Inconsolable » Squid [Holes]

31: Prince Charming

"So...do you like him?" Alexis sat perched atop of the outside lunch table, hands spread out on the table behind her, swinging legs crossed at the ankles, chest sticking outwards like a flower turning towards the sun.

Mickey blinked up at her, shielding her eyes with a hand to block the sun. Or, specifically, the rays bouncing off Alexis' dark sunglasses which she'd pulled to the tip of her nose. "Do I like who?" Mickey asked, popping the tab to her can of Coke. The sweet, sticky scent wafted by her nose and ignited her taste buds.

"Him." Alexis jutted her chin out across the quad.

Lifting the can to her mouth, Mickey's eyes swept across the bustling quad, from the football team and the wrestling teams shouting at two people to "Chug! Chug! Chug!" their sodas, to the cheerleading team giggling over tying ribbons and braiding hair over plates of carrots and celery and cans of Diet Coke, to the seniors nearly piled atop of each other laid out in the grass on assorted blankets and towels on the lawn, over to the juniors gathered on the stairs.

Brett sat at the top, bathed in the sunlight raining down on campus on the beautiful fall day. Surrounding him, hanging on to every word, were the rest of his baseball and soccer buddies flanked him in every space available. Alan sat by his side, using his teeth to rip open a bag of Skittles, dumping the bright colored candy into his palm. He shifted a few back into the container and popped the candy into his mouth, rounding cheeks nearly touching his eyes behind the strength of his smile, laughing at something Brett said. He had a great smile. It sucked she didn't get to see it much lately.

Alan turned his head and Mickey sucked down the sweet cold drink in one gulp when their eyes locked, causing her to whip her head around and get taken over by a series of gagging coughs. Pounding a fist on her chest, tears sprang to the corners of her eyes. People at nearby tables barely cast a glance her way. Great, even while she was dying people still didn't notice her. If she keeled over on the ground, they'd probably step over her too. One last slam of her fist to her chest and a large burp flew out her throat.

"Ew! Mickey, stop being so gross!" Alexis's nose wrinkled and her mouth twisted downward.

"Sorry, I'll try to die quietly next time," Mickey mumbled. Setting her Coke back down, she grabbed a few napkins and dabbed at her eyes. Her head jerked up when the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Grumbling, she shoved her uneaten sandwich back in her bag (not that she'd touch it anyway, her mother insisted on throwing kale and alfalfa sprouts and watercress on her turkey to keep her in dance shape year-round).

"You never answered my question." Alexis still sat on the table as the students all around her gathered up their things to head inside in one mass movement of limbs and dread. "Do you like him? You've been looking at him a lot lately."

"I have not!" Besides, it wasn't as if Mickey could help that he was in her line of sight when she wanted him to look in his direction. She sighed, picking up her bag. Sometimes it felt like Alexis purposely lead her somewhere just to watch her flounder.

"Yeah you have. You just...stare. You stare a lot."

"That's impossible. I haveta blink..."

Alexis rolled her eyes and jumped down from the table, smoothing her hands over her skirt that barely ended right beneath her fingertips. She should have gotten called to the principal's office for that, it was technically below dress code limits, but after she challenged him on a separate occasion to handle her visible bra straps on his own, he let it go. She'd been pushing the limits ever since. Alexis walked around like she had one over on him. Mickey knew it was really because her father was on the school board.