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"Stop saying things like that." Anna scolded me at my the way I always used my lingo. I couldn't help the phrases and such that I used, it was just me.
"Shut up." I said simply while I sprawled on my paper neatly. We had an English assignment and I was eager to start it. We had to pick partners by tomorrow and the assignment was to see what that person's outlook on the world was. You know how schools try to make your core subjects relate to one another? Yeah this was like Philosophy or History inside of an English project.
"Arri, no one around here says things like 'reckon' or 'yonder', it's starting to get embarrassing." Peggy said looking in her compact again.
"Oh really," I wondered aloud as my eyebrow quirked at the judgement they gave me, "well if the way I phrase things is bringing down your popularity then I'll be talkin up a storm from now on." I said and took my tray elsewhere to the trash. It was a nice sunny day considering the August weather and I made the executive decision to eat outside for lunch— along with 1/3 of the student body.
I conversation had made its way to my ears and I followed the sounds of the voices. I wasn't angry at who the quarreling belonged to.
"You ran her over?" Eddie had said to his friend, Richie. I walked over behind the boy with thick glasses and interrupted their conversation.
"He sure did," I said startling the group and then looked at the boy below me, "hi, Richie."
He looked at me with his mouth agape and didn't say anything for awhile, "hi, Arrietty," he looked at his friends as they nodded at him, "here take a seat." He offered as he scoot over on the concrete round table.
I sat next to him and pushed my curls over my shoulder. They all looked at me and smiled, it didn't take long for one of them to start talking, that someone being Beverly.
"It was really cool that you stood up for me the other day." She said referring to the lunch incident. I shook my head and dismissed her comment with the wave of my hand.
"Peggy and Anna are as threatening as getting an eyelash in your eye." I said making the girl smile.
"Yeah, but they're them and we're-" I cut off Stanley from his comment and looked at the rest of them.
"Losers?" I asked making their smiles drop or their heads turn downwards, "I'd give anything to be like you guys." They all looked up at me as if I were insane. I ain't gone crazy yet, even though Peggy and Anna brought me to the brink of it.
"You'd want to be a Loser, but you're you?" Ben had wide eyes as he spoke to me. I rested my chin in my hand as I leaned on the table. I looked at the table I was at previously to see Josh McLennan talking to the two girls as they giggled and twirled their hair.
"Yeah," I said looking at them, "sometimes I wish I wasn't." I said before the bell rang. I waved them goodbye and went back to my friends where we walked inside for class. School had went by and the classes went by. I had done my history vocabulary words and finished my math homework, hell, I even had a list of some topics to talk about with my English partner. Speaking of which I still didn't have one— I typically didn't like working with anyone.
"Hey, Arrietty," I heard and looked behind me, "Wait up." Richie, of course.
"Arri," I said when he reached me on his bike, he gave me a look that told me to elaborate, "you can call me Arri." His Mouth firmed the shape of an 'oh' and he nodded. He got off of his bike and settled to walking behind me.
"Can I um...can I ask you something?" He was nervous, I could feel it. He looked as if he didn't know what to say and if he did he must've not known how to say it.
"Shoot, I like a good question." I could feel myself looking down at him, not a lot but it was still there. Maybe I should consider flats?
"What was that all about," it was my turn to serve him a look, "that thing you said at lunch?" He clarified. I thought about what he was talking about and then realized he meant my final comment.
"Oh, that was nothing, just me talkin nonsense." I said, he furrowed his brows scrunched up his nose.
"Well, I think you're fucking amazing." He said which made me smile and snicker a bit.
"Do you think I'm amazing or hot?" I asked knowing his reputation for falling in love easily.
"Both." He answered, we made it to an intersection where the sidewalk splits. He started down one way and hopped back on his bike.
"Bye, Richie." I said but he instead caught up with me again before I turned the corner completely.
"Oh, I was wondering if you had a partner for the English assignment?" He looked down at his handles as he spoke, squeezing and letting go of the brake handle.
"I'd love to work with you, Richie." I already knew where he was getting at. He grinned widely, showing his Bucky teeth and all. I grinned back and scrunched up my nose before pushing up my glasses.
"Bye, Arri!" He said as he began peddling away. I waved and hollered a 'goodbye' and continued to my house soon making it to my front door step.
I walked in and saw my mom in the kitchen at the sink. She turned to smile at me as I put my book bag in one of the chairs at the table and rummaged through our refrigerator.
My mother, Chassidy Mulligan, was a nice woman with a strong will for cooking. So much that she had gotten a catering job.
"Hey, dear, how was school?" She asked me, I shrugged and sighed to actually think of my day. At first I was gonna say average but it wasn't for once.
"I actually had a really good day." I said almost in disbelief. It was surprising, I hadn't really had much fun since I'd gotten here.
"Really," She has asked and I nodded pouring me a glass of sweet tea, "Well, supper's almost done so go an wash up." I smiled and walked up the stairs and to the hallway bathroom.
My dad had passed me up in the hallway and stopped to speak. My father well- he sat in an office building to crunch numbers all day. He was good at math and such which is why it's one of my higher grades.
"Ya momma fixed up some cornbread." He told me and then ran down the stairs with me hot on his trail.
