Invisible

INTIMIDATED

I NEVER KNEW WHO JEREMY REALLY WAS. In fact, the first day I met him, the only thing I sensed was inferiority, as if someone had taken his power away as he had done to me. I’d never thought of that, really. Didn’t strike me to be anything like I am, anything like a victim.

Then again, I could be wrong. No one sees me, so why should I think anyone should see him?

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I walked through the cafeteria doors, looked around. Anna had told me that she would be there that day, that she had managed to switch out of Spanish and into another class. I kept searching for her, faces blending together as someone called my name.

“Emma!” someone yelled. I’d hoped it was Anna, but it was a boy, someone I probably didn’t want to talk to. I turned around, Aiden’s eyes staring straight into mine.

“Hey,” I said, slightly annoyed.

“Looking for Anna?” he asked, smiling as my eyes widened, then narrowed in suspicion.

“Sure…”

“She’s back there,” he said, pointing toward where I’d just come from. Anna was sitting in one of the booths along the wall, across from Jeremy and some other boys. Her face looked pissed, frustrated as if Jeremy were the cause. I smiled as I started walking toward her, Aiden following closely behind.

“Dude,” Anna said as I approached her, “’Bout time you got here. Sit down.”

I sat next to her, Aiden sitting right across from me. There were at least five trays on the table, six of us. From what Anna said, she never ate the “bullshit” they served us. I glared at all of the boys around us.

“Aren’t they disgusting?” Anna asked as she pulled her phone out. Jeremy laughed.

“You’re disgusting, which is why you can’t get laid.”

“Ha ha… is that all you’ve got?”

“Nope… I’ve got more, and I can give it to you if you want.”

“Sad, because I don’t.”

“Geez,” one of the boys said, “Stop fucking around and just do it. Do you have any idea how stupid this is?”

“Hmm… blame your friend,” Anna said as she shoved her phone into her pocket, pulled out a plastic bag.

“Got food?” Anna asked.

“Mark forgot to go grocery shopping… again.”

“God, that asshole needs to get his shit straight.” She rolled her eyes, tore open the bag. She had enough food to feed both of us, four sandwiches, two apples, three bags of chips, two bottles of water… I stared at her.

“What?” she asked, “You didn’t think I’d let you starve, did you?”

I laughed as I took one of the sandwiches, Aiden staring straight at Anna. She laughed.

“Aiden wanted me to ask you out for him,” she said as she opened a bag of chips, smirked at her own discretion. I looked at him, his face pale, eyes widened. We’d been sitting together ever since I first met him two weeks before. I didn’t know why, but he was just such a good person to be with. It was as if we were meant to have some sort of relationship. Not once did we fight or argue over anything, even though we came close once. But it was weird for him to just ask me out randomly.

“Really?” I asked, smirking at him, “What’d he have in mind?”

“I don’t know… I think he wanted you to meet his parents or something. Right, Aiden?”

He glared at her, his hand balled into a fist as if he were about to punch her. She laughed. Apparently, he didn’t scare her at all.

“Yeah… right,” he said, looking back at me. His eyes were narrow again, only revealing the shades of blue that filled his eyes. “What do you think?”

I shrugged as I finished off my sandwich, grabbed a bag of chips. “Sounds innocent… Alright… meeting your parents should be interesting.”

“Alright, then. After school Friday?”

Mark would have killed me if he found out that Aiden drove me to his parents’ house without his permission…

Then again, he didn’t really care about me, so what did it matter?

“Yeah, sounds good.” Anna and I looked at each other, smiled that giggly, teenage girl smile girls do when they talk about flirting. It was pretty corny, if you ask me.

Jeremy glared at Aiden, then me. He looked pissed to me, but his eyes barely showed any emotion. No one really noticed. Hell, I didn’t either…

Not until now, at least.

Before anyone could say anything else, the bell rang. Anna finished her water, handed me the plastic bag.

“All for you,” she said, “I know Mark’s going to be late coming home.”

I nodded as I took the bag, grabbed my books, waited for her.

“Might as well skip gym,” Jeremy said as he walked past me, “Going to McDonald’s… Aiden, you coming?”

“Whoa, wait,” Anna said, “You just ate three lunches, and you mean to tell me you’re still hungry?”

“Yep. Aiden, are you coming or what?”

“No… I’mma just stay here.”

“Wow… alright.”

Jeremy and his friends started walking toward the exit. I watched them silently, Aiden trailing behind Anna and me.

“I’ll see you in fourth,” she said as we walked outside. Before I could respond, she disappeared into the crowd of people flowing into the building. I didn’t suspect anything until Aiden started talking to me.

“So I’ll drive you to my place after school?” he asked as we made our way around the building, toward the gym. I nodded slowly, imagined Mark getting pissed, saying that no daughter of his will be parading around with a boy…

It’d be hilarious if he did that.

“Good. They really want to meet you.”

Back then, I thought that was a little weird. Now, I’m kind of glad it happened.