Right Now

Chapter 2- Food Fight

Chapter 2- Food Fight

Rhea grabbed her black messenger bag from her bed and walked out of her purple bedroom. Rhea was really happy that her dad didn’t come home when Krista had forced her to hold that house party. If her dad found out, she’d be in big trouble.

She went to the kitchen to put the bread in the toaster. She jumped when something fuzzy rubbed against her leg. She looked down to see her pet, a black cat with a purple collar.

“Hey there, Jet,” said Rhea picking him up. Jet meowed as Rhea scratched his head. “Where have you been all week?”

Jet was more of an outside cat, he usually comes back for breakfast, lunch and dinner or he could relax at home when he didn’t feel like going outside.

Rhea heard the toaster and placed Jet down. She filled Jet’s bowl and took the toast out of the toaster. She sat down at the table with a cup of milk. She spread blackberry jam over her toast and bit into it. Once she finished her breakfast she walked out into the morning air to her bus stop.

0-0-0

The bell rang for the end of third period. Chris walked out of geometry class into the busy halls. He was walking down the hall to his locker when Krista and her minions got in his way.

“Hey Chris, I want to say thanks for coming to the party.”
   
“Yeah, sure, about that… That wasn't your house.”
   
“What do you mean?”
   
“Stop playing innocent, I know you bullied Rhea into hosting that party for you.”
   
“She wanted to,” said Krista. “Right girls?” Amanda and Molly nodded.
   
Chris was about to say more, but then he saw Rhea at her locker. He smiled and walked around Krista to greet her.
   
“Chris? Where are you going?” Krista called, but Chris ignored her.
   
“Rhea!” He called out.
   
Rhea jerked and looked around to see Chris. She closed her locker, holding her books and smiled.
   
Chris smiled back and tried to make conversation. “Hey, thanks again for yesterday, and I’m sorry about what Krista did.”
   
“It’s alright.” Rhea blushed and looked down to the floor. “I have to get to class.”
   
“I’ll carry your books, they seem pretty heavy.”
   
“You don’t have to do that,” said Rhea.
   
“I know, but I want to.” Chris grinned and took the books out of Rhea’s hands.
   
“Chris!?”
   
Chris heard Krista call his name but he pretended not to hear.
   
“Chris, I think Krista’s calling you,” said Rhea.
   
“Oh, don’t worry about her. So what class do you have next?”
   
“Biology…”
   
“Really? Cool. I have that class next too. Did you switch to my class, I've never seen you there.”
   
“I’ve been in the same biology class as you since the beginning of school.”
   
Chris looked at Rhea as she held her gaze to the floor. Chris wondered how he could miss such a cute girl like Rhea in his class.
   
“Do you sit in the back?”
   
“I sit in the front.”
  
“Oh…”

Chris didn’t know what else to say. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing and make Rhea feel like she’d been invisible to him. He wondered how many other classes she's been in with him that he didn’t notice. Somehow he’s feels a bit disappointed in himself. To think he wouldn’t remember a classmate! He'd spent way too much time with the popular kids.
   
They walked the rest of the way to class in silence. Chris placed Rhea’s books on her desk that was up front near the windows and then sat in the middle row, three seats down. The late bell rang and Mr. Leathing, the biology teacher, walked in and took attendance. Mr. Leathing turned around and began writing on the black chalkboard. Chris didn’t pay attention. All he could do was stare at the back of Rhea’s head. When he realized he was staring he blushed and ripped his eyes off of her, looking to the black board. Mr. Leathing put the chalk down, turned around, and started fixing his red tie and glasses.
   
He cleared his throat and began to speak. “Alright, so I’m going to assign a project and you may partner up with only one person. You can do that now as I pass out the papers.”
   
Chris looked to Rhea and smiled. When he stood up, he saw Krista walking towards him. He didn’t want to work with Krista so he quickly ran and sat next to Rhea.
   
“Hey,” Chris said.
   
“H-hi?” Rhea said, a little surprised.
   
Chris looked back to Krista to see her looking at him with a shocked expression. He grinned and turned back to Rhea.
   
“Is it alright if I be your partner? If you don’t want to I can look for someone else.” Chris was literally begging Rhea to say yes in his mind. If she said no then he would have to work with Krista, since everyone else seemed to have a partner, except that one blonde boy named Matt.
   
“Yeah, I guess it’s alright,” Rhea said.
   
Chris’s grin grew to a wide smile. He turned around to see Krista sitting with Matt. Krista had an angry look on her face. She then suddenly stood up and walked up to Mr. Leathing.
   
‘Uh oh,’ Chris thought.
   
“I want to switch partners,” Krista said.
   
“Why is that? I gave you a chance to chose your own partner and everyone seems happy.”
   
“But I’m not!”
   
“Well, I can’t do anything unless someone wants to switch partners with you,” said Mr. Leathing.
   
Krista looked at Chris then glared at Rhea. Chris had a bad feeling and Rhea looked a bit pale.
   
Krista stomped in front of Rhea. “You!” She pointed. Rhea flinched and swallowed. “I want you to switch with me.”
   
Rhea looked at Chris, concerned. She didn’t know what to do or say. She wanted to work with Chris but she also didn’t want to get on Krista’s bad side. Thankfully Chris spoke.
   
“Sorry, Krista, but I want to keep my partner. Maybe you can ask someone else.”
   
“B-but, Chris.”
   
“Krista, I’m working with Rhea, no one else,” Chris stated.
   
Krista growled at Rhea and walked back to her partner. Chris turned to Rhea and smiled.
   
“Are you sure you don’t want to work with Krista? She seems pretty upset,” said Rhea.
   
Chris shook his head. “Nah, I want to work with you and besides, if I partnered up with Krista, I’d probably be doing all the work while she goes goofing off with her friends.”
   
“D-do you do that?” Rhea mumbled.
   
“Sorry, I didn’t hear that.”
   
“Do you goof off and not do the work?” Rhea asked.
   
“Me? No, I don’t, I actually get my work done.”