Simple As A Song (School of Rock)

three - secrets and lies

THE PLASTIC TRAY IN my hands is full of pretty good-looking food, which is strange because my time at a public school taught me to never trust the food they served. I usually always brought my lunch, because the food was horrible and because that was all my mom could afford. Tomika and Summer are ahead of me, chatting to themselves as they lead us to where their other friends are sitting. I wish I could just sit by myself for right now, but Tomika made me join them when our class was let out, especially since I'm her cousin and all. 

I guess I'm okay with that. Her friends seem nice enough, especially Riley Kwon, but there is something off in Mr. Finn's classroom. First of all, he doesn't look like a teacher. I'm not saying that a teacher has to look a certain way, but if there is a basic description of a teacher, he surely doesn't fit it. Second of all, he didn't do much teaching. I know it's the beginning of the school year, but that doesn't mean anything because this is school and we need to learn. Third of all . . . I'm not sure if there's a third of all, but there is still something going on. 

We exit the building, heading out into an enclosed outside cafeteria. Their other friends are sitting at the table furthest away from the doors, and we head over there together. Tomika and Summer plop down next to Lawrence and Zack respectively, but there isn't any more room for me near them. Tomika shrugs when she sees me looking at her, so I focus my sights on Riley and Freddy, who are sitting right next to each other. There's a small spot between Lawrence and Riley, so I slip on and set my tray down, trying to make myself seem even smaller than I am. 

"How is your first day so far, Harlow?" Tomika asks me from across the table. She gives me a funny look, almost like she's excited for me to answer her. Furrowing my eyebrows, I keep my mouth shut. "I know you had a rough morning and all."

"Yeah, you rudely woke me up early this morning, telling me that I was snoring," I say, shaking my head. I pick up part of my chicken sandwich, preparing to take a bite. "Never, ever share a room with Tomika. She goes to sleep late and wakes up late."

"At least I don't snore." Her smile never drops off of her face, and I sneak a glance at her other friends around her. They're all eating their lunch but also paying attention to what Tomika has to say. For someone so small, she definitely captures all the attention. "No, I'm talking about when we got out of the car." My face heats up as she grins widely. "Someone honked their horn and scared Harlow, resulting in her falling over the sidewalk."

I'm not sure why Tomika is doing this again, why she keeps making fun of me in front of all her friends. It's not cool. I look around the table, trying to keep the blush down and watching to see how they react. Summer is looking down at her food like she doesn't want to be part of this conversation. Zack and Lawrence are glancing over Summer and Tomika, smiles on their faces. Beside me, Riley doesn't move, and neither does Freddy on her other side. 

"Yeah, I did fall," I say, forcing a grin onto my face. "I'm glad that I can be everyone's piece of comedy today." I take a bite of my food, holding back what I really want to say. The food does taste better than my other school's food, which is great. I just wish my cousin would be nicer and stop talking about my embarrassing moments. Swallowing hard, I say, "Let's talk about something else now. How long has Mr. Finn been teaching?"

Riley clears her throat, and I look toward her. She's looking across the table toward her brother, who is scratching the back of his head. "He's a substitute," she finally says, clearing her throat. She's looking down through her glasses at the red metal table. "Our other teacher is out, so he's subbing in for her until she comes back."

"Mr. Finn is cool, though," Zack says, shaking his head. I glance between him and Riley, who are sporting matching weird looks on their faces. Hmm, that's funny. "We go along with the flow."

"What kind of flow, though? He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"He's a little . . . not smart," Summer says, cringing slightly, "but he's a good teacher."

It seems like they're not going to budge on Mr. Finn being a substitute teacher -- and a not-so-good one, at that. I open my mouth to say something else, but Tomika gives me a funny look and shakes her head, so I close it again. There seems to be something glinting in her eyes, like she wants to tell me something, but I don't know if she will. Tomika is my cousin, and I know her very well, and when she is keeping a secret, she wants to tell you about it but won't. It's part of her honor code, and she doesn't budge from it. I hate it.

As I sit back and take a bite out of my chicken sandwich, Freddy starts speaking about something they did before I joined their little group. Riley laughs at whatever he says, and I glance over at her to see both hers and Freddy's cheeks reddened slightly. I know that Summer likes Freddy since Tomika told me last night, but she didn't say that Freddy and Riley might like each other. That's surprising, but it doesn't matter to me since I have decided that I don't want to be in their group anymore. I'm able to make my own friends outside of them. Tomika will understand. 

I finish my chicken sandwich and drink the rest of my apple juice before standing up. I pick up the tray and step away from the table, giving everyone a smile. "Harlow, where are you going?" Tomika says, cocking her head to the side. Her curls brush against the top of the red metal table, and Summer moves it out of the way of her food. "Because lunch isn't over yet."

"I'm going to stop by the library," I say, motioning toward the school with my head. She nods once, and I glance around the table. Both Lawrence and Zack are shoving their food in their mouths while Summer is daintily sitting at the edge of her seat, already done with her food. Freddy and Riley are facing me, and Riley is frowning, her eyes dark behind her glasses. "Thanks for letting me spend lunch with you guys. I'll see you later."

Spinning around, I march away from the table, trying not to look behind me. I know that Tomika will probably talk to me later tonight when we go home, but if I turn around now, I'll be drawn back into their group. I'd like to be alone right now and process the way that everyone seems to be lying to me. It hurts a little that they don't trust me with whatever they're keeping from me, but this is my first day, so that makes sense. Hopefully, they'll let me in on the secret soon.