It was always there

Like He Always Does

September 2004

"You're Anuksha, right?" a perky voice questions from behind me. I turn around closing the door of my locker.

"Yes,"

"I'm Victoria," she sticks out her perfectly manicured hand for me to shake.

"Please to meet you, what can I do for you?" I shift awkwardly in my little space tucking in my behind my ear.

"Just introducing myself. I know you're new here just welcoming you," her tight-lipped smile is as fake as the extensions in her brunette hair and eyelashes.

"Thank you but I'm hardly what anyone would consider new I've been in this school since elementary,"

"Nevertheless high school, you're new. So just thought I would let you in on some of the do's and don'ts," she dramatically rolls her eyes as she speaks and the condescending tone that she carries already irritates me.

"Again thanks for the offer but I'm fine, see you around," I try to make a quick escape but she holds me back.

"I see you're spending a lot of time with Sid, and you know he's a senior so I don't want you getting hurt thinking something will come of you being with him," I almost choke on my laugh when the words come out of her mouth.

"Oh, I know poor naïve me, hoping and dreaming for the hunky senior to make me his girlfriend," I roll my eyes shaking my head at her audacity and gall to even bring up such a topic to me.

"I'm just being a good person by warning you beforehand, he doesn't date, if you get my drift,"

"Look, Victoria right? In the four years I've Sidharth never have I considered him more than a friend. And whatever romanticized fantasies you have about him, if he hasn't made a move by now, I think it's time you have a reality check and move on,"

"You're fourteen what do you know?"

"More than you, right now. You said it yourself he doesn't date. I for one am not that one who's making him live that type of life. I'm just his friend," a low gasp leaves her mouth, she obviously can't handle the type of advice she was trying to give me, when its directed toward her.

"Just know your boundaries, he won't be your friend for much longer anyways,"

"That's for him to decide," before another word comes out of her pretentious little mouth and I would punch her I just walk away toward the cafeteria. Its been getting colder and colder everyday that goes by so to sit outside for our forty-five minute lunch is too much.

Throughout most of lunch, I seethe in anger over the nerve of that girl. Trying to threaten me. I dip my French fry in ketchup twirling the stick of oily potato in the red condiment.

"Hey," Sid takes the free seat next to me sliding his tray onto the table.

"Hi," I mumble still busy coating my French fry with ketchup. He pulls the fry out of my hand and pops it into his mouth.

"Fry is soggy," he says as he takes a few more from my tray and stuffs his mouth. I push my tray closer to him and he gladly eats the rest of my food. "You're quiet, what's up?" he nudges my arm with his elbow as he continues to eat his two slices of pizza, pear, yogurt, and top it off with a chocolate muffin.

"Tired," I mumble resting my chin in my palm.

"Who did you fight with now?" I glare at him smacking his arm with the back of my hand. "Can't blame me, that's your thing, fighting with people,"

"Yeah dumb people, who are so pretentious and condescendingly stupid they can't even comprehend third grade math,"

"And who is this dumb person?" he cocks his eyebrow trying to act as serious as possible and does a very horrible job at it.