Despite All Obstacles Part II

New Girl (Continued)

I'm finally at the first floor where it's more crowded than the other floors. I'm assuming Lunch A is still ending as Lunch B begins. I don't know what kinda lunch they serve on this side of Los Angeles, but I'm happy to find out.

As I'm about to walk in the hall that takes me to the cafeteria, I see two boys across me staring at me with wondering faces. I get it's because I'm new. One of them is blonde with two different eye colors and I'm assuming his friend is biracial, like Tahj Mowry. I walk through the crowded hall to fight my way to lunch.

As I finally arrive to the cafeteria, it reminds me of the Mean Girls movie's cafeteria. Beside me are the lunch schedule and menu. Today's Taco Tuesday. Tomorrow's Pizza Wednesday.

Lunch Schedule:

LUNCH A: 11:00-11:30AM

LUNCH B: 11:30AM-12:00PM

LUNCH C: 12:00-12:30PM

By knowing how overpopulated this school could be during breaks, I see why the school breaks lunch times into threes instead of twos like Malcolm X Middle and Obama Academy, which are the same times as Lunch B and C. I only ate lunch at 11:30 to noon in Obama in both my freshman year and last week.

I search for the line and boy, it is long. I'm walking to the last person in line. I stand behind him. He turns around to look me up and down and then face forward. I don't know what that was all about.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm finally in the kitchen. The tacos smell really good, like they're either homemade or made from Taco Bell. I see a boy walk out with a taco bowl. I see soft shells, hard shells, puffy shells, bowl shells, tortillas, burritos and nacho chips. Mmmmmm....

I decide to take the bowl shell with sour cream, guac, corn chips, beef, lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, yummy. It's like an all-you-can-eat-buffet, but with just tacos. In Inglewood, we only eat what they serve us. I turn around and they have a dessert area and walk there to see a piece of lemon crème pie. It's calling my name to eat it up. I pick it up.

Finally, it's my turn. I press down my lunch number, 9358617. The cashier accepts my number and tells me "You owe five dollars." What?

"Can I still eat?" I ask, not wanting to give up my bowl.

"Yes, you may. It would be cruel of me to let you starve. You have a week, or you won't eat lunch. Also, that crème pie is 3.50." Darn it. And I was in a good mood.

"To everyone who wants a taco bowl, they are sold out for Lunch C!" A cook announces. I can hear the back of the line groan as I walk out the kitchen. I get the lemon crème pie because I had the five-dollar bill and chose the pie over the debt. My change's the cover.

I see that all the tables are full and it's like the Mean Girls movies where everybody's in cliques. They're the bookworms, the Anime Club, the group without a single tray (Brandy), the perverts, the Asians, the nerds, the geeks, special ed., Muslims, the jocks, the drill team, the band geeks. Wait.

I turn back to the jocks and see Terrell as one of the Parrots. He's wearing the team's varsity jacket. Shoot. I see Kory wearing a basketball headband. They must be athletes.

I see a table that's full of overweight teens and decide to sit with them. As I sit down, I see the same boys I saw earlier with the same Asian girl from music entering the cafeteria. I shrug them off and pick up my black plastic spork.

"You're a lefty?" One of the big girls asks me with a burrito in both her hands.

I nod and say, "Yes, I am. Are you?"

She happily shakes her head, "No. I'm a righty." She waves out her right pinky.

I nod while chewing the taco and quietly chug in peace.

After I'm done eating my whole entire tray, I'm about to head out with my lemon crème pie.

Somehow, it feels like I forgot something important. No, some things. They're items. I gasp.

I rush back into the kitchen. Somebody shoves me. "Back in the line, fatty."

That comment makes me so angry. I wanna say something like Mo'Nique did on Phat Girlz, but instead I bump through and deal with the line of complaints and insults. I see my school supplies in front of the area where I made my bowl. I rush to get them and rush back out.

I leave the cafeteria early with my things. I still can't believe I carried my school stuff in here. I would've forgotten them. I almost did. Now, I have to go back to my locker.

As I show up to the second floor, also my home floor, the girls are still there. They're loitering at my locker.

Okay, Barbara. Be like Mo'Nique. I march up to them. "Hey, you all are in front of my locker," I tell them as politely as I hope.

"Had a good lunch, Mo'Niqua? I see that you ate enough," the blonde taunts me and her posse laugh like evil pussy cats. I'm guessing she's the head cheerleader.

"Look, I'm not here for any trouble. I just need to go to my locker," I politely tell them. I'm secretly getting annoyed by them. They surround me into their little circle like predators.

"Well, Mo'Niqua, I guess you'll have to wait, or give us your pie." She cocks her head after the "q". Goldilocks's tripping. I ain't giving her this pie.

"Look, Goldilocks. Move outta my way or we're gonna fight." That isn't me. That's Mo'Nique.

"Oooooooooooo," they all say and exchange glances.

"Classy, Mo'Niqua," Goldilocks taunts. I know she's calling me ghetto in her head. I see it in her face with that silly smirk and calling me Mo'Niqua. That ain't my name.

The Asian cheerleader smacks my pie out of my hand and steps on it. I gasp, angered. She smirks. Before I know it, the brunette and the auburn pin me against the lockers. The Asian girl moves beside the biracial girl as the biracial girl films me behind Goldilocks. Goldilocks picks up the pie and rubs it in my face.

"You want it? You, you, you want it, sista?" She sings and dances as her posse have their catty laughs. The biracial one snorkels like a dork. I want to fight Goldilocks so bad now.

"Hey! Lay off!" A male voice seriously shouts. I turn and see the boy with two different eye colors with his biracial friend. One brown eye and one blue eye.

"Or, what? Rat me out again?" Goldilocks says at him. They have a face off. Blonde boy versus blonde girl. His friend just watches.

"Yeah. I can get you kicked off from the squad. Remember when you bullied China last year, when you and your crew threw her in the trash can in the restroom? You weren't allowed as captain. You had to miss try-outs." That sounds like a threat to her reputation. She growls at him.

"Fine. Let Rasputia go," she growls, and they snatch my wrists off the lockers. They cross their arms at him, and he snatches my smushed lemon crème pie off her hand and gives it back to me. We make eye contact.

"Thanks." I shyly smile.

"No problem," he says with a pity smile. Behind him, the biracial girl frets while looking at him.

"You know, your brother is always the hot one," Goldilocks growls at him.

He shrugs and tells her, "I don't care." She gets an attitude.

His friend orders them to move on. "Go on. Move along, move along." He waves his hands at them to go away. And they move along. The brunette waves them off and they all say "whatever" at the same time.