My Monster

Chapter Five: I Hate Carrots

Chapter 5: I Hate Carrots

"Sophie, we need to talk." I've never spoken to the girl who's speaking to me now. Her name is Laurie Astamkar, I know this because she's one of the "popular" ones. She's small and flat as a board, but she has zero body fat and a beautiful face with very big eyes and pouty lips.

Unlike Ashley, she doesn't give off the obvious bitchy vibe, but for me, it's enough to look into her oversized eyes to find the bitch she hides inside.

I slowly chew the bite I just bit off my sandwich and swallow, letting her sudden interference in my lunch break hover in the air between us.

"Do I know you?" I go for my usual move, establishing my dominance in this conversation by demonstrating to the other side that they had failed to come into my notice. I don't care how rude I sound. If she wanted to speak to someone nice, she should have chosen Esmeralda.

Laurie's jaw briefly grinds in annoyance, but to her credit, she masks that quickly. "I'm Laurie. We have AP English together."

"Okay," I say, but offer nothing else. I continue eating my sandwich.

Laurie stares at me expectantly, waiting for me to ask her what's so important that she was forced to break a three-year-long truce of ignoring each other for. When it becomes obvious I have no intention of making this any easier on her, she sits next to me on the low concrete wall and twists her face into an elaborate expression of concern.

"Everyone's saying horrible things about you, Sophie," she says with the slightest tremor in her voice. "I don't think you're that type of person. It isn't fair."

I put my sandwich in my lap and turn to regard her. I see the doubt lurking in the shadows, threatening to shatter her courage. Not two minutes into the conversation, and already nothing is going as she expected.

I can't say I'm not enjoying this. I'm something of a sadist. I let the set of my face soften. "It's all true, though," I say, and then toss my hair, grinning. "Why should I be ashamed of it?"

Laurie's big eyes grow even bigger. She came digging, and she has just hit gold with very little effort. "You mean, you and Shawn—"

"Oh yes." I lean in close to whisper in her ear. "I hit him with a rolled-up magazine . . . And he loved it."

Laurie's obviously intimidated by my invasion of her personal space. She leaps off the wall, her face a deep crimson. "Oh my God, really?" Her voice is high. She's trying to make her embarrassment look like excitement.

Did they have to send the only girl in their pack who has "virgin" written all over her? Apparently, Laurie isn't as popular as I thought. If I actually cared, I would wonder what Ashley blackmailed her with.

I look at her, giving her a firm stare, the kind of look I know sets most people on edge.

Then I start laughing. Laurie hovers there, at a loss. By the way her face grows a little bitter, she knows I'm laughing ather.

"What's so funny?" she asks with a slight smile.

"There's a spider on your shoulder," I answer.

Laurie screams, jumping and smacking her arms and shoulders. "Getitoff! Getitoff!" she shouts desperately. "Is it in my hair?"

I let her go on like this for a moment longer, watching her dance and shriek.

"Just kidding," I say.

It takes a second for my words to sink in. Her face is red again, but this time from humiliation and anger. She edges away from me. "Nice talking to you, Sophie," she says with open resentment, but then perks up, forcing a smile on her face.