Challenge | Adam Banks

NINETEEN

To say that lunch on Monday was strange would be an understatement. It was weird enough for Delanie to find Julie and Connie sitting with Rosa and Mabel when she got to the cafeteria, but then Luis sat down, and Kenny fumbled over shortly after. Delanie didn't really question it, but Mabel did. And then Connie launched into a lengthy explanation about how they got in trouble for secretly scrimmaging the varsity team, Orion got pissed, and Charlie and Fulton left.

"Needless to say, things are weird," Luis summed up with a sigh, shaking his head sadly.

Rosa and Delanie looked at their friends sympathetically, but Mabel was more focused on something over the Latino boy's head. She swallowed, "things are about to get even weirder."

When the rest of the table followed her gaze, they spotted Jett, who was making a beeline for their table, a downcast look on his face. His hands were gripping his backpack straps tightly, and he was very clearly avoiding looking at the varsity table. Before Delanie could question him, the older boy surprised everyone even more by taking a seat beside Kenny.

The younger boy stared up at him, a mix of astonishment and horror on his face. Jett caught his gaze and rolled his eyes. "Please don't look at me like that," the senior grunted, shaking his head, "trust me. I'm the last person you should be scared of."

"Debatable," Luis muttered under his breath, causing Julie to sock him in the shoulder. He made a face at the girl as he rubbed his sore arm, but all he got in return was a glare.

Delanie sighed, her brows furrowed. She turned to her brother tentatively. "What's going on Jett? Why are you over here?" she asked gently as she eyed her brother cautiously.

Jett shook his head angrily as he leaned back in his chair. He let out a frustrated huff. "I just... can't deal with it today. I've gotten pretty good at ignoring them, but it's just overbearing. I feel bad leaving Banksy over there, but," for the first time, he cast his glance over to the varsity table. Adam definitely looked miserable, but Zander was sitting beside him. Every once in a while, the older boy said something the would make the blonde laugh, his shoulders slowly loosening. Jett heaved a somewhat-content sigh, "I think he'll be okay for one day."

Delanie gave her older brother a sympathetic look, patting his forearm endearingly. Julie took this moment to properly express her gratitude. "Thanks, by the way, Jett," she said without context, causing the boy to send her a slightly lost look. She smiled, "for the... tip."

Suddenly catching her drift, Jett smiled, nodding. "I was raised better than to leave without tipping the crew," he joked, laughing softly. His tone evened out, "I figured you guys could use a hand. And thanks for letting me sleep. Ants are one of my biggest pet peeves."

Julie just nodded with a smile. A silence befell the table of misfits before Mabel cheerfully changed the subject. All of the freshmen listened as their bubbly friend launched into great detail about this boy who sat in front of her in English. Apparently, he was handsome and smart, a package that was hard to come by. That wasn't even the best part, though. Oh no. Mabel made sure to add the most important detail - he played baseball.

As Delanie laughed at her friend, she found her eyes wandering to her brother. He hadn't been playing the least bit of attention to Mabel's love-struck rant, and neither had the girl across from him. Rosa was chatting in her usual soft voice, her eyes casually wandering around the room as she engaged the older boy in conversation. Jett was listening intently, his gaze resting on her face. Delanie watched silently as Rosa met Jett's brown eyes, a soft smile on her lips. The senior's cheeks became ever so lightly brushed with pink, and he laughed quietly at something she had said, his gaze nervously dropping to his lap. Delanie had to bite back a chuckle, and instead settled for an enthused smile. She decided to leave them be and turned back to the rest of her friends.