I picked up a chicken fillet sandwich, popped off the top bun and dumped the entire container of pickles on top. Then I plopped it back on the tray and ripped open a packet of mayo. I squeezed the mayo into the now empty pickle cup. I put the cup down and picked up my sandwich again. I dunked it into the mayo and took a huge bite.
“Yummy,” I mumbled through a mouthful of food. And that was no lie. The sandwich was delicious. I redunked into the mayo and was about to take another bite but came up short when I noticed the guys watching me with big eyes and opened mouths. Whatever. I took another bite of deliciousness. It wasn’t that weird.
Abel cleared his throat. “What’s in the container, twin?”
“Meatloaf.”
I wrinkled my nose in disgust. A big glob of meat smothered in Ketchup and stuffed full of tiny pieces of onions, now that was gross. Tyson laughed at my face as he picked up a container of curly fries.
“Ariel, do you care what I eat?” Abel asked me sweetly.
I covered my mouth with my hand as I finished chewing. I swallowed down my food then answered, “I only want one of the breadsticks. And you can have my water. I bought one from a vending machine earlier and it’s still mostly full so I don’t need it. Ask Tyson what he plans on eating.”
“Eat what
ever,” Tyson stuffed a curly fryinto his mouth.
“Thanks,” Abel muttered as he picked up the other chicken sandwich. I slid my water bottle across the table towards him.
After another dunk in the mayo I went to take another bite but came up short at the sound of footsteps behind me. Abel and Addison froze and glared over my shoulder. My mouth flopped open as Chucky plopped down on the bench seat to the picnic table beside ours. The Queen of the Pretty Princess’s, her minion and the Queen’s male twin weren’t far behind him.
I hated this stupid school.
After the incident with Chucky in first hour, I’d completely put him out of my mind as I went through classes with Tyson and the twins.
Chucky grinned at me broadly as the two girls put their heads together and started whispering behind their hands. I shook my head and stuffed more of my mayo covered sandwich in my mouth. These people were ruining the only time throughout the day where I got all three of my new friends at the same time. Not to mention the peace and quiet, the only peace and quiet I got throughout the school day.
“Hey, Ariel,” Chucky called cheerfully.
My lips parted for a second before I realized I had a mouthful of food and it was rude to be staring at him openmouthed. So I closed my mouth and gave him a very awkward and very nerdy finger wave. Then I went back to eating while ignoring them. I thought about how I’d treated the girl who tried to be nice to me in creative writing. I had thought she was trying to trick me in some way in order to hurt me. I might have been wrong and misjudged her. She may have had the best of intentions and she may have really wanted to try and be my friend. I didn’t care about that and I had no intention of going out of my way now to try and befriend her. Not when she had so easily sported a glare and a dirty look just like the rest of them. It was the reason why I had been so cautious that I needed to not forget. I needed to remember it when dealing with Chucky. He had hidden motives and he likely wanted to hurt me. He had hurt me when he tripped me in front of our whole class. I’d never forget that. How stupid did Chucky think I was? How stupid was Chucky? He didn’t seem smart enough to maneuver such a play on his own.
These people and my beautiful companions were the reason I couldn’t fly under the radar here. Well, that and my whorish psycho of a mother.
None of it, however, had anything to do with me. The whole thing was starting to piss me off. I was used to being angry. Anger and I had always been tight, we had a good, if not a tad unhealthy, relationship. But never, ever had I allowed myself to embrace it. I was always calm and in control of myself, I had to be.
But now…
I felt my control slipping a little. My face heated with my anger, and, strangely, so did the rest of my body. It felt oddly familiar. I wanted to pick up my tray and hurl it over at their table, not caring who it hit just so long as it hit someone.
“Ariel?” Tyson asked quietly. “What’s wrong?”
Wasn’t that a loaded question if I ever heard one. What’s wrong, Ariel Kimber? What is wrong… hmm… Well, let me see here. Let’s start with my throbbing headache I had due to my mother’s abusive ways. She’d marked me and it made the top part of my face not so pretty to look at. All because I had a sweet new Ranger Rover I was madly in love with that I should probably never drive again because my mother might one day soon strap a pipe bomb underneath the driver’s seat and when I turned the key in the ignition it would trigger the bomb and blow my ass into a million little (very unattractive, mind you) pieces.
So, I had that going for me.
And, now, it seemed I had Chucky. One second he’s calling me freak show and in the next breath he’s telling me he’ll avenge my honor for the small price of a date. A date with Chucky. What would that be like? I had a theory.
Here goes…
Chucky would pick me up at my house because, let’s face it, he wouldn’t want to miss out on the possibility of getting an eye full of my mother. And could we blame him, here? Then he’d take me to some fast food dive where I’d likely have to buy my own meal. Not that it would really bother me, but it was the principle behind the thing. You ask and you should be willing to pay. Just my personal belief here. The meal would be awkward because I’m betting Chucky hadn’t been lying earlier when he called himself a dick. So he’d likely say a bunch of A-hole things I’d find cringe worthy. Then, on the ride home, he’d make a detour where he would pull off and park in some desolate place. Once parked, I’d protest while he tried to feel me up. Then they’d show up. You know who, the people sitting at the table next to me. They’d drag me out of Chucky’s vehicle by my hair before they beat the ever-loving crap out of me.
Yeah, sadly, all Chucky would get out of me was the word no.
“Ariel?” Tyson again.
“I’m fine,” I muttered as I went back to eating.
I think I might have lied to him.