The Life I'm Running From

12\ A Hazy Grey Mess

History class the next day was lethally boring, so I had a lot of time to think. And as I did, I came to two conclusions: the red material in Peter's backpack was probably some random sweater, and Adriana and Ryan must be dating now.

Mr. Bluffe assigned homework, and I lazily jotted down the assignment in my notebook. It was honestly a miracle I wasn't failing History. The bell rang, and I grabbed my backpack and headed for the door. Harley Finn stopped me.

"Hey," he said. "Do you want to sit with me and my friends at lunch?"

I shouldered on my backpack. "Sure. Should I meet you in the cafeteria...?"

"That works." Harley grinned, and quickly tousled his hair. "See you in a bit."

The hallways were crowded with overstressed and sleep-deprived teenagers at their lockers. No one was rushing anywhere though, because it was my favourite period. Lunch. A period where nothing is expected of you, and nothing is ever due.

I saw Adriana down the hallway when I approached my locker. As I was shelving my textbooks she came over, casually leaning against the locker beside mine. Funny enough, after almost a month of school, I still had no clue who had the lockers beside mine.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to sit with Ryan and his friends today," Adriana said. She bit her lip. "Sorry. I didn't want to leave you alone, you know, 'cause Skylar and Charlie are in detention, but..."

"It's cool." My locker door shut with a clang of metal. "I was planning on sitting with some other friends today anyways. So we're good."

Adriana looked relieved. I didn't understand why she saw it as a big deal but hey—it didn't matter.

We walked to the cafeteria together, and on the stairs Ryan caught up to us. Adriana kissed him on the cheek. I guess they definitely were together now. Ryan said a brief hello to me, then we split our separate ways.

I strolled into the cafeteria with my head up. Harley wasn't hard to find—he was at the table he always sat at. Not that I always stare at him in the cafeteria. I just—you know what I mean. He was seated with Taylie Goldmyn, Miranda from Home Economics, and a few others I didn't recognize.

Harley spotted me and waved me over. I dropped my bag on the ground and sat down beside him. Unfamiliar faces stared curiously at me. A girl with thick, shiny hair and dark skin sat in front of me, and beside him was a guy with black hair in an oversized hoodie. I smiled charmingly.

Any conversations that had been going on at the table died. Harley scratched the back of his neck and shifted his weight beside me. "This is McKinnley," he said.

"Oh." The blond guy at the other end of the table smirked. One of his arms was loosely wrapped around Taylie's shoulders, and the other he was using to sip a sports drink. "I'm Carter. Harley's friend. And this is..." He prodded Taylie to introduce herself. When she wouldn't, he finished his own sentence. "...and this is my girlfriend Taylie."

"We've met," I said. Carter immediately looked at Taylie, and they seemed to have a conversation through their eyes. I tore my gaze away from them, as Miranda introduced herself. She didn't seem nearly as venomous as Adriana had made her out to be.

The girl across from me smiled widely. "I'm Neha. It's nice to meet you." She seemed the kindest out of them all, even after I found out the boy with black hair was named Devin, and I met Gwen sitting on the other side of Harley.

"Have you been at this school long?" Neha asked me. Taylie, Carter and Miranda had started their own separate conversation on the other side of the table, so I appreciated Neha speaking.