Ecie & Esme II: Another Day Like This

Five

'So you never told me about your summer,' Joey said at lunch. 'Tell me all about it. I want all the details.'

'You've heard them all before,' Ecie replied biting into her salad. 'Or at least I've told you what's happened on other occasions.'

'So who were the lucky bed warmers?'

'Oh you know,' Ecie joked. 'Just the regulars.'

'Right,' Joey laughed. 'Any new guys?'

'I wish,' Ecie replied. 'There are no new guys in California. I've really been there, done that and bought out the whole store.'

'I think I know what you mean,' Joey laughed. 'But tell me anyway. I'm so intrigued with the new t-shirts you got this summer.'

Ecie laughed. 'If you must know, I spent most of it with Caner and his girlfriend.'

'He's got a girlfriend? What poor thing would put themselves through such a thing?'

'Be nice,' Ecie laughed.

'So what did you guys do?'

'Well I hung out with Caner,' Ecie replied wiping her mouth with a napkin. 'You know.'

'Right,' Joey nodded. 'Did you guys hook up or what? I want details woman.'

Ecie laughed. 'Yeah we hooked up a couple of times. I guess it's always nice to have something familiar.'

'And there were no new guys?'

'Well,' Ecie said slowly. 'I wouldn't call him a new guy exactly, although he was kind of new.'

'Juicy,' Joey laughed. 'Oh please tell me. I'm so dying to know who it was.' Langley walked past their table with Owen and his other friends, and Joey felt her friend tense slightly. 'Oh my god you didn't.'

'What?' Ecie said looking at Joey startled. 'I didn't what?'

'How could you not tell me this?!' Joey said excitedly.

'What are you talking about?'

'Langley,' Joey said bubbling. 'Oh my god.'

'How did you...?'

'Your body does this thing where it tells me everything and anything I need to know,' Joey replied. 'So are you guys...? Like together?'

'No,' Ecie replied looking at Langley for the first time since he'd walked into the cafeteria. 'We're not. I ended it.'

'But why?' Joey said. 'I thought he was like the top grade. What happened?'

Ecie shrugged. 'I guess you could say that he'd satisfied my needs,' she lied. 'Who wants a relationship anyway?'

'He's like my boyfriend's best friend,' Joey said. 'What if Owen wants to talk about it?'

'You tell him that you don't know anything,' Ecie replied. 'I don't think you'd really want to discuss it with him.'

'But he's going to ask,' Joey said. She looked across the room at Owen and caught his eye. They held each other.

'Oh god Joey,' Ecie said watching her friend. 'Please stop that. It really freaks me out when you guys do that whole eye thing.'

Joey smiled at Owen before letting him go slowly and turning back to Ecie. 'I can't help it,' she said. 'I'm telling you, he does something to me. He really does.'

'I think I'm gonna throw up,' Ecie said pushing her barely touched salad from her. 'You're making me wanna puke.'

Joey pulled a face. 'You were totally like that with Denis,' she laughed. '"Oh Joey, Denis is just so amazing. He makes me feel so whole, so unexplainable. He is so amazing" blah, blah, blah. You were even worse than me.'

Ecie laughed. 'I don't think so.'

'Right,' Joey laughed. 'So tell me, what's up with the super chick turtleneck? It's like seventy degrees out.'

'It was cold when I left my house this morning,' Ecie said pulling her turtleneck self-consciously. 'I thought it looked cute with the new uniform.'

'Do you have a hickie?'

'No,' Ecie said quickly. 'I'm just cold. I have a sensitive neck, and I read somewhere this summer that turtlenecks help your neck and stuff so it's good for cheerleading.'

'Right,' Joey nodded. 'When did you read that? In between time with Langley and Rhino?

Ecie laughed. 'Yeah. Right when I was sandwiched in between them.'

Joey laughed. 'You are terrible. You are so terrible.'

'Hey Joey,' Owen said leaning on the table. 'How are you?'

'I'm okay,' Joey said trying to stop laughing. 'I'm good. What about you?'

'Yeah,' Owen nodded. 'I'm great. Ecie?'

'Hey,' Ecie said. 'Did you have a good summer? You're looking really tanned.'

'Yeah,' Owen replied. 'It was good.'

'Are you going to sit down?' Joey asked.

'I just came over to say hi,' he replied as they held each other. 'I wanted to know how you were.'

'I'm good,' Joey smiled. 'I'm really good.'

'Well that's good then,' Owen smiled. 'You look really great...'

'Oh my god you guys make me so sick,' Ecie said rolling her eyes. She stood up and picked up her tray. 'I'm going to go and throw up my lunch somewhere.'

'Right,' Joey smiled.

'Right,' Ecie said raising her eyes. 'Well I guess I'll find you later.'

'Great.'

Ecie left the lunch table and disposed of her lunch in the bins.

'Hey Ecie,' Langley said running after Ecie. 'Ecie.'

'Langley,' Ecie said not quite meeting his eyes. 'Did you want something?'

'I've tried calling you a thousand times,' he replied catching his breath. 'You don't really answer your cell much, do you?'

'I need to go to my locker before class,' Ecie said looking behind Langley.

'Did I do something?' he asked reaching out for her arm. She moved her arm back. 'Did I say something,' he said watching this. 'I don't understand what happened.'

'Nothing,' Ecie replied looking at the tip of his nose. 'Nothing happened.'

Langley touched the tip of his nose then looked back at Ecie. 'Are you okay?' he reached to place his hand on her shoulder, but Ecie slunk back slightly.

'Well I need to get to my locker, so I guess I'll see you around,' Ecie said before she started walking away.

Langley watched after Ecie for a moment before going after her.

'Why won't you look at me?' he asked.

'I am looking at you,' Ecie glancing at Langley's chin. 'You look great, if you were fishing for a compliment.'

'I mean look at me properly,' Langley said. 'You used to look at me; you used to look at my eyes.'

'I don't know what you're getting at?'

'Is that what you do to all the other guys?' he said. 'You just end things without a reason. Nothing except, "I think it's finished. Its over"? I don't understand Ecie.'

'What's not to understand?' Ecie replied as they reached her locker.

'I want to know why.'

'You have smelly breath,' Ecie said opening her locker and looking through for some books. 'And your body odor reeks of garlic or something.'

'I'm being serious,' Langley said. 'I just want to know why.'

'You've never been dumped before,' Ecie said taking out two text books and closing her locker. She looked at Langley's left eye brow. 'So I take it this must be hard for you...'

'Ecie...'

'I'm going to be late for class,' Ecie said. 'See you around.'