drew barrymore. | a short story

0.2 | 12:05 PM

solana:

i walked into the lunch room, and for some reason, i felt a dozen eyes from one table immediately fall on me. i paid no mind to it and walked towards the double doors leading to the courtyard where i usually sat with megan, tahliah, and isaiah. "hey, sol." megan said.

"hey," i said, air kissing her, sitting down and setting my bag next to me.

"hey solana," isaiah and tahliah said in unison.

i smiled, amused at their synchronized speaking. "hey isaiah and isaiah," i said.

"are you going-"

"to the senior party? yes," i responded. i'd been getting asked the same question every hour, so i just knew somebody was going to ask.

"i can't. i have to stay in and babysit iman," isaiah said. iman was isaiah's 9 year old brother. he always claimed he was 'in love' with tahliah whenever we went to isaiah's house.

"oh no, what's a party without isaiah?" i said, pretending to pout. isaiah was always the life of the party and usually always spiced things up.

"you got word from your boy toy yet?" megan asked.

"he's going," i admitted.

"when has he ever passed up a high school party?" isaiah said.

"speaking of the devil," tahliah said, looking at something behind me.

i turned around to see jacques strolling up to my table. jacques was cool with my friend group, though he was on thin ice with megan. "hey tahliah, hey isaiah, megan," he said.

"hey jacques,"

"wassup,"

"jacques,"

i'm sure you can guess who the last response came from.

"hey sunny," he said, jokingly resting his arm on my head.

"hey jacques," i said.

"what time sh-"

"i'll meet you there," i said.

"huh?" he said, thrown left by my sudden response.

"i'll meet you there. i don't want megan and tahliah to go alone-"

"it's okay sol, we'll be fine," megan said.

"nah, it's fine, i'll just meet you there," jacques said.

i almost sighed but i stopped myself. "kay," i said, trying to sound as unfazed as i possibly could.

"see you later sunny," he said, kissing my cheek.

"bye isaiah, tahliah, megan," he said, waving at my friends and walking back toward the double doors.

"sol, i am trying so hard with this nigga," megan started.

"why do you hate him so much anyway?" tahliah asked.

"yeah, now that i think about it, why do you hate him?" isaiah asked, resting his head on his hand.

"i'm just not too sure about him. he gives me very much 'douche' still. and he tries so hard to make it seem like sol is his 'one and only sunny' and even you know you aren't, sol." megan said.

"well, to be fair, i broke things off with him, and you said he was 'coping' so i assume that's what he's doing," i said.

"yeah, that was before you decided to tell me y'all were still messing around," megan said.

"i mean, we know where we are. we aren't anything serious." i said.

"i understand that, sol. but i know when you're emotionally attached, and that you are. i just don't want you to hurt yourself." megan said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it.

"i know, meg. i don't let it get to me. i promise." i said, taking her hand.

"damn, we just invisible," isaiah said.

"oh hush, isaiah," megan said.

"but, on the high note, i can go. india said she been in an argument with meccah all day, so she cancelled her plans with him and she'll stay and watch iman until i get back," isaiah said. as you may have assumed, india is isaiah's older sister, and meccah is her hardheaded boyfriend.

"good, we need you there." megan said.

"solana, why'd you come out of the cafe looking so confused?" tahliah asked.

"i saw too," megan said.

"me three," isaiah said.

"shit, i thought y'all didn't notice," i said, holding my hands up.

"tell us," all three of them said in unison.

"well, when i walked in, y'all know that table by the window? the one where the girl who threw the trash can in that fight sat?" i said.

"oh yeah, i know that table." tahliah said.

"what table?" megan said, scrunching her face up, confused.

"it's like right when you walk in, and you look towards the left and they're just there," isaiah said.

"oh, that table." megan said.

"well basically, they like... stared me down like a group of hungry vultures or some shit. like all of the girls that sat there were staring me down," i explained.

"i know exactly why," megan said.

we all looked at her. "your boy toy was talking to like three of the girls at that table," she said.

it dawned on me just as tahliah groaned and isaiah shook his head. "duh," i said to myself.

"i never understood that. he just legs people. never has sex with them, just carries them around." tahliah said.

i didn't want to say it, but it had to be said. "it's because of me. we talked about it," i blurted.

"huh?" megan said.

"he said he's tried it with other people but..." at that point i knew i was talking too much, so i stopped myself and said "never mind. it's his business."

"i think i know where you were going already. but i won't poke." megan said.

it was true. me and jacques had talked about it. he tried sexual relations with other people, but he claimed that the feeling wasn't the same, and that he'd rather it be me than anybody else. it sounded fucked up, but as i've told megan, we came to an understanding and knew where we were.

"wasn't he talking to ivy not too long ago?" isaiah said.

"yeah, but i haven't been paying her any mind." i fibbed. i actually hated the fact that jacques talked to her. she seemed perfect. she was pretty, and she was nice to mostly everyone that crossed her path. so i wasn't surprised that jacques talked to her, but i still hated it. i had a feeling he'd just drop everything we had for her. though i had broken things off with him, it seemed like my access to him was so limited, but not. don't get me wrong, i had nothing against ivy... but she made me feel like i was losing a spot (that i kind of gave up anyway). she knew i had talked to jacques but i wasn't sure if she knew that we were still messing around here and there.

"sol, you alright?" megan asked, bringing my attention back to the table.

"yeah, yeah i'm fine," i wasn't. i needed some time to myself. i grabbed my trash and got up.

"i'll see y'all tonight, alright?" i said.

"bye, sol." megan said.

"see you, solana," tahliah said.

"bye, sunshine," isaiah said.

i got up and exited the courtyard, back into the cafeteria, and right back past the window table, where they stared like hawks again.