Wingspan(Paranormal, Young Adult) MAJOR EDITING**

nine

Lunch was a nice distraction.

This was primarily because I was ready to eat. Mya had me in line and I stand beside her. She insisted that I stick with her. I crosss my arms over my chest and kept my focus on the string of people that were ahead of me, not looking at them as I tuned out the earsplitting conversations that were going on and waited for my turn to order..

It was not long until the guy in front of us, with unruly curls the color of bricks and mortar that coiled like a corkscrew,stops dilly-dallying and we shuffle forward in the queue.

The fact that I hadn''t even bothered to move wasn''t what unsettled me. It was the forming line behind me, and how the guys directly to the back of it gave me a hostile look. That was what perplexed and rattled me.

Shaken to the core, I pursed my lips and shuffled my feet in a hurry.

In front of me,Mya took a tray and I followed her direction.

""Where to start? Well, its Taco Tuesday and I hear the lamb is actually pretty good but not everything you see is made out of meat so you want to be careful about reading the labels."" Mya walked me past the cold pea salad and shook her head, insisting that I steer clear of it.

Serving spatulas were sticking out from the cart, vintage handles just ready to be used. For decoration there were ice sculptures and carved out pineapple fruit bowls on either side of the cart. They were filled to the brim with salad and made out of different sized fruits.It not only smelled amazing but it looked good too. And that was what really sold me. I wasn''t sure what I was going to eat yet but I was banking that no matter what I chose it had to taste as pleasant as it smelled.

While I continued to gawk at the size and amount of food that was spread out in front of me, Mya briefly looked over our options and hummed to herself. I stared at the pimento sandwich that was packaged on rye. It sat in the rectangular food display and, still looking at labels taped to the glass, I eyeballed mini cheeseburgers that were oddly shaped and couldn''t have been beef because I could clearly see nuts and sunflower seeds where the patty was supposed to be.

Come to think of it, almost every item on the cart was either foreign or unfamiliar to my eyes. That or they appeared to be cooked differently with expensive, strange ingredients that didn''t sound like they would taste good and the fact that rich parents gave this stuff to their kids boggled my mind.

At first I had considered Savory Mince Rolls, but I didn''t know what mince was and I was too embarrassed to ask. So I didn''t get it. The longer I looked, the more I realized that I was so clearly out of my element.

There was nothing I could clearly define. There were: no Chinese take out boxes filled with white rice and teriyaki chicken., I sniffed the air but there was no familiar smell of Caesars pizza, and no matter how many times I''d glazed over the cart I didn''t see any frozen burritos.

Not everything in the silver containers was baked.

There were stuffed shells with red sauce that smellsheavenly. I personally thought that it should be in food porn if it wasn't already. Then there was a pot with cold,green soup, placed next to "Never Miss Meat" Stroganov—whatever that meant, and one entire row overflowing with a Mediterranean platter that had Greek yogurt topped with cinnamon. The thing that had really made me queasy was not knowing what the tuna wrap had in it. It looked crunchy and I wasn't going to ask why because I was already grossed out. And for the first time I was glad to have Myaby my side. She happily clarified what each item consisted of and if it was worth the trouble getting.

"Like I told you, not everything is made out of meat. If you're a vegetarian there are plenty options to choose from. I don't know about your old high school but we have a smorgasbord from raw foodies to Lacto-ovo-vegetarians and upteem subcategories," she says with a smile. "It gets confusing but my friend Rebecca knows more about this stuff than I do, you should ask her about it. But don't worryif you don't eat anything that's animal based including dairy, eggs, and honey, odds are we'll find something rich and flavorful for you to get fueled up on."

All the most crucial bits of information were flying at me so quickly it was impossible to keep up. The menu at my old high school was generically plain and simple. Everything at Starkhouse was done on a much grander scale. In front of me there were enough unhappy lunch ladies in hair-nets and aprons to feed several football teams. Again, everything was done with style and impeccable taste from horderves to the main course. You would think it was a fancy five star hotel instead of an Academy for troubled teens with rich parents. The dour old women scowled as they manned the buffet table ready but annoyed that they had to fill someone else's order.

"Okay. So, let's see...it says The Winter Sun Burger comes with a substitute ranch dressing and purple cabbage jazzed up with raspberry vinaigrette." Mya told me with a faint look. I told her I wasn't on a diet and could eat anything. She nodded and turned her back to me as we continued to peruse the buffet for something edible. For whatever reason,I felt like someone was watching me and I scanned the cafeteria.

Behind us, I heard a persnickety jock threaten me to,"Hurry my skinny butt or else"

Slack-jawed, I took a sidelong glance over my shoulder at the guy. I grimaced when I gazed at a filled out Persian blue casual V-neck, the sleeves halfheartedly rolled up a pair of thick veiny forearms. This guy wouldn't really hurt a girl, would he? I peered down to see big, meaty hands as the jock crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest and leered.

I will take that as a yes.

Before he could say anything else, I returned my gaze to Mya and shuffled forward. Mya stood in front of the salad bar. It had croutons, which were the only thing worth mentioning. With red cheeks and wide-eyes, I searched for something to grab, no longer caring if it was good or not. I just wanted to hurry up because I feared the guy behind me would plaster my face on the ground.

Mya didn't seem to notice the peeved glares that shot me in the back and I was relieved. She was still talking, but I wasn't listening. My singular thought that succeeded all others was to get out fast. Like dominos that fell, one after another, Mya prattled on in a similar rhythm.

"Always make sure you have an easy rule of bet if you still can't decide what to eat." Mya looked at me with a serious expression. "I always get the salad," Mya tells me in a low voice.

Since I didn't want to get yelled at again I took quick inventory of my options.

Really, it was a no brainer.

I filled my tray with root vegetable fries, two herb crusted cheese pizzas because I was starving, and a soda to quench my thirst for something sweet. There were no desserts and I had high hopes that, come dinnertime, they would bring out the good stuff.

Holding my tray in both hands, I left the buffet and followed Mya. I didn't mean to be annoying. But Myahadn't run off or told me to get lost yet so I took that as a good sign. Although, to be fair, I probably wouldn't have heard anything she said anyway. I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing or what Mya was doing for that matter. Hyperventilating, I gazed around and noticed how packed the Lunch Hall was.

Truthfully, I had always come to dread this part—the uncertainty of being accepted. Would the girls let me sit at one of their tables or should I just take my stuff in the bathroom like I did at my other school?

As badly as I wanted to run and hide, I knew that I had to try and change my usual way of doing things.

Dr. Cambridge had made it perfectly clear that I had to assimilate myself back into society and what better opportunity to start than eating in the Lunch Hall. With people I didn't know.

I suppressed a groan. This was going to be tougher than I thought it would be.

When Mya saw what I got to eat her eyes widened. "Wow, you're hungry," she teases.

She had no idea.

I glimpsed down at Mya's tray as we stepped out of the buffet area and straight into the eating space, No Mans Land. Compared to her Superfood Kale Avocado Salad with Olives and sparkling water someone might have suggested I was carrying enough food on my plate for another person.

I followed Mya toward her small circle of friends.