Victorie plus N

Chapter 9: Understanding

When we reach the dining hall/room, I find myself sitting at the end of the table with Margy on one side and Teddy and J.T. opposite of us. We're like our own little group of four.

"What are they serving for dinner?" J.T. asks Teddy.

"I think cheeseburgers, stuffed-potatoes, grilled-cheese -it's Ann's favorite food- salad, and fish and chips," he replies.

I learned in a little American English to British English phrasebook that fish and chips were just their way of saying "french fries" here. Also, Teddy pronounced potato like poe-ta-toe, not poe-tae-toe. I assume they say tomato like that, too.

"Fish and chips are extremely unhealthy," Margy is saying when I tune back into the conversation, "They use oil and fry the potatoes, and also a large amount of salt is used, which can cause a couple of different cancers if you have too much of it. And do not get me started on cheeseburgers, especially the dairy part of it. Do you know how extremely bad dairy is for-"

"Okay, we get it, Margy," J.T. cuts in, you want us to give up fish and chips and cheeseburgers, you made your point, now lay off," he jokes.

"Fine, have it your way, she says, then turns to me, "I'm wholly a health nut, don't mind me. Are you excited to start at M-Prep?"

"Oh, umm, yes, but everyone who goes there seems to be very smart, I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up," I smile.

"Nonsense," she says, sounding like one of those strict old ladies like Mrs. King, "You'll do fine, none of the rest are very smart. I'm the only one aiming to go to Oxford."

I laugh. "You'll make it in for sure, didn't you skip a grade?"

I remember Margy saying this during the TableTopics game we played earlier.

"Oh, please don't bring that up, I'm a little embarrassed about it. I don't need another friend joking about how young I am!" she laughs. She turns back around when food is placed on our end of the table, and I notice, only takes a heaping plate of salad and a stuffed potato.

I, meanwhile, fill my plate with fries -excuse me, fish and chips- a cheeseburger, and salad.

After dessert, we all head into the drawing-room to, well, talk. J.T. and Margy put in earbuds and Margy takes out a notebook. She writes while the conversation goes on as if she's writing down the whole conversation. I wonder why she's doing that.
The way Margy looks at everyone in the group with her intense dark brown eyes, I can tell she's someone who actually understands things, not knows, not sees, but understands. There's a difference. I don't know how I know this, but I just know she's that type of person, it's just, like, this aura she's giving off. Margy is probably the only one in this group who understands.

Her, I... I should be able to count on.