“Are you kidding? Lunch is the only thing that’s keeping me sane, thanks to Molly, Heather, and Katie. As a matter of fact, that’s all I’ll miss about that place. Besides, it’s not like they were about to rearrange the whole school just to make things easier for me.”
Mom and Jacob exchanged a look. “What?” I asked as my eyes darted between the two of them. “Do you think I’m wrong for wanting to accept Mom’s offer? You just don’t know what it’s like there sometimes. It’s not like I’m quitting school altogether,” I said in a huff.
Mom stepped in and placed a hand on each of my shoulders, looking me in the eyes. “No one is saying you’re wrong, honey. We all just want what is best for you.” She pulled me in for a hug, squeezing tightly. “You two better get going now. You don’t want to be late.” She turned and walked into the living room as Jacob and I collected our bags.
We pulled into the school and Jacob took his usual space in the student parking lot. If he ever noticed the way people stared at me he gave no indication, but there they were, on cue. All I could think about was Mom’s news. I could sneak in and do three classes a day. Then everyone would have to find someone else to whisper about. I just didn’t get why the fascination had lasted so long. I was the most boring person ever. If anything they were more focused on me now, eight weeks later, than they had been when I first arrived. Freak and crazy were thrown around so often I began to wonder if I should just save everyone the trouble and change my name.
Jacob and I parted ways as soon as we walked through the doors since our first-period classes were on completely different ends of the building. The morning passed with few comments and incidents. I’d learned a few weeks prior that hugging the wall while I walked made me a harder target to knock into or to uproot anything I might be holding in my arms. Teenagers sucked.
Heather and my crew were waiting for me at our usual table when I arrived for lunch. They were alone, of course, which would have driven Dr. Marshall crazy. She could say what she wanted, but I liked that it was just the four of us. It was one of the only times I got any peace at school.
Heather was already chattering Molly’s and Katie’s ears off, nothing out of the ordinary there. She waved as I sat down without even pausing in her story. Heather didn’t have an off switch. Normally I didn’t care. Her chatter buffered the other cafeteria noise.
I let her talk until she paused to take a drink of her Coke before I interrupted with my own news. “This is my last lunch with you guys,” I said, taking a bite of my sandwich.
“What?” Heather asked, nearly choking on her drink.
“After spring break I’m switching to part-time, which means lunches at home. You guys will just have to come over to my house to hang out,” I said.
I waited for them to agree. After all, that’s what friends did—support one another. At least, that’s what I thought. All three stared at me though like I was speaking a foreign language.
“Unless you guys don’t want to come over,” I said uncomfortably. Maybe we weren’t as close as I thought. I wanted the floor to open up and suck me in.
“Talking to yourself again?” a snide voice asked behind me.
I nearly groaned out loud. As if things hadn’t become awkward enough. Why couldn’t they just leave us alone? I tried to ignore the voice behind me, wishing that Heather would suddenly start chattering again. Anything to fill the silence, but she and the others sat oddly still.
“I’m talking to you, freak,” the voice said again, filled with amusement. Her name was Monica. She and her friends had been bullying me from day one. Up until then I had chosen not to acknowledge them, but she had never been this bold.
I gripped the table tightly before turning around to confront her. I was sick of the pointing, sick of the teasing, I was sick of all of it. One measly day. That was all I needed from them, but they were determined to be assholes to the bitter end. “Can’t you just leave me and my friends alone?” I demanded, rising to my feet.
Monica looked taken back. Good. I was sick of letting everyone walk all over me. Glancing around, I noticed that we had gained the attention of the entire cafeteria. That was also good. Dr. Marshall had been after me for weeks to stick up for myself. This was my shot to show everyone I was done taking their crap.
“What friends?” Monica asked sarcastically, finally finding her voice.
Great, now she had insulted my friends. They did not deserve her crap any more than I did. I surged toward her, coming face-to-face. She recoiled slightly, just as I thought. Feeling powerful, I stood in front of her, ready to defend my friends at all costs. “You know, just because we don’t conform to your clique, doesn’t mean we deserve your shit.” I hated that my voice echoed through the cafeteria, sounding shaky.
Monica covered her mouth, shaking with laughter. “Oh, lord. You really are crazy,” she said. “I thought maybe you were just pretending, to get more attention or
something, but you totally believe they’re real.”
I rolled my eyes. She was such a bitch. I turned my eyes apologetically to my friends who looked as horrified as I felt. “Sorry,” I mouthed to them before turning back to Monica who was now laughing manically. Maybe she was crazy. “Just leave us alone,” I told her, turning back to my friends. She wasn’t worth the effort.
“Hey, Mia, if your friends are really sitting here, would I be able to do this?” Monica asked, sweeping her arm out to take a cheap shot at Heather.
I couldn’t believe her nerve. My anger got the best of me and I made a move to defend my friend—only, something wasn’t right. Monica’s arm had swung wide and should have connected with the side of Heather’s face. But, it didn’t. Her hand moved through Heather’s head, like she was a ghost. I stood frozen, blinking my eyes to try and understand what I had seen. None of it made sense.
I could see Monica laughing again, but to my ears there was dead silence.
I turned toward Heather who looked at me remorsefully. She had nothing to say. It wasn’t like her, not the Heather I had come to know. Molly and Katie wore the same gloomy expression on their faces. I reached out, not believing what I had seen, but Heather shook her head before the three of them abruptly disappeared, leaving nothing but an empty table behind. One solitary lunch remained—mine. All evidence of my friends had been erased.
Monica grabbed her side, laughing hysterically beside me. Tears of merriment danced in her eyes. My eyes swept across the cafeteria. Everyone else either laughed and pointed or wore cringing looks of pity. Not one face showed an ounce of compassion. I covered my ears, trying to block them out. They were nothing. I needed to get out. Whirling around in a circle, I searched frantically for an escape, but the crowd in the cafeteria closed in on me, sealing me in a tomb.
Their roaring filled my ears, echoing through my head. It was all I could hear. And their faces—nothing could hide their faces. Their features looked distorted and demonlike. A scream formed in my chest, clawing frantically up my throat and tearing it to shreds. I welcomed the release. It felt so good.
The bodies swarming me stepped backward and the laughter dissipated. They had gotten the proof they were waiting for. The crazy girl had finally lost her shit. My screams wailed across the cafeteria like a siren, piercing to everyone else but comforting to me. I could see the darkness creeping in, making me smile. The horrified onlookers no longer mattered. My one true friend had come to rescue me. I tumbled forward, thankful to be welcomed into its embrace.
PART THREE