A Cringy, Cheesy, Cliché

Chapter 5

         I part ways with Andrew promising to play again tomorrow and make a pit stop at my locker. There, I put my chromebook back, keep my pencil, and grab my wallet for lunch.

         "Hey Hads!" I turn to see Dani approaching looking just as cheeky as ever.

         "What's gotten you so up and grinny?"

         "Oh nothing..." She twirls a loose curl between her fingers waiting for me to obviously take the bait.

         "Has something happened?"

         "OHMYGOSH YES SOMETHING HAPPENED HADLEY!"

         A couple of onlookers walk by and stare at me exclusively in spite of Dani's outburst.

         "If you could just lower your voice and explain to me what the hell is making you act like you're in a will.i.am music video?"

         "Just about everyone is talking about you and Sy!"

         "He's got a nickname now?"

         "Hadley, are you ignoring the fact that I basically informed you that you guys are the new 'it' couple?"

         I close my locker. "Are you ignoring the fact that me being with Sy has now made you a straight fangirl?"

         "Thank you for kindly reminding me that I have a girlfriend to embrace." Dani turns on heels and storms off towards the lunch room. Not very quickly though cause I'm right behind her in a heartbeat.

         "Save my seat!" I yell out before setting foot into the serving line. It's there where I get my favorite dish of bowtie macaroni and fruit cocktail. An overpriced delicacy I'm willing to buy every 10:40 AM.

         Navigating out to find my lunch table I get lost for a second. Dani sure hasn't actually gotten mad at me and left with Freddie? But then in the crowd of students I spot Freddie's uniquely orange head that no one else at Pacman Prep has. Walking closer, there next to her is a bright blonde girl I can tell is Dani. And when I stop in my tracks, it's in front of Dani I see—

         "You know how hard it was to identify your friends? I was beginning to think you eat in the stall by yourself."

         "What are you doing over here Silas," I deadpan.

         "Eating my fried rice. Want some?"

         "What is he doing here?" I ask directed to Freddie and Dani.

         Freddie chomps on a fruit bar. "Don't know. He just came over and asked us if we knew a Henry Davis and we said 'yeah'."

         "Henry?"

         "Yea," Silas continued. "Davis."

         The period's not ticking any slower so I sit down and get to eating just as the rest of them.

         "So, do you want some rice?"

         "I'd rather pass."

         "Ah, so this is where you went off to?" a voice behind me exclaimed.

         "Andrew?" I can hear the quiet snickering of two annoying lesbians in front of me and I make a mental note to yell at them in private.

         "Hey Hadley, mind if I join you guys?"

         "We don't," Silas spoke on the behalf of seemingly both of us. 

         "Cool, a fruit cup. Can I have some?"

         I pass my mixed fruit goodness to Andrew and sulk in fruit emptiness.

         "Hey," Freddie hands me a third of her bar left and I take it. Revising my mental note to only yell at Dani and take it easy on Fred.

         "Are you busy tonight Davis?" 

         I turn and make eye contact with Silas. "Not exactly but I do have a math test to study for."

         "Survey of math?"

         I take a bite of the fruit bar finishing it entirely. I can't offer a verbal response so I just nod my head as I chew.

         "Let me help you with it."

         "It's not exactly easy stuff Silas."

         The sound of this makes Silas scoff.

         "We had Mr. Thompson last semester for survey of math and passed with a ninety," Andrew boasted.

         Mr. Thompson is one of the math teachers all students tend to want to avoid. Strict and hard. Kids would literally head to Guidance in hopes of switching to an easier teacher if their classes weren't already full. If I was late to Mr. Thompson's class today instead of Mahoney, an afterschool detention pass would've been issued so quickly.

         "You guys passed Thompson?"

         "I actually got a ninety-six," Silas corrected. "What's your current grade with Mahoney?"

         Now I know earlier I preached about hating English and loving the other subjects, but that doesn't mean I'm good at it. Survey of math uses algebra, geometry, and statistics. Two out of three I barely understand.

        "seventy-eight."

         "You have a 'C'?"

         "Some of my stuff hasn't been graded yet and I'm sure once they've been submitted into the gradebook it'll go up to a seventy-nine and maybe he'll round it up? I mean, that's math in its essence," I shrug.

         "I'll come over after school."