Lit: A Story

Chapter Five

 

Chattering fills the mess hall. I plug my earphones, drowning the hustle and bustle of the campers. My eyes search around. Tasha is sitting with Jude and Geoff. The latter sees me first, but he does not smile. I remember; the public must be kept in the dark.

I make my way to the table. Tasha grabs a handful of my friends and places it on her plate. I take her bar of Hershey's.

"What's up?" I ask, swallowing a spoonful of Mac 'n' Cheese.

"We bored the hell out of ourselves. I am surprised we survived," Jude snatches my drink. "Where have you been?"

"On a date with me," Pierre answers from behind.

I shudder. Typical of him, always appearing at the wrong place on a wrong time. I move towards Tasha. Our legs touch. She nudges me with her shoulder and pushes me back to Pierre. The asshole slings his arm on my shoulder.

"Hey babe," he kisses my temple. "Miss me?"

Thank God for my empty stomach. My eyes are succinctly drawn to Geoff's indifference. I place my hand on Pierre's thigh, forming squiggly patterns. His legs shake as my hands dance on the corners of his legs. Edgy. I scoot closer to reach his ear. I bite the tip of it. "More than you can imagine."

"Easy tiger," he catches my hand. I look at him and silently sneer. Pushing him away, I scoff, and then concentrate on my food.

"Feisty," I hear Geoff comment. "Told you man, don't hoard on hungry girls."

Pierre flicks fallen strands of my hair. "I feel strangely damp today. I tend to forget the guidelines."

I pat his stomach. My hand slithers down to the buckle of Pierre's belt. "The waterfall can wait." I fight the urge to hit his crotch for the sake of our company.

The conversation continues, tossed in with innuendos to keep everyone on the edge. All the time, I try to make Geoff talk to me. They know we are friends; it is not a crime if we chat. The douchebag is stubborn; he ignores me.

Leema approaches our table. She is small and lithe, her eyes never failing to shine even in despair. I see the folders she is holding.

"Hey. I bring presents!" She passes the five of us a folder each. I scan its contents. Odine. Jenaro. Esperanza. Vivienne. Guillermo. Shattered Reflections. It is Leema's own work; her winning has gained her a slot in the Glee Club.

"What is this for?" Geoff inquires.

"The admin wants us to have this production. It is for the farewell, but you know how a month passes." Leema passes me a slip of paper. In the middle, Vivienne is written in block letters. Oh, the young female lead. The most coveted role of all female aspirants.

I feel someone kick my foot. Geoff is now looking at me. He smiles. From the thin surface of his own paper, I see Guillermo etched. I smile, too.

Oh Leema, my dear, you are an angel.