I Never Told You What I Did for a Living
New Crowd
"Who are they?"
The next day at lunch I sat with Ben and his small group of friends. I asked the question partially to simply get them to stop staring at me. It's hard to eat when you have a bunch of kids watching.
I gestured towards a group of four teens dressed in dark clothes. They might have been intimidating if I didn't already believe I would get along with them.
"That's Angela and her friends. Stay away from them," it wasn't a request.
"Why?"
"Because they're not nice people, that's why," Ben replied stubbornly.
"By whose standards? Have you ever even talked to them?"
"I used to be friends with the boy on the left."
"What happened?" I was being nosy, but it was keeping the attention off of me, so I wasn't sorry.
"Angela, the one with black hair and purple streaks," he added for my benefit. "And her twin brother, Kevin, the one sitting across from her, moved here in the eighth grade. Josh just left to go hang out with them."
"Well, if he was a nice guy, what makes you think that they're not?"
"Because Natalie joined them, too. She's been to rehab," he explained in a hushed voice.
"So? If she needed help, isn't it better to go to rehab than to go on living with an addiction?"
"Just stay away from them, Lily."
Another command.
I'd always had a serious problem with authority, so maybe that was why I felt I needed to make contact with them. When they got up to leave, so did I.
"Where are you going?" Ben asked, though I'm sure he had a pretty good guess.
"I'm done my lunch," I replied as I dumped my tray in the garbage.
I stopped at my locker to get my books for my next class. That way, I could escape into a safe classroom quickly if I really needed to. As I made my way down the hall, I glanced into the empty classrooms, searching for the group that had just left the cafeteria. When I found them, I also found myself outside the door of my next class. So much for a safe getaway.
I went in and took a seat at the back, dropping my books on the desk before sitting down. I could feel them watching me, but I stared straight ahead.
"Hey," I broke the awkward silence after a few nearly unbearable moments.
"Hey," Angela stood from the desk top where she had perched herself. "I'm Angela."
"I know. I'm Lily."
"We know."
I turned to face them. I felt as though I was being investigated under a microscope.
"Is Ben still annoying?" Josh asked, catching me off guard.
"Yeah."
"I figured. He never knew when to shut up."
I grinned. "And his friends creep me out."
"And we don't?" Natalie sounded confused.
"No. Should you?"
"No, but we usually creep everyone else out," Kevin admitted. "If you haven't noticed, we're sort of outcasts."
"I noticed. But I was at my last school, so I figured I'd come talk to you."
"Told you," Natalie grinned at Kevin, who shrugged.
"What?"
"I saw you watching us in the cafeteria. I figured you'd show up here sooner or later."
"And the fact that I'm in this class wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?" I asked, but I wasn't upset.
Angela laughed. "What are you doing after school?"
"Well, I was thinking of finding a way home for the weekend, actually," I admitted. I had been formulating a plan to see Gerard as soon as possible.
"If you change your mind, we'll be hanging out at the mall," Angela invited.
I smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."
"You'd better," Kevin smirked. "We could use some fresh blood."
"And I'd love to piss Ben off even more by taking away his new favorite girl," Josh added.
I shuddered. "I'd also like that part. I don't want to be the object of his affection."
"Anyone who stands up to Gillroy can hang out with us anytime," Natalie moved from sitting on the desk top to sitting on the seat.
I shrugged. "I'm sure it won't be long before that happens again."
"You're cool, Lily," Angela observed. "If you want to, I think you'll fit in with us."
The first bell rang and they all took their seats. As more students started filing in, I fought to keep the grin off of my face. For the first time I felt accepted, and it was a good feeling. I wanted to hang out with them later, but that was definitely Plan B.
Plan A was seeing Gerard.
The next day at lunch I sat with Ben and his small group of friends. I asked the question partially to simply get them to stop staring at me. It's hard to eat when you have a bunch of kids watching.
I gestured towards a group of four teens dressed in dark clothes. They might have been intimidating if I didn't already believe I would get along with them.
"That's Angela and her friends. Stay away from them," it wasn't a request.
"Why?"
"Because they're not nice people, that's why," Ben replied stubbornly.
"By whose standards? Have you ever even talked to them?"
"I used to be friends with the boy on the left."
"What happened?" I was being nosy, but it was keeping the attention off of me, so I wasn't sorry.
"Angela, the one with black hair and purple streaks," he added for my benefit. "And her twin brother, Kevin, the one sitting across from her, moved here in the eighth grade. Josh just left to go hang out with them."
"Well, if he was a nice guy, what makes you think that they're not?"
"Because Natalie joined them, too. She's been to rehab," he explained in a hushed voice.
"So? If she needed help, isn't it better to go to rehab than to go on living with an addiction?"
"Just stay away from them, Lily."
Another command.
I'd always had a serious problem with authority, so maybe that was why I felt I needed to make contact with them. When they got up to leave, so did I.
"Where are you going?" Ben asked, though I'm sure he had a pretty good guess.
"I'm done my lunch," I replied as I dumped my tray in the garbage.
I stopped at my locker to get my books for my next class. That way, I could escape into a safe classroom quickly if I really needed to. As I made my way down the hall, I glanced into the empty classrooms, searching for the group that had just left the cafeteria. When I found them, I also found myself outside the door of my next class. So much for a safe getaway.
I went in and took a seat at the back, dropping my books on the desk before sitting down. I could feel them watching me, but I stared straight ahead.
"Hey," I broke the awkward silence after a few nearly unbearable moments.
"Hey," Angela stood from the desk top where she had perched herself. "I'm Angela."
"I know. I'm Lily."
"We know."
I turned to face them. I felt as though I was being investigated under a microscope.
"Is Ben still annoying?" Josh asked, catching me off guard.
"Yeah."
"I figured. He never knew when to shut up."
I grinned. "And his friends creep me out."
"And we don't?" Natalie sounded confused.
"No. Should you?"
"No, but we usually creep everyone else out," Kevin admitted. "If you haven't noticed, we're sort of outcasts."
"I noticed. But I was at my last school, so I figured I'd come talk to you."
"Told you," Natalie grinned at Kevin, who shrugged.
"What?"
"I saw you watching us in the cafeteria. I figured you'd show up here sooner or later."
"And the fact that I'm in this class wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?" I asked, but I wasn't upset.
Angela laughed. "What are you doing after school?"
"Well, I was thinking of finding a way home for the weekend, actually," I admitted. I had been formulating a plan to see Gerard as soon as possible.
"If you change your mind, we'll be hanging out at the mall," Angela invited.
I smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."
"You'd better," Kevin smirked. "We could use some fresh blood."
"And I'd love to piss Ben off even more by taking away his new favorite girl," Josh added.
I shuddered. "I'd also like that part. I don't want to be the object of his affection."
"Anyone who stands up to Gillroy can hang out with us anytime," Natalie moved from sitting on the desk top to sitting on the seat.
I shrugged. "I'm sure it won't be long before that happens again."
"You're cool, Lily," Angela observed. "If you want to, I think you'll fit in with us."
The first bell rang and they all took their seats. As more students started filing in, I fought to keep the grin off of my face. For the first time I felt accepted, and it was a good feeling. I wanted to hang out with them later, but that was definitely Plan B.
Plan A was seeing Gerard.