"So-o-o, is she sitting with us today?" Dinah questioned as Marionette and I sat down. It had been almost three weeks since the chat I had with Marionette and Ember and every day I asked them to sit with Dinah's group and I at lunch, for we all had the same lunch period. For some reason Ember had something going on every single day and couldn't make it for lunch. I thought that was weird because from what clubs I checked, which was quite a few, Ember wasn't a part of them, so what could she possibly be doing at lunch break? Marionette probably knows because she was and is one of Ember's only friends ever since the rumour started and she knows a lot about Ember, but she won't tell because she keeps saying it's not her secret, so I just stopped pushing it. So it's just been Marionette who sits with at the table group with me.
We were eating our lunch in the way it normally goes. Elliot and Sam argue while Peter backs Sam up and Carl backs Elliot up, and sometimes something like a potato chip goes flying through the air, across the table. Once a half full, chocolate pudding cup went flying into Anna, and trust me, it wasn't pretty. Susan is in the midst of it all, flirting mostly with Elliot, I think. Piper and Anna talk quietly amongst themselves about the latest episodes of Criminal Minds, a TV show they both watch. Mom let me watch it once with Dylan and Kaelyn when I became interested, but it scared the crap out of Dylan, so I can never watch it again. Dinah and I chatted together before Marionette came along, but now since she's here, I try to engage Marionette into making conversation, too.
"So, Marionette," Dinah asked today, a bit snottily, if you ask me, "Aren't you supposed to be with your popular friends?"
"No." Marionette said flatly, "C'mon Dinah, you know popular isn't real."
"Yeah, sure." Dinah mused, "Like popular, when, in Grade Seven, you ditched me and I was lonely, until I formed my own group. And now you just come over and plop yourself down beside Megan. You think that isn't real?"
"You know why I did it, Dinah. I'm sorry, but it had to be done." Marionette said sadly.
"You replaced Ember with me!" Dinah snapped, "Ember Wilson, complete lesbian!"
"She's not lesbian!" I cut in, "Why are lesbians such a bad thing?"
No one replied as my question hung in the air. "C'mon," I said to Marionette, placing my hand over her's, "we're going." I tugged her away. Far away from Dinah's group.
Evantually Marionette took the lead because I had no clue where the heck I was going. She said last year all Grade Eights from the middle school Dylan is attending, went on a trip here and learned all the directions and ways around the building. But, her hand never left mine until we reached our destination. Her hand felt nice and warm against my cold one. We went outside, and sat on the hill with the metal fence back to us. We let go hands and ate our lunch.
"I'm just so mad at her!" Marionette fumed. I stared at her, from knowing Marionette for three weeks, I learned that she never got angry and never lost her cool. "I mean, the only reason I ditched her was because she was a nasty old bully who started the rumour about Ember, making Ember's life miserable and right now Dinah Colby thinks I left her out in the cold to die or something stupid, while I'm still popular! Guess what, Megan? Popular girls don't matter in the real world outside the fence gates of this school!" Marionette leaned against the fence, "'Popular' is not real!" Marionette wiped tears from her eyes, "I hate it. Just hate it."
"I think it's my fault," I whispered quietly, suddenly feeling like a dope in front of Marionette, "I asked you to sit with me and I got Dinah jealous. It's my fault this happened."
Marionette mopped her eyes and managed a smile, "It's not your fault, Megan, you're still new to California and all the friendships and group things and stuff here. I should've told you sooner."
"It's okay." I said calmly, but then I joked, just to see her lovely smile, "Now, who's ready for more of Mr. Earl after lunch?"
Marionette smiled from ear to ear.
Later that night, I lay in my bed thinking about Marionette. I imagined her dressed in a sparkling dress the colour of the night, with the stars and their constellations dotting it. I loved her black, bouncing hair and her sparkling brown eyes. Her tan skin from her ethnic background (Carribean and Spanish) was so perfect, not a pimple anywhere. And her smile, the open mouthed one she made with her rosebud mouth, it was as if the world was one hundred percent good all the time. Her personality's pretty amazing too, she's so mature and tries to be so friendly to everyone, no matter who they are. I wanted to see her tomorrow and the day after that, and all of the 365 days of the year! Then it dawned on me, it was so clear now why Marionette was so special to me. I had the thing all of the other girls had!
I had a crush on Marionette.
YOU ARE READING
Different Kind of Love
RomanceMegan Maxwell is your average fourteen year old girl, until she moves to sunny California and discovers that life isn't as simple as it seems. She's stuck with the thought that she might like someone who is the same gender as her! Megan can't tell...
