Nothing But Trouble

30/lunchtime gossip

chapter 30: lunchtime gossip
blake ren

"Friday? But you said we were gonna freeze our asses off and sleep over on the rooftop," Riley parroted, despondent from the news I had told her. I was supposed to study for the SAT with Lucas after school but I did tell Riley I'd pull an all nighter with her at her apartment.

        I grabbed her hand urgently, dramatically. "We will, my love. I promise. I'll just be late tis all."

        She flung her other hand to her forehead in distress. "But why must you squander our precious time and think to choose him over thy beloved?"

        "I choose both," I concluded with a forlorn look. "I hope you may forgive me. One day."

        "What the fuck is y'all doing?" Easton stood over us, looking deeply unimpressed and chewing fruit gummies from the packet.

        "Don't listen to him, bird. You are light and I am darkness and to be unspoken for is but a crime by law. By the law of love," Riley gushed, still using our dramatic tone. I touched my hand to my heart and shook my head.

        "Nay, for you are the ray that warms my cheek in the day time. For you are the moonbeam that illuminates my path in the night. Whilst I am the darkness which tries to hold you captive." I stopped myself with a little bit of shock. "Woah why was that kinda good?"

        "Was it?" asked Easton. He wore an unconvinced face but Riley waved him off.

        "You should write that down because that shit sounded like Shakespeare." Riley peeked her head up and looked around us at the lunch tables in the cafeteria. She proceeded to cup her mouth and yell in a deep voice over her shoulder. "Fuck Shakespeare!"

        "Fuck Shakespeare!" Easton echoed after her. I cupped my mouth and loudly hooted the same phrase up to the ceiling, coming back down with a fit of laughter and students looking at us.

        "Shakespeare was a pussy bitch," Riley declared.

        "Yeah, stupid bitch boy." Easton threw his head back and tossed an airborne gummy into his mouth. I grabbed the packet from him and shot one into his mouth, causing him to skillfully dive for it since my aim was off.

        "Hey," Violet sighed as she collapsed at the table. I looked around for her leech of a boyfriend but he was nowhere to be found.

"What's up, babe?" Riley asked with concern.

She shrugged. Something was off. I watched as Riley reached for her hand, her brows furrowed and her lips pouted empathetically. Violet didn't say anything, like she was tempted to just put on a brave face so we wouldn't worry over her. But there was something wrong.

"Is it your mom again?" Riley inquired cautiously. Violet flipped open her pocket knife, the same one she had been wielding when I first talked to her in yearbook. Now it was clear it was some sort of comfort item for her. She concealed it beneath the table from any eyes, picking at the already chipping plastic on the lunch seats.

I glanced at Riley and then at Easton. His face mirrored mine. We had been left out of a seemingly very serious conversation. Violet avoided our gazes.

"You wanna go talk?" Riley offered.

"Is that okay?" Violet asked timidly. It was weird seeing this side of her. I felt a tug at my heart strings, grossly enough.

Riley acknowledged Easton and I to which we nodded subtly as her green light. The two got up and went off to wander the halls.

Easton and I stared for a moment, a little offended, a little confused— maybe a lot confused. I scratched my chin thoughtfully.