-Welcome to Reality-

Chapter 3

Chapter 3:  Smile

My first couple of periods went by relatively quick and before I knew it, it was lunch.  Normally I consider lunch my favorite "subject", can you blame me? Heck I get to sit, eat, talk, and laugh with most of my favorite people, it can't get any better than this at school. But for some reason today I just want to find a quiet room and eat my lunch.  Alone. But that won't do, it would just make a scene. The last thing I want is a bunch people to start "worrying" or to spread rumors or whatever. So I walk into the school cafeteria, take a deep breath, and put on my most convincing smile. Only a few more hours.

I sit down at our usual table as I look around at everyone, hollering "Hey what up people!"  A chorus of "hey's", "hi's" and "yo's" answer back to me while I slip my arm around Sadie's waist. She pulls my face close to hers and kisses me.  But I pull my head back too quickly.  Whats wrong with me today?  She tilts her head to the side and slightly squints her eyes. I can tell she didn't expect me to do that.  As everyone continues to clang their dishes and talk about who knows what, I turn to Sadie.

"Hey you."  I wink, hoping my charm will keep her from thinking about my retreat any further.

"Hey you okay?" she says skeptically. She knows what I am up to.

"Fine." I reply while trying to act busy with my food.  I really have no excuse for my sucky attitude.

"Pierce look at me.  You sure your fine?  I mean, I've watched you in between classes and you just don't seem like yourself today."

Hm.  She knows me too well.  She''ll be suspicious if I say nothing is wrong.

So I resort to a long sigh and say "Just a bad morning, that's all."  But inside it's more than that.  I just can't figure out what.  I can tell she's still not satisfied with my answer but she tries her best to brush it off.  Thank you.

"Well maybe tonight will cheer you up...You going?"  Sadie says while stroking my hair for a moment.

"To Niki's party?"

"Mmhmm."

"Uh yeah. Yeah I'll be there. Want me to pick you up?"

"Thanks but I'm going early to help her set everything up. I'll see you there though."  She smiles.

I look into those faithful blue eyes. Why am I trying to hide this from her? I know I can trust her. Maybe she can help me figure out what's gotten into me. She's always good at that. As I open my mouth to ask her if we could go talk somewhere alone, I hear my name shouted from across the table.

"Pierce!" Drake yells again. "You proposing over there or what?"

Change of plans. I'll take this opportunity to convince Sadie that nothing is wrong.

"She said yes!!!" I exclaim grinning ear to ear while throwing my fist into the air.

I lean in a give her a long kiss on the cheek.  Everyone laughs, especially Sadie. That'll do it.  

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Hours Later:

As I walk up the steps to my house, I can already hear my mom singing along to Bon Jovi in the kitchen.  Instantly, I remember what day it is.  Wednesday. Oh great, it's "family dinner night."Because we have a large family of ten, the kids ranging from seven months old to twenty years old, we set aside one night a week to have dinner all together.  And that day is today.  After kicking off my shoes, throwing my books in my room, and saying "hi" to the siblings that run by me, I step into the kitchen to see my mom.  Her back is to me as she sprinkles seasoning on to the meat and struts to the music at the same time. Not bad for a middle aged woman.