Cheap Shots

00:10

UNEDITED

10.

                “Did you ever get a call back?  Or did they not want you?  Too many holes?” Beckett teased in Global on Monday.

            I groaned and leaned my left hand against the side of my face so I wouldn’t be able to see Beckett out of my peripheral vision.  There was no way I was getting detention again, because of him.

            “Oh, come on, Smith, don’t be like that,” he playfully said to me, but I refused to acknowledge him.

            When the bell rang, I shot out of my seat and quickly ran to join my friends in our shared free period, hastily speed walking to the usual spot in the hallway where all the seniors hang out.

            And I was slightly surprised to see Georgia there, chatting it up with a newly single Charlie, according to Catherine and the rest of the gossip-y upperclassmen girls.

            “Hey?”  I said cautiously, not really sure if Georgia and I were on friendly enough terms to be in the same general area.

            “Hi,” she replied curtly, barely acknowledging me before turning back to whatever story she was currently boring him to death with.

            “Dude, where are Lauren and Jacque?” I asked him, careful to leave out Catherine’s name so a joke didn’t slip out.  I didn’t miss the grateful look he sent in my direction that I was turning the attention away from the chatty and obnoxious brunette.

            “Don’t know, I haven’t seen them since they walked off to get bagels with Catherine during fourth period,” he said, spitting Catherine’s name out with a slightly hostile tone.  I guess she didn’t break things off nicely between them.

            “Okay, thanks.  Do you want to go with me to find them?  They’re probably back by now unless they decided to skip the rest of the day.”

            “Yeah, sure.” He said before turning slightly to Georgia as he followed me through the hallway, “See you around.”

            “Bye!” She said cheerily.

            I didn’t turn around long enough to see her walk away, turning my head enough that I couldn’t see her annoying face at all.

            “How’d you get roped into a conversation with her?” I asked Charlie with a laugh, the end of my question trailing off in a bitter tone.

            “She was hot, and she came up to talk to me.  I just didn’t realize that she wanted to tell me a story about God knows what, it was so boring.  Holy crap, thank for saving me, Rye, I owe you one.”

            “Damn right you do.  Welcome to the hate-the-new-girl club, currently it’s me, Catherine, Jacque, Lauren, and Finn.”

            “Finn?” He questioned.

            I nodded.  “Her stepbrother.  They don’t get along too well,” I explained.  “He’s pretty chill, I hung out with him at the family dinner Jacque dragged me to the other day.”

            Charlie grinned, “Family dinners? They sound extremely boring.”

            “Yeah, I would’ve invited you but Catherine was there and I didn’t ask if you were friends again or not, but I take it your not.”