Five Steps | Chaelisa

Chapter 15

Lisa's POV

There is no better food than free food.

I gaze in awe at all the different stations planted all across the dark, patterned carpet, the smell of eggs and sausage and French toast wafting over me in a cloud.

Where do I even begin? Should I do cereal and then eggs? A bagel with cream cheese? Maybe some fruit after my powdered donuts this—

"You're holding up the line," Roseanne says as she nudges me forward, the group of hungry students behind her giving her a grateful smile.

I follow after Abby and Suzy, my head on a swivel as we make our way around the room, collecting food on worn white plates as we go. I veer off when I see a coffee station, nearly dumping my perfectly crafted cream and two sugars all over my white shirt when Roseanne appears out of thin air, grabbing on to my arm.

"Jesus...," I say, and she gives me a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I just..."

"Didn't want to be alone with Suzy?" I finish, her silence letting me know I hit the nail on the head.

"Roseanne. The point of this is for you to talk to her alone." I juggle my armful of plates to take a quick sip of my coffee. "I mean, here I am, sacrificing my free time to help you get her number...."

She raises her eyebrows at me as I jimmy a piece of bacon off one of my plates and into my mouth, crunching noisily on it.

"Yeah, seems like quite the sacrifice," she says, before her face glazes over with a familiar look of panic. "What do I even say to her?"

I shrug. "Ask her about her day! How school is going. What her freaking phone number is in case you have a bio-themed emergency." I pause, midchew. "You have had a conversation before, right? With another human being?"

Roseanne rolls her eyes at me, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Tone it down, Lisa. Baby steps.

"Listen," I say, nudging her shoulder. "This is super casual, okay? We're just eating some food and hanging out." I let out a long exhale, and even though it puts a pause on my plan, I say what I know she needs to hear if any of this is going to work. "If you get her number today, you get her number. If you don't, we'll figure something else out, okay?"

Roseanne looks relieved. "Really?"

"Yeah," I say with a shrug. "No biggie. But, I mean, you know, try."

We head over to a maroon-colored booth in the corner, Abby and Suzy already digging in.

"Oh my gosh, I was starving," Abby says as she takes an enormous bite of a pancake.

Suzy points a fork at Roseanne's plate. "No way. They have omelets?" she asks.

"Uh, yeah. Over by the..." Roseanne's cheeks turn red as she points to a station by the door, where a small line of students stand, waiting to give their omelet order.

There's a space for her to say something else, but... she doesn't, and an awkward silence settles over the table. Just the pleasant sound of cutlery hitting plates.

Roseanne shoots me a nervous look while I take a sip of my coffee, clearing my food-filled airway. What have they got in common that I know about?

"Hey, Suzy," I say, putting the cup down. "Are you taking Intro to Fiction this term?"

"Yeah," she says, the bagel she's holding pausing halfway to her mouth. "I have Jon Davidson. He's... all right."

"Ugh." I point between me and Roseanne. "We have him too! We're in another section."