"Effie... Effffiiiiieeeeeee... snap out of it, man."
Huh?
"What the hell are you staring at? It's been like 10 minutes..." Keiko says quietly, staring at me with an intense look. I peer over my shoulder to see a slightly weirded-out Keiko. "Sorry, I was daydreaming. Can you bring my lunch for me? Thank you!" I say quickly before I can hear her protest. I lightly sprint towards the table the rest of the girls are sitting at and immediately rest my head on the table, sighing heavily. Without missing a beat, I hear a giggle.
"Is it that time of the month?" Maya questions as she applies some lip gloss. I watch her for a second and after a while, she clicks her pocket mirror shut, awaiting my response oh so eagerly.
I flip her off with a sarcastic smile before I groan and flip my head, watching the cafeteria.
Who would've thought a room full of life feels so empty and... far? I can't articulate it, but this place definitely feels foreign. A couple of months ago, it would've felt like a battlefield. I would've felt like running at every corner. But today is just like any normal day... or as normal as it can get I guess. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Maya rush to help Keiko with the second tray I burdened her with. A couple of months ago, these two wouldn't have even been my friends. It's such a strange thing to think about. A few months... even a few days really can feel like a switch just flipped. This doesn't even apply to everyone at the same time either. Someone's life can turn completely upside down while someone is eating their breakfast. I divert my attention back to Keiko and Maya who slide the trays onto the table. Keiko wastes no time and starts combing through her pitch-black hair before adjusting her choker. I always envied how silky and smooth it looked. Maya on the other hand, goes back to touching up her makeup before tying her curly hair up in a bun. Looking at Maya's hair reminded me of a red velvet cupcake, it's a deep red that she finally settled on after months of changing its color.
"Are you done acting like the main character? Your lunch is getting cold." Keiko says, flicking my head. I stare at the cafeteria blankly for a brief moment. I really was having a moment in the middle of the school day.
"My bad, I just felt like contemplating life so I could get your pity and attention, princess." I say this as I wave the drab little excuse they call a potato wedge around. I get a slight eye roll and a small smile from Keiko as she goes back to asking Maya about her lip gloss. I rest my head on my hand as I continue eating. I don't really like talking most of the time. I only really talk if I feel like I can give enough energy in return. Like... I'll talk about topics I'm excited about, or I know I can have fun with, but things I have no clue about? Count me out. I'll just listen instead. This is a prime example of a listening situation. Maya holds one hand up behind the lip gloss like a beauty guru as she explains which shades match her skin tone the best. Keiko on the other hand has her arms crossed, clearly disagreeing with Maya. I guess this is what happens when you mix two polar opposites. Keiko is like the sun, and Maya, the moon. I guess that's what makes them so compatible as friends though, they balance each other out. Despite this, it's always amusing watching them argue.
"There they go again. Don't they ever get tired of debating these things?" I turn my head to face Avery now. She flashes me a smile and nods in agreement. Avery is similar to me in some sense. Neither of us stands out, and neither of us gets ignored. We just kind of listen and let those two be the entertainment per se. We're like balance without the contrast I guess. I was never good at explaining things. Even when it comes to looks, both of us are similar. We choose comfort over fashion and don't really do anything special. The closest either of us gets in terms of style is Avery braiding her hair. I can't quite do that since my hair is shoulder length but it wouldn't look nice on me anyways. I kind of just gave up on trying to tame my hair, you can see the frizz in darker hair like mine anyways. For Avery, it's hard to notice because of her blonde hair.
"Ohhh look at meeee, I'm a big beauty guruuuu~" I hear an all too familiar voice sing-song from afar. I close my eyes and prepare myself for the sheer idiotic things I'm about to hear. Just when I thought my world would finally make sense again, this exact voice decided to nag me continuously. It's the type of voice you wish you could mute in person. Okay, maybe not because he did have a nice voice, but I would never openly admit that. His annoying personality cancels out any positives here. Anyways, like I was saying, this nagging voice is also a new addition to my life. We were never friends up until recently. I guess you can say I had a fresh new group of friends after the war.
"Hello, Zeke." Maya says as she giggles. I watch as her gaze instantly moves to the boys behind Zeke, her eyes lingering on a certain someone. I turn my head and notice him staring back. It's so cliché how everyone has their match between the eight of us. There's Maya and Alex, Keiko and Dante, and finally Avery and Brian. Why didn't I mention myself and Zeke? It's 'cause there is no us. He drives me nuts and it only gets worse by the day. I can't get rid of him!
"Earth to Effie???? What's wrong princess?" Zeke questions as he makes himself comfortable next to me.
"First of all ew, second of all MOVE, and third of all, only I say that, and I say that to my friends." I say as I blankly stare at the idiot in front of me.
"Aw your words hurt me so much princess. I know you're just playing hard to get." Zeke says as he puckers his lips and reaches his arms out. I gag and shove him as the girls giggle.
"How have you guys been?" Avery questions quietly as she looks away shyly. I feel you man, I hate eye contact too.
"Not bad but it's definitely better now that we're here with you guys." Zeke remarks as he flashes me a smile. I throw a punch at him and he dodges, smiling wider. I groan and look towards the girls for some help but they're all too invested in their own conversations. Once Zeke is done laughing he joins in the convo and talks about some plans for the weekend until the bell rings.
YOU ARE READING
Fear The Four
Teen Fiction"In high school, as much as you hate it. There's always a hierarchy." His voice is spewing with enough venom to intoxicate anyone who would dare get close enough to hear. He's close enough that I can feel his breath start to heat up my skin. I feel...
