A Plagued Winter

Chapter 6

On my own, I find it hard to get by without you. You've left me so long ago but I am still haunted by your absence. What happened to you? Would you like me to remain isolated until your unknowing return?

The only thing remotely likable about any school cafeteria, in my opinion, was the ability your ears gained when dealing with the roaring chatter of students. By that, I meant the cool way your ears could block out the sound of everyone else when you placed your hands over them and then took your hands off again to hear more precisely. It almost sounds like you're underwater listening from afar before you resurface and are met with the authenticity of raw shouting. I think every person who's ever been to a school cafeteria knows exactly what I'm talking about. And if not, then you must've been too preoccupied with a conversation during the lunch hour to take notice of your superpower. Which, I wouldn't know much about.

"You know, Carlee, it would be nice if you participated today." 

Gabbie nudged my shoulder, pulling me out of my cavernous introspections.

I suspire heavily and turn toward my tablemates whilst simultaneously trying to uphold an expression that doesn't shout insomniac. Every teenager that isn't assigned a strict bedtime usually experiences the same fatigue feeling daily but mostly because of a screen positioned directly in front of their retinas and not due to reoccurring nightmares that prey on their victims' consciousness until there's nothing left but a mentally unstable psycho carved out of the person they once were.

If it wasn't clear...     ...I don't enjoy sleeping...

"What are we talking about now?" I yawned emphatically.

"God, must we clue you in on everything?" Diaz rolled his eyes and ran his hand through the ruffles of his hair.

"Fuck off, I'm too tired for you." I replied dismissively.

"Too bad."

"We were talking about winter break. Meeting up and things." 

Journey chimed in smacking Diaz on his arm. 

"You're in the group chat still so we can set up dates and you can tag along with your amazing friends."

Oh yeah... I forgot about that...    

It wasn't like I was completely cut off from the world. I own a cellphone just like every other teen but I mostly use it to watch videos and listen to music. My cellphone does chime every day though, to signal I got a text that most likely came from the group chat we were all in and when it did, I didn't bother to read any of them.

"Oh shoots, yeah, that sounds cool. You guys do know that winter break isn't for another couple of weeks though, right?" 

I asked, speaking mostly to the girls. Since they were more often than not, the planners of our arrangements.

"Yeah, yeah, just trying to get a head start and make sure nobody is going out of state for winter break."

"Ah, don't have to worry about me for that one."

Clarissa's eyebrows suddenly raising caught my attention and I followed her gaze in the direction behind me out of curiosity. Instinctively my eyes rolled in response to the attention grabber.    ...Ugh, seriously?...      It was Andre again, walking out of the cafeteria as silent as a ghost. 

"I think you'd be more interested in someone who has a wider vocabulary range than 'yeah, same.'"

I advised her, without really understanding the sudden urge to do so.

Clarissa frowned with disappointment at the same time Journey perked up at the mention of the School's Celeb.

"Did you find out anything else?"