The Purple Beanie

Lunch

After English class was over, Bree walked to the noisy cafeteria and grabbed a lunch tray to get her food. It did NOT look appetizing, unfortunately.

Bree spotted an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria and made her way over. She was just about to take a bite of her sandwich when the red-haired girl - what was her name? Danielle? Yes, it was Danielle - walked up to her and abruptly sat down.

"Sorry, can I sit here today?" Danielle asked sheepishly.

Bree shrugged and gestured for her to have a seat. "Sure, why not?"

Danielle grinned and slid closer. "So . . . did you say your name was Breanne?"

"Oh, yeah. At least, that's my full name. But if you don't mind, I prefer to go by Bree," Bree said. She wondered how Danielle knew her full name. Because, if she remembered correctly, she had told her that her name was Bree when they had first talked.

"Oh, okay, sure. I know you said you were Bree, but I just happened to see your full name on the attendance sheet," Danielle explained.

"Oh, okay. Um . . . so, what made you move here?" Bree tried to start a conversation.

"My dad got a new job. And I'm liking it here. I mean, it's not like all the guys are jerks at this school," she said, rolling her eyes.

Bree chuckled. "Oh yeah, I can tell you that not all the guys are jerks. But there is this really infamous one called Lucas Hillway. He's . . . pretty dreadful."

"Oh, is he the one with the dark brown hair? He's like, two meters tall. Anyway, what makes him the most infamous jerk?" Danielle said.

"He has this way of talking to people that makes everyone hate him. And anyway, he's kind of a womanizer," Bree rolled her eyes. She knew it was bad to gossip, but Lucas Hillway was a different story, in her opinion.

"I see," Danielle said slowly with a disgusted look on her permanently flushed face.

"Yeah. But enough about jerks. Have you tried making new friends here yet?" Bree asked.

"I've tried . . . I guess. But the girls here don't even pretend to notice me. Why does the new kid always get ostracized?" Danielle complained.

"Trust me, I know that feeling. I'm sure it's different for you, but I've always kind of been a loner, except for some people I talk to. Like, I don't really have any real friends, you know? And it's not like I don't try to reach out. It's just that every single girl in this school seems to be so different from me. So, at this point, I don't really care anymore," Bree explained.

"Oh," Danielle nodded. "I know what you're saying. I've usually felt really close to everyone I know, but the people here just don't click with me. Sometimes, I just wonder if it's true that the more I try, the more they ignore me."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the case here. And anyway, everyone here wants to be "normal" and have "normal lives". But on the contrary, I want my life to be anything but normal. I like reading murder mysteries and stuff, so of course everyone thinks I'm weird. It's also not that common for someone to wear a purple hat every. single. day. of. their. life," Bree rolled her eyes.

"Speaking of your purple hat, where did you get it? And why is it so important to you? Sorry if I'm being nosy, I'm just curious," Danielle said.

"I got this beanie when I was eleven. My parents gave it to me on my eleventh birthday, so I guess I've just become oddly attached to it ever since. Hence the bracelets, as well," Bree explained, gesturing to her dozen bracelets.

"Oh," Danielle nodded. "I really like it, though. People are weird for thinking you're weird for wearing that everyday. It's totally your style."

"Thanks," Bree said, smiling. It wasn't everyday that someone mentioned her beanie in a non-insulting way.

"So, have you ever had a crush on someone before?" Danielle said, lowering her voice. She had a playful smile on her face.

Bree kept her face as unaffected as ever. "A crush? No. How about you?"

"Lots," Danielle said, blushing. "I guess I just fall for boys too fast and too much. I sometimes have crushes on jerks, too."

Bree chuckled. "Yeah, that's typical for normal girls. Except I'm not normal, as you can see."

"I can," Danielle grinned back. "But I can't believe you've never had a crush before. Maybe that'll change this year?" She teasingly wiggled her eyebrows.

Bree playfully waved her off. "I don't think so. No one's really interesting here, anyway."

They both finished up their sandwiches, and the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"See you whenever I do?" Bree said.

"Sure! Nice talking to you!" Danielle waved as they walked out the door and went their separate ways.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the bell rang, Conner headed to the crowded cafeteria to get his lunch. Just as he was getting his lunch tray, he almost tripped in front of everyone, because he suddenly recognized a purple beanie in the middle of the lunch line.

It was Bree Campbell. Just hearing her name made him shiver.

He had immediately looked away to try to hold back the deep blush forming in his cheeks, but when he dared to look again, the purple beanie was gone.

He shook his head, trying to bring himself back to his normal state, and moved forward in the lunch line. When he had received his sandwich (it looked pretty unappetizing, in his opinion), he spotted a table with his rowdy friends swarming around it.

"Hey, Conner!" Fred greeted. His friends forcefully clapped him on his back.

"Hey, guys," Conner said under their loud greetings.

The boys talked about all kinds of stuff like sports, school, and crushes.

"Hey, Conner, do you have a crush this year?" one of his friends, Ben, asked teasingly.

"Huh? Uh, no," Conner said, confused. "Why?"

"Because it's pretty normal. And you're being kind of sus right now," another guy said.

"No I'm not. And besides, I've never had one before, so how would I know if I did?" Conner said. The guys exchanged glances.
"Anyway, how about you guys? Freddie, we all know you're a major flirt, so who's the lucky girl this year?" Conner teased.

Fred rolled his eyes. "No one, Conner. Not yet."

Before the boys knew it, the lunch bell rang. Some of them groaned.

After exiting the cafeteria, Conner spotted Bree walking to her locker, waving goodbye to a red-haired girl Conner had never seen before. He guessed she was new to the school.

Conner suddenly felt a strong urge to go and start a conversation with Bree, but he caught himself and was overly confused with why he was acting this way. And anyway, what good would it do to try talking to a girl who was totally out of his league? He would only make a bigger fool of himself.