The Day My Life Began

Building Bridges

Monday

Caroline had forc-talked me into sitting with her and her friends at lunch. Usually I ate out in the courtyard alone, especially in the colder months. My lunch had just finished cooking in the microwave when Care approached me and started dragging me towards table filled with teenage girls.

"This is a bad idea." I told the teen. "Can't I just eat outside again?"

Care shook her head. "No eating outside. Just have one lunch with these guys and if you don't want to, I will never ask again."

"No, you'll ask passively." I deadpanned.

Care laughed. "You know me so well." She continued to drag me towards the large table.

It had four girls around it. There was one I noticed as the school's senior, a pair of ninth graders, and a single eleventh grader.

The senior waved at Care. "Hey, is this Morgan?"

My new friend (for now) nodded. "Yep. Morgan, these are the girls." She gestured to the senior. "That's my sister, Anna."

"Hello." Anna greeted.

Care gestured to the eleventh grader. "That's Maddie."

"Hi."

The two ninth graders piped up. The one with strawberry blonde hair spoke first. "I'm Lauren, and this is Becca."

The second ninth grader raised her hand. "...hey..."

I waved. "There, I met them. Can I go now?" They all laughed. "I'm not joking."

Care guided me to an empty chair and dropped me in it. "We agreed you would spend one lunch with me." She gestured to the table. "Here is your lunch, these are your peers, enjoy it."

"If you say YOLO, I will slap you." I warned, unpacking my lunch box.

Anna, Maddie, Care, and Lauren laughed. Becca made a disgusted look as she looked down at my plate.

"Ugh...what are those?" Becca asked, sounding disgusted.

I looked down at my plate. I usually had the same thing for lunch every day. Four mozzarella sticks, a small bag of chips, a banana, and a Little Debbie treat. The mozzarella sticks always kinda melted out onto the paper plate. "My lunch." I said.

"You can't eat that stuff." Becca said, sounding like a primpy teenager. "That's carbs."

I took my fork and ate a mozzarella stick. "If I cawed about carbth, I wouldn't be thitting hewe." I said.

"Eww! Don't talk like that!" Becca groaned. "It's disgusting!"

Swallowing, I looked half-heartedly at Becca. "If I cared about carbs, I would not be sitting here." I repeated.

"Fine, but don't come to us when you get fat." Becca said, returning to her meal of a simple salad.

"Becca!" Anna interjected.

"Hey!" Maddie said.

"Not cool, Becca, apologize." Caroline ordered.

"Yeah, Becca. That was mean." Lauren added.

"What? It's true! Carbs make you fat!"

"That's why I added a banana." I said, tossing the banana into the air. "Bananas are good. Full of potassium. Never go to a party without one."

But, none of them heard me. They were all still yelling at how Becca shouldn't call me almost fat.

This is why I don't hang around with teenagers. Makes me wish Darcy hadn't...died......because of me.....