Cheyenne: The Art of Love and Jealousy

Chapter Six: Sweet Tea

Cheyenne spent every lunch period over the week with William and his friends. Aside from her best friend Marrisa, she had never known a group of friends like this. There was always laughter, and she could say whatever she wanted without being questioned or teased. She found she liked hanging out with guys better than girls. The boys didn't seem to mind her there either. Cheyenne dressed like a girl with her pastel-colored tops and skinny jeans, but she was just like one of the guys. She liked cars and trucks, and she didn't get grossed out or frown at dirty jokes. Sometimes, she even joined in putting the guys to shame with the amount of sass and wit she contained in her tiny frame.

It was Monday morning and Cheyenne had spotted Alex with Amberley, Rhiannon, and the others. Luckily for her, she wasn't seen by them. She didn't feel like having a confrontation, although she was sure it would happen eventually. She wasn't looking forward to it when it did. She didn't like to fight, but she was capable of holding her own thanks in part to her mother's insistence.

That week was the end of the first grading period so Cheyenne was kept busy during brunch under what she referred to as her pine tree. She was always using that time to read whatever chapters they were reading in English class and get some extra energy with tea that she always carried in her plastic mason jar. Unfortunately, for Cheyenne, Amberley walked by and spotted her. She didn't say anything, but she walked over, grabbed Cheyenne's tea off the table, and threw it in her face.

"Mmm... Yummy!" said Cheyenne smiling a fake smile and licking her lips. "It was getting hot over here. Thanks for cooling me off!"

Amberley huffed, dropped the jar in the dirt, and stalked off, obviously angry that she didn't get a different reaction. Cheyenne just laughed to herself. She was used to dealing with bullies, though she wasn't used to having her own. She was used to protecting others from bullies. Kindness was always the best comeback, though, on rare occasions, sassy remarks were the only thing that helped. Cheyenne needed to dry off so she grabbed her jar out of the dirt and put it in her bag. She started to walk over to the restrooms by the E and L buildings, but she was stopped by William, who was walking in the opposite direction.

"What happened to you?" he asked looking at Cheyenne's tea-soaked hair and shirt.

"Got my own tea thrown in my face," she said with a smile. "I've always got a clean shirt in my backpack, but I've gotta go change before the bell rings. See you at lunch!"

Cheyenne darted off to the bathroom and pulled off her soaked clothes and replaced it with a dry t-shirt that said: "By reading this, you have given me temporary control of your mind". It wasn't her favorite, but it was still funny. She took a couple of paper towels and got as much liquid out as she could, pulled her hair back into a messy top bun, and darted out just as the bell rang. She took a seat next to a very furious-looking Amberley. Cheyenne just smiled kindly and took out her notebook, her pen, and her book, and did her work like nothing happened during brunch.

Cheyenne wasn't mad at Amberley. They had only known each other for a little while, and Amberley had known Alex for three years. So it wasn't surprising that Amberley believed Alex over Cheyenne, but Cheyenne thought they all had to be pretty stupid to believe such a pathetic story. After science class, Cheyenne hurried over to the band room door where William, Jeremy, and Jason hung out.

"Hello to my boys," Cheyenne said happily.

"Hey," they chorused.

"Glad to see you're all dry," smiled William.

"Why do you smell like tea?" asked Jeremy curiously.

"I got my tea thrown in my face because my existence is a cause of annoyance to some people," said Cheyenne with a small grin.