The Janitor

Chapter 1 - Lunch

"Oh my god, do you actually believe that she hooked up with that guy?" I asked, laughing. Laura and I were talking about some eighth grader who claimed to have had sex with a junior from Wilkinson High, a prestigious college preparatory school for snobby rich kids.

Laura scoffed, "Of course not, she's literally like twelve or something. I bet she hasn't even been kissed yet." My best friend rolled her eyes and smirked at me. I knew what she was thinking about. Back in freshman year, I had my first kiss with my then boyfriend, Jonathan. He had wavy blonde hair and chapped lips. Laura always teases me about it because I took it a bit too far and shoved my goddamn tongue down his throat. I broke up with Jonathan the next day.

I ran my tongue across my teeth in remembrance and picked up a grape from Laura's plate. I surveyed it for any rotten spots and finding none, popped it into my mouth. "Do you think Felix is cute? Like a kind of nerdy cute?" I wondered out loud. "I mean, he's not really my type but he's been trying to talk to me a lot, lately." I ran my hands through my hair and sighed quietly.

"Felix Jensen? Wasn't he the one who won that award at the science fair?" Laura asked. I watched as Laura squinted across the room looking for him amongst the crowd of students. I turned around as a tall boy with glasses came walking over. It was Felix.

Felix plopped himself down next to me and reached out to tug on a lock of my hair. He grinned and asked me how I was. I replied and Laura, Felix, and I launched into a conversation about the essay we have to write in Mr. O' Callaghan's class about the significance of the book The Catcher in the Rye. I had already finished the essay the week before but didn't mention it. I knew that if they knew I had written it already, Laura would ask me for help on hers. She wasn't dumb or anything, she just lacked motivation. I myself am a very driven person. I have straight A's and I'm already taking AP chemistry and honors geometry. I enjoy writing but want to pursue nursing or pediatrics.

I zoned out of conversation until Felix poked me in the ribs with his finger. "Hey Bella, do you mind if I call you that?" I nodded absentmindedly and he continued, "I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie with me with weekend. There's a cool science fiction movie coming out that I was hoping to see." My head snapped up to meet Laura's gaze-she was slowly shaking her head.

"Sorry Felix, I have plans already. I'm, uh, going to my grandparents' this weekend. Their dog died," I lied. I heard what sounded like a laugh or a cough from Laura. I avoided Felix's eyes but saw him frown slightly. He muttered something about needing to get to class and hurried away.

Slowly, I turned around and looked at Laura. She had her face in her arms and her shoulders were shaking. I threw a grape at her. She looked up, still laughing, and threw the grape back. It hit me on the cheek. "Okay what? I panicked!" I thought about how I told Felix my grandparents' dog had died and cringed. But I finally gave in and started laughing with Laura. When we finally stopped calmed down, Laura spoke up.

"Wait, did he say he had to get to class? The five-minute bell hasn't even rung yet," Laura said. I too noticed Felix's fib but thought nothing of it. He was probably just embarrassed about being rejected or something. I shrugged, stood up, and told Laura that I had to go use the bathroom.

I started walking towards the door when I felt something hit my head. A blackberry. I picked it up and tossed it into the trash after giving a dirty look to some freshmen who were throwing food at each other. God, they should at least learn how to aim. I continued to walk but felt something hit my head again. I turned around and saw the same freshmen trying not to laugh. I rolled my eyes and rushed away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire again. On the way to the bathroom, I got hit three times by flying blackberries, tripped on my own foot, and ran into a table, humiliating myself in front of a group of seniors in letter back jackets.

This was going to be a long day.