The Hot List

Finding Out (Ch 1)

 I walked into the cafeteria to see it nearly completely silent. People were huddled with their cliques, whispering nearly inaudibly. I glanced around the cafeteria and made eye contact with my friend group. They all looked up at me for a moment, then quickly turned around. I frowned to myself. They were acting weird. I walked over to them, skirting around the edges of other people’s tables. As I passed them, they all gave me varying looks of respect or dislike before returning to whispering. My brown satchel bounced against my thigh as I quickened my pace, trying to reach my friends and ignore the looks being directed at me every couple seconds. At this point, I was getting worried. I pushed a lock of my wavy brown hair out of my green eyes and behind my ear. A lot of people were looking at me, and I flushed a bit, unused to all the attention. After what seemed like years, I finally reached my friends. As soon as I reached them, all of their previously quiet chatter fell silent.

“What’s going on?” I asked my closest friend, Paige.

Paige blinked back at me, a look of reluctance on her face.

“Do I have to tell her?” she almost pleaded, turning to the rest of my friends.

They glanced back and forth between Paige and me silently.

I could feel myself getting frustrated. I glanced around the circle of people who were supposed to be closest to me, silently daring them to tell me the huge secret they all seemed to be bent on keeping from me. They all remained quiet, their faces unsure.

“Just tell me!” I burst out angrily.

“Kasey, you’re number one on the list.” Paige uttered quietly, keeping her eyes locked on the cafeteria floor like her life depended on it.

I grabbed onto my friend Brian’s arm tightly, using it to anchor myself.

“You’re joking,” I said numbly.

In turn, they all shook their heads.