Vinny

5. Breaking Ice

"No! I'll leave then. If you guys don't want me around." Ian said, turning around to walk out. A hand reaches out and grabs him by the shoulder, keeping him there. Ian stops, waiting to listen to what will be said.

"Fine leave, but pleas—"

"Fine! I will leave!" Ian said, cutting Doug off. Shaking the hand from his shoulder, Ian stormed out of the room. A moment of silence fell over the group.

"Hey Doug, don't feel bad," Vince said, trying to console his friend, "You explained it to him, we need a good team if we are gonna win the national competition."

"It's alright hun" Cassie said.

* * *

Just over two weeks passed by, the group had gone about their normal operations. Get up, go to school, see each other occasionally in class, meet up at lunch, go home and practice, repeat. Ian however didn't make any appearances. The lunch table wasn't too different, as Ian rarely spoke up, but it was the empty seat made the group react. Doug routinely looked at the clock, waiting for the day to be over, instead of forgetting that time existed at all, like he and his friends had done every lunch. It was hard on him, with Ian disappearing. The rest of the group felt that too.

"Have you heard from him at all?" Kyle asked.

"No. It's weird. We used to talk everyday..." Doug said trailing off.

The group all looked down momentarily, trying to meagerly make their way through the day, stirring their food half-heartedly.

"I've seen him in the halls, but he refuses to look at me, let alone talk." Kyle added to the conversation

Kyle was the first to look up. He looked at the empty seat but didn't see an empty seat. Instead the new girl was sitting there. Kyle nudged Vince.

"Hey everyone," She said, the rest of the group quickly looked up. Her voice was soft and naturally inviting, "As you may or may not know, my name is Vivian. Now I don't know how you guys do it here, but I'm trying to make some friends, but there's only the one school year left before everyone goes off to college. So, I'm having a Halloween party to try to get to know everyone that Maria and Sarah recommended, gesturing to the two lackeys the group saw her with when she first moved to the school." She smiled widely at the group.

"Hi Kyle," the two lackeys said, batting their eyelashes and smiling at the former pitcher they would constantly watch during baseball practice, along with other girls.

"Hi ladies." he responded. The girls giggled and blushed. Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Well anyways," Vivian continued, "You're all invited."

"Sweet, we'll be there." said Doug, surprising himself that he got it out smoothly. He was so flustered he could barely keep his mouth shut.

Vivian and the two girls turned and left the table, walking straight towards the football quarterback and his friends.

"Wait. Don't we need to know more? Like when and where?" Jess said, since the boys didn't seem to care about details. They only cared that they got invited, high fiving Kyle for getting them in.

"Oh yeah, that would help." Kyle said, but just as he did,

Bing

"Guys check this." He said, holding up his phone to the group. Maria had texted him the details.

Bing

Bing

Bing

Bzz

The rest of the group's phones started to receive the same invitation. They looked up, Maria was still trailing behind Vivian, but as the group left each table, she would be tapping away on her phone.

"She must have everyone's phone number." Cassie said, amazed.

"Or at least anyone who she deems popular." Jess said, scoffing.

"Hey, then that means she thinks you're popular" Vince chimed in.

"Oh, yeah" Jess said, a smile emerging. She knew that being popular wasn't the only thing in life, but as a teenage girl in high school, popularity wasn't bad to have. She wouldn't go out of her way to be popular. She wasn't the type to just go up to the sporty people and flirt, she didn't study like crazy in her classes, she didn't participate in many groups for attention and recognition. She was popular because she was refined, mature, and kind. Everyone at school saw it, and Vince definitely saw it.

The group heard some bings going off at the football table before tuning out the sound and returning to their conversation.

"So, looks like we got plans next weekend." Vince said, mentally clearing his schedule.

"Oh man, I've never been to a big Halloween party like this, this is gonna be great." Doug said excitedly.

"With all of Kyle's fangirls there I'm going to have to be looking really good," Cassie started, almost teasing herself but deep down she really feared the fangirls that were always trying to take him away. While it was the only thing Cassie was thinking about at the moment, it hadn't even occurred to Kyle that the fangirls would be there. "Want to go costume shopping this weekend Jess?"

"Yeah sure." she said, realizing she might need something to wear too.

Briiing

The lunch bell rang, and the group all snapped back into reality. Each grabbed all their bags and headed back to their classes. Shuffling mindlessly back into the oh so familiar hallways and repetitive movements. Ryan talking to Julie, standing in front of her locker so she can't get to it, forcing her to talk to him. By this point in the school year however, it's clear she's not trying to get to her locker anymore, she just likes talking to him. Ray riding his penny board in the halls, always passing the vice principal's office, who by now has given up on trying to stop him. "At least slow down." The vice principle shouted from his office.

"We should meet up at your place then go to the mall." Cassie said. Nathaniel ran past, holding onto his glasses to stop them from falling after bumping into people.

"Yeah that sounds lik—" Jess began, taking a preemptive sidestep toward Cassie as the same group of Football players ran past like they do every day, narrowly avoiding Jess. "Uhg, those boys and their cat and mouse antics. But yeah, sounds like fun."