Lost in the Game {Brollins}

| Chapter 6 |

The girls travelled through the school and walked through the cafeteria doors. The silence that filled the hallways was immediately consumed by the loud and obnoxious noises that erupted throughout the cafeteria.

The cafeteria always felt too overwhelming to Rebecca, and she never wanted to spend any time in there if it wasn't completely necessary.

Her plan was simple: get in, get Pamela her cookie, get out. As fast as possible.

But the odds of this plan actually going her way were very slim, and she knew that.

The large area was completely packed with students, and to Rebecca, it looked like an uncontrolled pest infestation. Students easily outnumbered tables and chairs but that didn't stop them from sitting together, sitting on the ground, or just standing.

The group of girls moved around, getting themselves through the crowds of other teenagers. They weaved in and out of groups, trying to find a fairly open spot for them to be able to stand in peace without feeling someone bump into their shoulder every two seconds or have others so close in proximity they're practically breathing down everyone's neck.

Once they found a decent place, Rebecca turned her attention back to the group and heard them talking, and it was obvious that the faster Pamela got her cookie the faster they could leave.

She didn't want to seem overbearing and have the girls get annoyed with her trying to speed up the process, but sometimes the girls forgot about her weariness when it came to large groups of people. To be fair, Rebecca knew it wasn't some detrimental thing, she just preferred to stick in quieter areas with fewer people, she favoured those types of scenes for as long as she could remember. She just wasn't one for a bunch of pointless interactions with people who she would never consider a close friend, another thing about highschool she found pointless, small talk with acquaintances never piqued her interest.

"Okay Pam, go get your cookie. Let's be quick." Rebecca shifted around uncomfortably, scanning the entire room while fidgeting with her backpack strap.

She took in her surroundings, she knew that the cafeteria was one of the best places to figure out what type of person you're dealing with. You get to see who they're sitting with, the people they surround themselves with, and the way they interact with everyone around them.

Loud people hung out with louder people, self-obsessed teens stayed around other narcissistic personalities, and quiet kids were probably huddled in a corner somewhere together. Rebecca always knew even from a young age that she didn't necessarily fit in, but it never really bothered her. Sometimes she even wondered where the other three girls would fit in since the way people perceived them was extremely different from their real personalities, but that doesn't stop some assumptions.

People constantly assumed that Ashley was just a boyfriend stealing egomaniac, and while she had her fun when it came to stirring up drama, she was actually an extremely caring and genuine person. Rebecca had to hand it to her, Ashley always had a backup plan when it came to her schemes, and somehow she always managed to get what she wanted before leaving and letting the drama ensue.

Mercedes is mostly known for her business and most think she's stuck up and malicious, but Rebecca knew she was extremely intelligent—especially considering the fact that she has managed to start and run her own business—and was always one to be as honest as possible. Rebecca and Mercedes both knew that some people just couldn't handle the truth, but that didn't stop them from being blunt, and it's part of the reason why the two get along so well.

When it came to Pamela, she was often referred to as a pushover and quiet. However, Rebecca knew her kindness was not a sign of weakness and Rebecca didn't know anyone with a bigger heart than Pamela. Rebecca has always had a special bond with Pamela, she was like a little sister to her, and something in Rebecca always knew that no matter what, she would protect Pamela with her life.

Rebecca came out of her thoughts and refocused, noticing she had missed out on part of the conversation the girls were having. She forced herself to divert her attention back to the girls and listen to what they were saying.

"Wait are you getting a cookie from the vending machine?" Ashley questioned and Pamela nodded excitedly in response.

Ashley started rummaging around her purse and grabbed her wallet, "Great! I need some water."

Mercedes looked at Pamela and Ashley, "Well if you're both going, I might as well grab something. I'm gonna go grab a salad pack from the food line."

Rebecca began walking backwards while looking at the girls, "I'll just wait for you guys by my locker."

"Why don't you grab something with us? We'll be quick." Mercedes looked over to Rebecca and pointed towards the short lines.

Rebecca shook her head, "Don't worry about it, take your time. You know where I'll be."

Rebecca went to turn around and walk forward so the other girls would stop trying to get her to stay. She also wanted to make sure she left before something made her regret her decision to go in the first place.

As she turned around, her good intentions immediately came to a halt.

While talking to Rebecca and trying to convince her to stay with them, her friends had managed to leave out the fact that she should stop walking backwards because she was unintentionally approaching someone. They also managed to leave out the fact that this same person was directly behind her and was also not paying attention, leading them to get closer by the second.

When Rebecca finally realized how close the two were, it was too late.