lungs

part 10

lunch

i walk into the cafeteria to see everyone trying to get food. luckily, i always pack lunch because i hate school food, even though it's my second day.

i see jeremy, zach, and jacob walk in. jacob sees me and motions me to go over.

behind jacob was joseph and that one ugly blond kid with him, god he's so ugly.

joseph motions for me to go over to him and the ugly boy.

wait, i have to choose? can't we all just sit together.

my palms get sweaty as i walk towards joseph, since i sat with jacob yesterday.

i look at jacob and he understood what i was doing.

"what's up cross?" joseph said offering me the high five as i approached him.

i take the offer and high five him. "what's up joseph." i say. i look at the blond hair boy and he smiles at me, i give him a faint smile back.

joseph looks at the boy and then looks back at me. "oh shoot." he said. "this is charles, charles this is anna."

i rub my sweaty palms against my leggings and tighten the grip on my lunch box. "hi."

joey and charles got the lunch food and we sat down at a lunch table. i look at the lunch food and it looks like tacos, but it's just disgusting.

"what is that?" i ask, referring to what it looks like, tacos.

joey looks down at his trey with the food and shrugs. he picks up his fork and plays with it, "i don't really know."

i open my lunch box and take out my bag of doritos that my mom packed. i popped open the bag and took out a chip and put it in my mouth.

joey and charles look at me like they want something . "what?" i asked as i felt uncomfortable as they looked at me.

"do you have any other food?" joey asked, while now i know what he wants.

i look in my lunch box and take out some carrots that my mom packed.

my doctor said that i have to eat healthy for the rest of my life, but i know that i never will because i love doritos.

i hand him the bag and he furrowed his eyebrows. "carrots?" he said with disappointment in his tone of voice, "really cross?"

"you asked for food." i put my arms up in defense.

he opened the bag and ate one of the carrots. "not bad." he said shaking his head.

"let me get one." charles said, snatching the bag out of joeys hands. he took a carrot and ate one. "yeah they're good."

who said he could get a carrot?

joey looks at me, "so we're lab partners right?" he asked, "for mr. skies class?"

i forgot that we were assigned partners in mr. skies class for the science project that's due next week.

"oh yeah." i said, playing it cool that i didn't forget. "when do you wanna start it?" i asked.

he reached under the table and put his hand on my thigh. i tense up under his grip. "today." he said.

i play it off like his hand on my thigh is nothing and nod. "okay. do you wanna go to your house or my house for it?"

he shrugs, also rubbing his thumb on my thigh under the table. "my house i guess."

i nodded. "okay."

my phone buzzes from my sweatshirt pocket. i take out my phone and look at my lock screen. it's a text from zach.

i look around and see him looking at me. i look down at the text and read it. "how come you aren't sitting with me?"

i put in my code and reply to his text. "i have friends other than you, you know." i look up at him and he smirks from across the room.

"so joey is just a "friend" to you even though he has his hand on your thigh?" he texted.

i look down at joeys hand while he's talking to charles. i look up at him and he looks at me. "what's up?" he asked

"oh um," i studded, "n-nothing."

he looked down at his hand on my thigh. i take a big gulp as my palms get sweaty again. "can you take your hand off my thigh?" i whispered in his ear.

"oh yeah sorry." he took his hand off my thigh and continued to talk to charles.

i look back down at my phone. "see, we're just friends." i text to zach.

i look at him get the text and read it. he looks up at me and types. "sure, "friends" anna."