And it was then I tuned in to the rest of the cafeteria.
It was then I tuned into the raucous laughter as everyone stared at me.
A teacher came over to talk to me, but I gathered up my things and raced out of the room, leaving the laughing behind. I felt Allison hot on my heels as I threw myself into the bathroom. I heard the door close and lock. And as I brushed tears away from my eyes, I clenched my teeth tight.
“He’s just a dick, Rae. Don’t let him get to you,” Allison said.
I clenched my fists. “It’s not him I’m angry at. It’s the rest of those dickweeds.”
Allison pulled at some paper towels and ran them underneath some water. I didn't have a chance in hell of cleaning up these clothes enough to look respectable throughout the rest of the day. Not that I’d looked respectable beforehand. But at least I’d looked better than this. She handed me a soaked paper towel before getting one for herself. Together, we wiped the soup off my shirt.
She shrugged. “I mean, at least it’s a black shirt. Sit in the right lighting and people won’t even know it’s there.”
I sighed. “Yeah, well, they’ll still smell it coming from a mile away.”
“Good thing tomato soup smells good?”
Somehow—like she always did—Allison got me to laugh. My grimace became a grin, and soon we were gabbing while trying to clean off our clothes. I sighed as I racked my brain, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to do for the rest of the day.
Then it dawned on me.
“We need to go to my locker,” I said.
Allison paused. “Do you have a change of clothes there?”
I nodded. “I mean, they’re not the best clothes. But look at what I’m already wearing. I have P.E. this year because I skipped it my freshman year.”
She smiled. “Your gym clothes are in your locker?”
“Will you come with me?”
“I’ll do you one better. Give me your locker number and combination. I’ll go get it for you.”
“You’re a lifesaver, you know that?”
She winked. “I have a tendency to have good ideas every once in a while.”
And as I rattled off what she needed to know, she slipped out of the bathroom. Leaving me to stand in the mirror and take a good, hard look at myself.
Something I hated doing.
Especially if I was alone.
4
Clinton
With my sunglasses sinking down the bridge of my nose, I tossed my jacket over my shoulder. History. I hated history class. Any history class, really. But especially world history. The fuck did I care what happened on the other side of the planet over a hundred years ago? Didn’t affect me now. But, for some reason, it was required of me to know.
I didn’t mind being late to class, though.
The teacher pursed her lips. “How nice of you to join us, Mr. Clarke.”
I grinned. “Pleasure’s all mine, Mrs. Christ.”
“Take a seat, and know it’s your spot for the rest of the semester.”
I scanned the room, taking in the pathetic crowd of losers that had already been in class for damn near twenty minutes. And as my eyes gravitated toward the front corner desk, there she sat. Rae Cleaver. In a pair of bright orange shorts, a white tank top, and some random jacket tossed over her shoulders. My smile grew positively out of control. She’d changed into her gym clothes. And oh, was it a sight to behold. I didn’t think I’d ever seen Rae in anything other than pants. I mean, did the idiot not take P.E. her freshman year to get it out of the way?