Something Peculiar

3

Cafeteria food is a plague on mankind, I'm certain of it. I've been to she of the classiest schools in the country, and still found very little that I'd be willing to eat. Sometimes I'm surprised I don't starve to death. All I can taste is salt and preservatives and bit. I had gotten a tray because i was absolutely famished, but as soon as I started pushing it down the tray line, i felt that familir wave of nausea as I was forced to smell everything.

"Generally, people l, you know, get food here," Kai commented. He had grabbed a tray right behind me, and he was watching as I slid past all the offerings(macaroni and "cheese", pizza, mashed potatoes, canned corn) without taking any.

"I find that hard to believe," I scoffed. Kai had looked up on the macaroni and pizza, but turned down the corn. But he was over six foot and growing, so nonenof it would show on his waistline.

"You're not one of those anorexic girls, are you?" Kai asked, eyeing me up sincerely.

"No, I am definitely not one of those girls!" I shook my head. We had reached the end of the line where they had a few sorry looking lettuce leads, a bowl of oranges, and red Jell-o cubes. Luckily, my love for Jell-o is Biblical and I loaded up my plate. But if I was, I probably.wouldn't tell you."

"Wait." Kai thought this over for minute as I grabbed a bottled water. "Is that your way of telling me that you really are?

"Nope. I'm not. I'm just saying that when you ask questions like that, you're usually gonna get the same answer no matter what," I said. i fumbled in my pocket for the money I owed the cashier, and Kai narrowed his eyes at me. "When you asked someone of they're a liar or if they stole that or if they cheated on you. Everybody is always gonna say no, whether they did it or not. Asking the question doesn't get you anywhere."

"I sorta feel like I should make you eat a Big Mac now to prove me wrong." Kai took his turn paying the cashier. And I waited for him. We had been sitting together during lunch the last week or so at the school, and that still felt odd to me. I had eaten lunch be myself almost my entire school career. Normally, we sat at a little round table in the corner of the room, underneath a banner for the football team. We were all the spirit.

"Hey, Jennie, wait," Kai stopped me when I started heading over to our table.

"Let's sit somewhere does." Our table was empty, and there didn't seem to be anything wrong with it, so I didn't understand the sudden decision to move tables.

"Okay. Where?" I shrugged.

"How about.... Over there." Kai nodded to the opposite side of the room, but there weren't any tables open. I scanned the crowd, trying to figure out who he'd want to be sitting with... but then I figured it out. Lalisa had glaced up at me.

"Seriously?" I scoffed. "You wanna sit with her?"

"Come on, Jen." Kai looked at me imploringly, and then looked over at where Lalisa was sitting by herself, opening her bottle of water. "She's all alone, and she looks so forlorn."

"No, she doesn't. She looks thirsty." I watched Lalisa take a long drink of water.

"You know how much it sucks being the new kid," Kai insisted.

"Are you like the welcome wagon or something?" I scowled at him. By the expression he was giving me, I knew I'd have a little choice in the matter of I wanted to continue a friendship with him. And for son stupid reason, I really did. I exhaled loudly, my sign of defeat, and Kai grinned broadly.

"She's so creepy, though."

"She is not." Kai had started walking over to the table, so I followed reluctantly after him
"And you know what? I think thou dost protest too much."