𝑩𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒚 𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 | 𝘼 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙀𝙫𝙞𝙡 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙘

Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ ２

𝐒𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟓
𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥
𝟏𝟏:𝟓𝟓 𝐚𝐦

Laura

By the time fourth period ended, lunch time arrived sooner than I had expected. Numerous students rapidly exited their classrooms, quickly piling into the makeshift haven the cafeteria represented. I strolled out of my fourth period classroom, my hands gripping the edges of my AP European History textbook.

Making my way down the western staircase, I easily spotted Tyler and Emilie among the expanding crowd of high school students. The two of them were sitting at our designated table, situated over by the enormous glass pane window. The one thing I loved most about our lunch table was that it was located far from the main arrangement of foldable tables that occupied the room. It separated the three of us from the clatter and chatter of the outgoing and sociable jocks, cheerleaders, gangsters, hippies, and girly girls that occupied the majority of the cafeteria. In other words, it was a Neanderthal free zone.

I sat down on the other side of the table, facing my friends. "So...What did Miss smarty-pants learn today during AP Euro?" I placed my textbook on the tabletop, meeting Tyler's charismatic gaze.

I set my backpack down on the ground, beside my seat. "You know, just about the basics of the Renaissance and how it exerted a significant influence on European art, music, literature, and politics during the fifteenth century." I unzipped my backpack, taking out my water bottle, salad, napkins, and fork I grabbed from the kitchen on my way out the front door this morning.

Em pulled out her soda and bagged BTL sandwich out of her school bag, setting her lunch on top of the table. "I swear Laura, you practically have the intellect of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking combined." She twisted the cap off of her bottle of Barq's root beer. The ravenette brought the open drink to her lips and took a large sip out of it.

I grinned. I set my lunch on the table and opened up the plastic container. "Except I don't plan on majoring in physics, astronomy, nor cosmology. The majority of my education focuses mainly on biology, chemistry, human anatomy and physiology, and a hint of mathematics," I pointed out, using my fork to take a bite of my salad.

A hushed laugh escaped Tyler's lips. "Smartass." He opened up his bag of Funyuns, taking out one of the smaller chips and munching on it.

The three of us steadily gulped down on our selected meals as time started to wear on. We held a casual, laid-back conversation amongst ourselves, up until Emilie had brought up a possible plan to get back at Catherine. Upon hearing what she came up with, Tyler and I disapproved of her idea. Even if it would result in Catherine getting a black eye, the two of us didn't want Em to get in serious trouble for it. It would only give Principal Anderson the perfect excuse to expel her for good.

"What do you think we should do then, Laura? Since you nor T-bone over here won't let me give that harlot a taste of her own medicine," Emilie inquired, pointing her thumb over in Tyler's direction.