Knowing 12 - Boys of Tommen

7.

sara

In the following days, Tommen became less overwhelming. The halls were easier to navigate and the school work wasn't so hard when you had your friends to help you. I occasionally saw Patrick, passed him in the hallways, but I wasn't sure why he was on the fourth year side of the school. I kept that observation to myself, though.

When the bell sounded for lunch I was excited to get a break from the droning teachers and the stacks of school work I concealed in my backpack.

Claire led the way, waving to other girls on the way there, while me and Liz walked farther behind. Liz seemed to be in a better mood as the week went on.

"I don't think I want lunch today," Liz said, while catching a glimpse of the plates of our classmates. Meatloaf.

"We can share my sandwich," I offer, while clutching the paper bag in my hand.

"Thanks," she said, and gave me a small smile.

"Everything good?" I ask her, as we weave our way through the crowd in the cafeteria.

"I'm grand. It's just this party coming up, Pierce is being an asshole about it."

Pierce, the idiot I told her to break up with.

"I don't know why you stay with him?" Claire chimed in and I could tell Liz didn't like the comment.

Sometimes the smallest things will set her off, she'll spit out something mean, and I know she'll feel guilty over it for days. I'm not sure why the comment upset her but I just know that it did. So, I put my hand on her shoulder to limit the fallout.

When she doesn't respond to Claire and looks at me heavily, I speak up.

"Look, it doesn't matter. We're just going to have fun and not worry about boys, right?" I say, trying to keep the peace.

"I agree with Sara. No drama, no boys, and no fights." Claire says, as we finally make our way out of the cafeteria doors in the back, behind the school, overlooking the rugby pitches.

On Thursdays the rugby boys practice during our lunchtime, instead of having it with us. So, we sit outside, to have a break from all of the other commotion inside. At least, that's what Claire said.

We lean against the brick wall and Claire pulls out her lunch box, which contains neatly packed containers of her various foods. I pull out my ham sandwich and unwrap it. Then, I split it down the middle as evenly as possible, so that I can share with Lizzie.

"So, about the upcoming events, are you ready for your first real Tommen party?" Claire asks, popping strawberries into her mouth.

"You make it sound so grand. They really aren't, Sara." Lizzie concludes, taking a bite of her sandwich and looking out onto the pitch. "It's just a bunch of rich pricks grinding against drunk girls. They're only fun if you get black out drunk."

"Lizzie! That is not true!" Claire squeals.

Lizzie shrugs. I just watch.

"How would you know what they're really like? You spend the whole thing with Thor, doing whatever the two of you do," Lizzie says and Claire tucks a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Hey! At least I have fun. All you do is smoke and drink with whatever guy you can find. And we dance together, if you really want to know," Lizzie scoffs.

"How romantic, Claire. When are the two of you going to admit what everyone already knows?" Lizzie fires back.

The longer I've been around Claire and Lizzie recently, the more I've realized that they always seem to be pissed with each other. But I know that I haven't been around to see everything recently and friendships are complicated. They both care about each other, I know that, but I just wish things could be different.

"I'm actually looking forward to it, I guess. I didn't go to many BCS parties." I say, breaking the line of fire between my two oldest friends.

"Yeah, I wouldn't either. They're a bunch of skanks at that school." Lizzie declares, I assume she's talking about the girls, which would be a fair point.

We all turn to the pitch when a whistle blows and yelling ensues. Rugby is very intense, it's weird that Patrick plays it. I've never seen him as an intense guy. More like calm and patient.

I can see him from here, #12 on his back, jogging up to the huddle of other guys as their coach barks out orders. I can't stop thinking about when he came to my house. I haven't told any of the girls, except for Katie. I'm a little embarrassed to tell Claire and Lizzie.

I denied my crush on Patrick Feely when I was a kid. I didn't want to complicate things. But Claire and Lizzie weren't blind. Crushes didn't just go away, especially your first crush. After all, they were both still in love with the boys from their childhoods.

"Hugh told me that Feely was coming to the party." Claire blurts out and Lizzie looks to me with wide eyes.

"Really, I thought he doesn't go to many parties?" I say, avoiding their eyes.

"Usually not, occasionally he will." Claire replies, popping a blueberry into her mouth this time.

Lizzie smiles at Claire, they can always put aside their differences to tease me about Patrick.

"Stop it guys, I thought this thing was over?" I say embarrassed, blush creeping across my face.

"What thing?" Lizzie and Claire exclaim at the same time.

"Teasing me about my childhood crush on Feely. I'm not a little kid anymore, you know? I can like other guys."

They both shrug their shoulders, concealing their laughs.

"I'll believe it when I see it." Lizzie laughs.

"Who was your first kiss again?" Claire smiles.

"Oh my God! You two are such hypocrites! Don't make me talk about your first kisses!" I say, crossing my arms, frustrated now.

Patrick was my first kiss. He was dared to by Hugh and the other girls, I was embarrassed for weeks after when I was 11.

"Alright, alright." Lizzie exclaims, her cheeks growing pink as well.

Hugh Biggs. The boy she was still secretly in love with. Bet she didn't want me to bring that up.

"Please, Gerard and I both came to the agreement that it never counted." Claire squeals, shaking her head.

"That's not what he told me..." I mutter, laughing with Lizzie.

"Oh, shut up!" Claire laughs along with us.

"I swear, we're a bunch of old people. Still hung up on the first guys we ever liked," Claire sighs, as all of our eyes drift out to the pitch.

"I know, we should really get out more." Lizzie exclaims.

.