Kid in a Locker (REWRITING)

5. How To Get Away With Murder

"Oh, Ophelia." I look up at the boy who just sung my name. He has a wide grin on his face as he stares down at me, the cafeteria buzzing lively around him.

"Really?"

"Tik Tok. Sorry." He sits down next to be, a sincere apologetic look on his face. I shake my head and return to my school work, all but ignoring him. I would have done my English assignment last night, yet even in the many hours I was awake doing nothing, it didn't get done. I need it for next class, or Mrs. Cannon will absolutely wreck me.

"How do you spell colossal?" I say absentmindedly, frowning down at my unfinished essay.

He spells it. "You don't know how?"

I smile at him. "Brain fart."

"Ah."

He glances around, drumming on the table with the pads of his fingers. I look up from my work as well and see Romul standing in the chinese lunch line, two people away from paying for his food. He hasn't seen Troy at my table yet, but that's only a matter of time. When he does discover locker boy here, all hell will break lose.

"What do you what?" I sigh, turning my body towards him so that I can give him my full attention.

"Oh, um, Nick is having a get together Saturday night. Some new movie just came out and he wants to have a movie premier kind of thing." He explains.

I think back to Nick's house. I was surprised to find that it wasn't the mansion I had expected, but a small house that was much like my own. A tiny shack with a long cabin feel, three bedrooms and an open floor plan. It was so surprising to walk into an exact replica of my house that I stood in the doorway for a few minutes, staring.

There was no way he could have a lot of people over, but I could tell that wasn't going to stop him. He had a big reputation. There was no doubt in my mind that as soon as the word got out about this movie party, the whole school would try to show up.

Meaning Troy would have his girlfriend there, one of the cheerleaders that just so happened to have the name Madison. I don't think she'll like it too much once she finds out her boyfriend is asking other girls to parties.

"Don't you have a girlfriend?"

A dark shadow passes across his face and settles on his features. He leans away from me like I had physically slapped him. "It's complicated."

"Ah."

He recovers quickly. "So, will you come?"

"Where are we going?" Romul sets his tray down on the table rather forcibly. Peter follows behind more quietly, taking his seat across from mine with an uneasy expression on his face.

"Um..." Troy scratches his head. Clearly when he invited me, the invitation wasn't extended to my brothers as well.

"Nick Rainer is having a party Saturday." I say helpfully, waving a dismissive hand towards the boy next to me as I look back down at my schoolwork. I take a bite of my cold BLT. "He invited me."

"Sweet. What time?"

"Uh..."

I turn to Troy. "You did mean that my brothers could come along with me, right? Or was the invitation strictly me?"

He falters under my hard stare. "Right, yeah. Yeah, of course y'all are invited."

"There you go, Romul. Happy?" I smile sweetly at my brother, but he gets my point. He narrows his eyes at me and growls, a hallow sound deep in his throat.

"Right. I'll see you Saturday." Troy quickly gets up from the table, scurrying off to the other side of the cafeteria where the long table of sports guys sit. On most days, even on loud ones, you could hear that specific table in the science wing of the school.