with no more hydrating it. "Rumors have been going around that Paisley's having one but there is no fucking way that I'm going to that shit fest. Never in a million years."
"Oh, come on, it would be fun," Lizzy protested.
Teagan raised her head from Lizzy's shoulder and stared at her best friend in disbelief. "Are you freaking kidding me right now? I can't believe that you're trying to convince me to go to my sworn enemy's house where I might encounter my other sworn enemy and then I would have to duel, which would result in deaths that would not be my own."
Lizzy rummaged through her brain for any ideas or valid arguments that could persuade Teagan to go. A couple lightbulbs sparked and Lizzy proposed two more plans: "What if we pranked them? Or what if you make Mateo jealous by slaying and having all the guys drool for you?" Lizzy quirked an eyebrow expectantly.
Teagan didn't automatically decline, much to Lizzy's delight. Teagan seemed to actually be considering the possibilities. "Okay, I'm in," she agreed eventually, wiping away the tears that dawdled on her face.
Lizzy squealed obnoxiously like a pig and embraced Teagan who cringed away as soon as Lizzy's arms linked around her. "I won't be in if you act like this," Teagan warned. Lizzy heeded the warning but nothing could erase the smile that was inscribed with pen on her face.
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Lizzy's excitement for the party and the likelihood of Teagan finally moving on from Mateo couldn't be tamed. Already, she was scouring through her closet and drawers for a cute outfit that she could wear. Her room was a mess as though a tornado had dashed through it, a rainbow array of clothes covering every inch of floor space. Lizzy's phone buzzed on her whitewashed desk where her lavender journal sat with a collection of sparkly gel pens. Eagerly, Lizzy went to see who was trying to contact her and she was ecstatic when she realized it was Mario. She couldn't wait to tell him the good news.
Guess what?
What? Did you win or not?
Nah, we lost.
Awe, that's too bad. I was looking forward to the name revelation but now I guess we'll just have to wait.
I'm just kidding. We won.
Okay, now I'm just more confused. Did you, or did you not, win Districts?
We won. I got a double double, man!
Ummmm, my basketball knowledge is very limited so you're going to have to elaborate.
It's okay, I'll teach you everything that you need to know.
It just means that I got over ten points and over ten rebounds. They're both in double digits.
Hey, good job then! Does this mean your season is still going?
Thanks. And yeah it means that we play another game. We keep going until we lose.
Okay, now to the fun part. Your name.
Wait, can I tell you something first? And also my name isn't that fun lmao.
Sure, and of course it is. I can't wait to know what it actually is.
I took your advice and Teagan and I are going to a party on Friday!!! Except it's Girl's party so it should be a little awkward. And Luigi is most likely going to be there too since it's at Girl's house.
Nice! I'm smelling drama from a mile away though.
Probably. It should be an interesting night.
Now can you tell me your name?
No, you go first.
Okay, chicken. My name is Jordan but everyone calls me JJ.
How do I know you're not lying.
Here, let me send you a pic of my driver's license minus all the important stuff like my face and state and number and things like that.
Thanks for the proof.
My name is Elizabeth but everyone calls me Lizzy.
That was more anticlimactic than I thought.
I told you it wasn't very fun lol.
But, hey, now I know and that's nice :) I don't have to call you Peach anymore and you don't have to call me Mario.
This is true. I got to go to homework. Text you later, JJ?
Later, Lizzy :)
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach when she saw her real name typed out from JJ's number. Now, they were on a first name basis. They no longer were simply acquaintances; they had crossed the bridge to a genuine friendship, one that Lizzy was hoping would blossom like daisies in the spring.
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A/N:
Unlike JJ, my team and I did not win Districts yesterday :( we played tough and hard but unfortunately lost by 4. My team is my family, win or lose, and I'm proud of us and everything that we've accomplished this season.
Anyway, thank you for reading! Focusing on Early Bird is helping me nurse my broken heart from losing Districts. Please vote and comment if you enjoyed!
- Payton