How To Be Cool (Discontinued)

Chapter 5

What I hate most about secondary school is lunch time. Don't get me wrong, the food here is great. I thank god we don't have those suckish food at school that the rest of the world seem to be complaining about. And the dinner ladies are so nice and friendly to the point where they would occasionally switch up menus and not just sticking up with the schedule that the school prepared. They even have discounts once or twice a month. The best part is, they sometimes even sell chips on non-Chips Day which is every Friday. I mean hey, that's a big deal right?

What I hate about lunch time is the seating plan. It's like there is an unwritten rule that the place you sat on your first day of Year 7 would be the place you will sit for the rest of your years in this school. I would totally be okay with that if I was pretty and popular. That would make the seniors notice me and let me seat with them, automatically securing it as my permanent lunch time spot. Even now as a senior, I still have no place to sit during lunch time. But is it really my fault that I am not attractive enough to be noticible so I had to skip lunch or sometimes eat in the toilet or on the floor throught my year in secondary school? I think not.

Curse you the people who built this cafeteria for not making it big enough for everyone. And curse you, the school principal for accepting too many students which lead to me not having any room to sit at lunch. Most of all, curse myself for not being pretty, popular and not invisible.

I decide to not skip lunch today as it is Friday aka Chips Day which means every menu includes chips. Chips Burger, Fish and Chips, Chips and mushy peas, and so on. You name it, they have it. Outsiders would think the idea of it as being absurd but I am British afterall, and we do love our chips.

I grab my favourite dish which is fish and chips and sit on the floor just outside the cafeteria to enjoy my meal. Thank god it's not so cold or else I would have been freezing to death. I often sit alone at lunch since Ellie has clubs to attend at lunchtime as well as seventh period. I don't blame her though, I would have done that too just to avoid being seat-less during lunch. But unless they have a club for talentless people, then I guess I just have to bear being seat-less for 50 minutes.

There are three things that I am enjoying at this very moment. Firstly, this perfectly cooked fish and nicely baked chips with a flood of thick, black gravy that tastes heavenly on top. Secondly, this weather which is just the right balance of warm and cold, just how I like it. Lastly, the view. No, I'm not talking about the breathtaking view of Rose Park Garden right outside the school grounds though I must admit it looks rather calming. I am talking about the clear view of Ryan Johnson eating his regular Chips Burger while chatting with his mates on their special-only-for-hot-rich-and-popular-students table as I often label it as.

What I did not enjoy though was the view of Eilsa Brown sitting next to Ryan and touching his hair, his cheeks and even give a light kiss to him every once in a while with her fake and definitely exaggerated laugh whenever Ryan or any of his mates cracks up a joke. I can tell that Ryan was not comfortable with Eilsa doing things to him just by reading his facial expression but I don't think she realises that. God damnit it was so obvious!

"What are you actually doing?" I hear a familiar voice says.

"Huh?" I say in confusion without realising I hit myself in the head whilst watching Ryan and Eilsa not too long ago. I turn away from the view of Ryan and is now face to face, eyes to eyes and nose to nose with non other than Nick Patterson. Why does it feel like he's creeping on me?

Wait maybe he is.

What if he is a serial killer and is aiming me to be his next victim.

But he already ensured the other day that he was not.