Venice (bxb)

6. Preferences

            "Nah, but democracy is actual balls, dude."

            Link smiled at Beck, "did he just come out of Politics?" Chris had gone a little red in the face thinking about how he'd been gaslighted into believing that this system actually worked.

             Beckett had her secretary flag pinned to the lapel of her blazer which reminded Link that he'd forgotten his in the drink holder. "Oh, you think this is bad? You should've seen him during the debate."

            "Fuckin' A," he high-fived Chris, "who won?"

            Beckett looked incredibly smug about it, "we did," she counted on her fingers, "me, Milo, Tweety, Rosch, Casey."

            "I put up a good fight though," Chris reasoned, taking a huge bite out of his chicken sourdough sandwich. Beckett scrunched his nose at him, "Yeah, you did, loser."

            Link had been sitting strategically these past couple of days: with his back to the window so he had the entire view of the cafeteria. By the entire view, he meant his supposedly "not-good-for-you" neighbours.

Their table had accumulated quite the crowd. What with a few kids from AP, some from Basic and a handful of juniors. Link wondered if that's what they did. Made a bunch of separate friends and then clubbed them into an entire group during recess.

Link barely had three best friends during junior year, and now he was down to two and he sort of blamed himself.

            "Ugh, you're literally drooling," Beckett deadpanned as she snapped his attention back to her. "You know you can ask her to sit with us right?"

            Link had been blindsided. "I don't think they'll sit with us."

            She gave him a look, "I think you underestimate our influence sometimes." Ginevra Beckett waved her hand at Venice like it was a magic wand, and said something closely resembling wingardium leviosa (but it could've also been, "Hey, Venice, come sit with us, bring Jason and Valentina too!") and the literal world had bent to her will.

This exchange, at the moment, felt like it was under the scrutiny of the entire school. Venice looked like he'd been electrocuted but Jason had rushed them along to Link's table, followed by Valentina's blank stare.

            "Hey guys," Beckett gave them a little wave, "you already know me and Link. That is Chris." She said, pointing at the blonde and dimpled boy sitting across her.

            "Oh, we know each other," Jason reached for a fist bump, "we're in Basic together."

            "Chris Hugh?" Venice asked Jason, who nodded rather cautiously.

            Venice breathed what looked like a huge sigh of relief, "My brother in fucking Christ, this man won't stop talking about you. At home, it's always, Chris-this, Chris-that, like I already feel like I've known you for a bit, bro."

            Jason smacked Venice's arm with his free hand, "for fuck's sake, Ven. You always make me look like a creep." He sat next to Beckett just as planned and Val conveniently took the other seat next to her. Venice had to sit with Link.

           "Ello there, mate."

           Link laughed at the impression, "alright?" offering one of his own.

           "Yeah, doing good, considering the fact that I've been cheated out of a joint since last Sunday."

            Link's smile broadened for some reason, "right, I did tell you it was the best thing about Atherton."