One Big Cliché

Chapter 4

Dustin

          "Almost two hours of my life wasted," I explain to Chris as we walk away from the lunch line, carrying our trays. Donavin's already seated at the table, so it's thankfully just us for right now. "Not only that, but she actually tried to teach me it. She could have just given me the answers and sent me on my way, but no. I don't think I can do this four times a week."

          Chris shrugs, "Maybe it's better that way. At least now you might get to learn the material for tests and quizzes, right? Is she hot?"

           My eyebrows wag as my lips perk up into a sly grin, "Yeah, too bad she's a bitch. And too bad she hangs out with a bunch of geeks and freaks. She compared basketball to a game of hot potato!"

          Chris's eyebrows shoot up, and my grin slips back into a grimace. He looks around the cafeteria, "Is she here?"

          I nod toward her table, and his eyes follow that line of direction. "She's the blonde with her hair down, blazer on, sitting between the other blonde and the tall guy. I think his name's John, he's in my history class. Hey, isn't that Tyler?"

          We set our trays down on the table, both of us dropping the subject with a shrug. Donavin starts talking louder as we sit down, as if the more ears around, the more he needs to be heard. Matt the junior hangs on his every word, but Luke, Marcus, and Connor are quietly holding their own conversation. The rest of us just eat patiently while Donavin boasts about this and that. I kind of want to get out of here before Rebecca sees me, so I make sure to chew quickly.

          "So did you guys see Tyler? He actually has friends. Who would have guessed?" Donavin says, glancing at each of us as if we all share his aversion to the guy.

          I can tell by the gleam in his eye that he's going to try and fix that little fact. Chris can, too. He sighs, "What did he do again?"

          Donavin snorts, "Hell if I remember. I just don't like him."

          Marcus leans back, pushing his empty tray toward the middle of the table. "If you don't like him, then stop seeking him out, man."

          Luke pushes his tray toward the middle, too, and cautiously brings his finger to his nose. Chris takes one last huge bite and does the same, followed by Connor sitting across from him. Matt the Junior is too focused on Donavin to realize the rest of the table has followed suit until Donavin himself does it.

          Matt quickly looks around the table, despair slowly creeping into his eyes. He sighs and plops down the apple he was nibbling. He sighs and starts piling all of the trays on top of each other. "Every time..."

          Donavin stands, eyeing Tyler and the people he's sitting with. He wears a toothy grin that I know a little too well. Chris raises a brow at me, and we turn and watch him saunter up behind Tyler and shove his head down. He does it hard enough to snap it forward, but not enough that Tyler faceplants into his try.

          "Hey, freak, who's the new crowd?" Donavin asks, a laugh in his voice. I watch Nicole, though. She scowls up at him. "How'd you manage to make friends? Did you pay them?"

          There are four other guys at the table, and not a single one of them look away from their plates. Nicole, her look-alike, and a small girl with chin-length black and purple hair are all staring right at Donavin, though. Nicole glares, tight-lipped. The other blonde gapes, eyes wildly shifting between Donavin and Tyler. The smaller girl bares her teeth like she's going to spring up and bite him. I really hope she doesn't.