“So, you coming out tonight?” Rob asked.
“I think so,” Rachel answered. “Going to the movies with the girls.”
“Oh yeah?” Rob said. “Us, too.”
“Us who?”
“The guys,” Rob laughed. “The team!”
Just then the bell rang, and kids began dispersing from their circles of friends, and into their classrooms.
“Gotta go,” Rachel said. “See ya later.”
“Have a good day,” Rob said.
The rest of the morning flew by for Rachel. She couldn’t help but think about Rob in the classes that followed their conversation. She replayed their conversation, over and over in her head, and was shocked each time. She couldn’t believe that he still wanted to talk to her and that he cared enough to ask her weekend plans.
For the first time in the past 36 hours, Rachel felt like everything would be OK. She’d worried about what it would be like to see Rob again after everything that had happened, but it turned out to be totally fine, and Rachel could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, all she had to do was make her parents see the light, and stop blaming her and punishing her for everything under the sun.
Rachel looked down at her watch: it was nearing lunchtime. She could feel her stomach pang with hunger, and hear its growls. She hadn’t had much of an appetite since Wednesday night, and it was finally catching up to her. She’d never felt so hungry in her entire life.
She couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so she could meet up with her friends in the cafeteria.
Chapter Ten
As Rachel entered the cafeteria, her friends were nowhere to be seen. She looked around and then looked down the hall, but it was empty. She felt like she was going to die she was so hungry. She entered the cafeteria and sat down at her usual table. She opened up her brown paper bag and pulled out her PB&J and Arizona Iced Tea. She couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into her sandwich.
She looked around the cafeteria as she sat there eating her lunch alone. She hadn’t really spent time looking at all the tables since the first day of school, but now that she was alone again, she couldn’t help but watch people.
She saw the jock table, the cheerleader table, and the nerd table. Everyone was eating and talking. She hoped that the subject of everyone’s conversation had shifted from the fight to other things.
Just then, Rachel felt her table move. She felt a jolt, as someone sat down next to her. She looked to her left and was shocked. It was Arielle— looking as mean and mad as ever.
“Well look what we have here,” Arielle’s voice rang out. “It looks like the criminal herself is all alone in the cafeteria.” Arielle paused. “What happened? You don’t have friends anymore?” she cackled.
“Leave me alone,” Rachel said.
“Keep dreaming darling. I’m on your case now. First you stole the guy I liked and now this. You really don’t know when to stop do you?”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything.”
“Yeah right— if by nothing you mean taking out the top players of the AHS football team.”
“It wasn’t my fault, Arielle. Now go away.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I own this school— which you wouldn’t know because you’re the new girl. But you better learn, because anyone who doesn’t know, messes with the wrong person. I may look nice, but deep down, I can make your life a living hell.”
Rachel stared at her in shock. She didn’t know what to say. The two sat there in silence staring at each other for a minute and then Arielle spoke. “You better watch your back. If you so much as look the wrong way, you’re dead.”
Arielle slowly got up from the table and dumped Rachel’s Arizona Iced Tea all over her sandwich. “Have a good day!” Arielle sneered.
Arielle glared at Rachel as she walked away from the table and mouthed, “watch it,” as she put her two fingers to her eyes and pointed back at Rachel.
Rachel sat there, stunned and scared. Where were her friends when she needed them? She couldn’t believe what had just happened.
She took out her cell phone and began to text Emily. It was totally unlike all of her friends to not show up for lunch. This had never happened before.
Emily: Where are you guys? Come quick. I need to tell you what just happened.
Rachel stared down at her phone, waiting for Emily to reply. But she didn’t. She couldn’t sit alone in the cafeteria any longer with her drenched PB&J sitting in front of her. She felt like a schoolboy who had been hazed; now all that needed to happen was for her to get her head flushed in the toilet. That would top this day off perfectly, she though humorously to herself.
As she walked out of the cafeteria, she didn’t know where to go. She walked down the silent hallways towards the gym. She remembered the first day of school, when she walked around the school aimlessly to avoid the cafeteria scene.
Rachel heard noises coming down the hall. She turned to see what it was, and she saw Emily, Liv and Taryn walking and whispering to each other.
Rachel turned around and began walking towards them. “Hey Guys!” she shouted down the hall.
“Ah! Rach, OMG, you will never guess what happened,” Emily said.
“Where were you guys? Nobody was at lunch today,” Rachel said.
“Yeah, duh. We were all in Dr. McNery’s office all morning. He kept all of us for questioning. It was terrible.”
“Seriously? All of you? Where’s Jen and Kate?”
Rachel saw Emily look at the other girls with questioning eyes and then back at Rachel.
“Well, we’re not sure what’s going on with them, but they were sitting in the Vice Principals office when we left just now. They didn’t see us though. I hope they’re not in trouble.”
“Oh gosh,” Rachel said, sounding frightened. “I wonder what happened.”
“I completely agree with you,” Liv said, giving her a high five. “Don’t they have better things to do than to harp over some dumb fight?”
“I can’t wait for this week to be over!” Rachel exclaimed. “We need the weekend to come. All of us!”
“Cheers to that!” Taryn said, holding up her hand as if she were holding a glass.
RING RING RING
The bell rang, and kids began to flood into the hallways. Rachel was thankful that she had survived lunch, especially with her run in with Arielle.
Now, she just had to make it through the next two and a half hours and then she’d be home free— at least for the weekend.