Something I Can't Fake
Hideously Awkward.
After Tina finished putting her raincoat away, she picked up her purple travel mug filled with coffee. The remainder of last night, after she gave Artie a visit, consisted of nothing but insomnia. She was even surprised by herself when she asked her mother to make another pot of coffee. Tina was always more of a tea person herself.
“Happy Thursday.” Mercedes said behind Tina’s open locker.
Tina closed her top level red locker and looked at Mercedes with droopy eyes. She sure hoped she looked better then she felt.
“Girl, you look tired.” Mercedes said, raising her eyebrows.
“I feel tired.” Tina said turning to head up the hallway. Within the first few steps, Tina had to take a gulp of coffee just to look alive.
“Gosh, what were you up to last night?” Mercedes asked.
“Well…” Tina started.
The first bell rang for first period interrupting Tina’s story. If the biology room wasn’t across the hall, she would have told Mercedes about the night before on the way to room 210.
“I’ll be right there.” Mercedes stopped.
“I forgot last nights homework in my locker.”
“Okay. I’ll save you a seat.” Tina said reaching for the doorknob of the biology room.
To play on the safe side, Tina chugged the remainder of her coffee. If she could make it though the first period of the day without falling asleep, she’d be set. Slowly, Tina wondered to her usual seat next to the window on the far left. From her backpack that sat next to her on the floor, she pulled out last night’s homework and a sheet of notebook paper to do the warm up.
When Artie rolled into the room, he immediately saw that Tina was indeed sitting alone. This caused him to stop in the middle of the room to decide where to actually place himself.
“Move it cripple.” A football jock said forcefully pushing Artie out of his way.
Artie stopped by embracing his hands on a lab table a few feet away. He looked back and scowled at the jerk that pushed him into a table. He was laughing and a friend of his gave him a high five. The abuse Artie put up with sometimes amazed him. That’s when he decided to give Tina a chance.
“Sitting next to her might be awkward, but at least she won’t call me a cripple and push me around.” Artie thought turning to her direction.
“Anyone sitting here?” He asked.
“No…” Tina said. She was honestly surprised that he was talking to her.
“May I?” He asked.
“Of course.” Tina said smiling at his formalness.
She moved the chair to the other side of her to make room for Artie. Sure she said she’d save a seat for Mercedes, but she never necessarily said that’d it be next to her. To keep true to her word, Tina placed her backpack at the seat behind her.
“So how many other houses did you visit after mine?” Artie joked looking at Tina’s coffee mug.
Tina looked at him and playfully rolled her eyes as she quietly laughed to herself. Then she went back to her work to prevent getting yelled at. When Mercedes got to her seat, Tina turned around to face the puzzled look on her face.
“Tina, please face the front.” Mr. Stone said as he drew a diagram of the digestive system on the whiteboard.
Tina growled in her throat and slouched in her chair. She’d have to tell Mercedes about last night later. She knew Mercedes wouldn’t rest until she knew the back-story of how her and Artie were within feet of each other. Suddenly, something landed in her lap. It was a pink eraser wrapped in a strip of lined paper. Tina looked back at Mercedes with wide eyes before unraveling the piece of paper under the desk.
You + Wheels, Explain now.
Tina took her pencil off the table and wrote her response using her knee as a hard surface. She then read it to herself.
I really can’t on such a small piece of paper. I’ll explain later, I promise.
Tina re-wrapped the piece of paper around the eraser. While pretending to stretch her shoulders, Tina dropped the eraser onto Mercedes’ table. She heard it bounce off the table a few times before Mercedes read her response. Though she did want to tell Mercedes about last night, it would just have to wait…especially with Artie right next to her.
***
On account of Tina being so exhausted, the day went by slowly. By lunchtime, the boost that her coffee gave her from earlier had worn off. So she wouldn’t fall asleep right there, Tina took out her MP3 player and blasted metal though her ears while nibbling at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Suddenly a Styrofoam mug appeared on the table before her eyes held by a hand that could only belong to Kurt. Tina took out her headphones and placed them on the table.
“Talk.” Mercedes said sitting down across from her.
“Is that from the teachers lounge?” Tina asked making a face at the coffee she assumed was for her.
“What? Mrs. Martin owed me a favor.” Kurt said.
Tina and Mercedes exchanged confused looks and then both looked at Kurt for further elaboration.
“You’d be amazed what you can get away with when you do your teachers eyebrows.” Kurt smiled.
“Anyways.” Mercedes started.
“What’s going on with you and wheels? In one night he goes from doing everything humanly possible to ignore you to sitting next to you voluntarily.”
“And trust me, things like that don’t happen without something in-between.” Kurt said.
“Alright, Alright.” Tina said taking a sip of the strong coffee.
“I couldn’t sleep last night…my mind just wouldn’t let go of him.”
“That’s it?” Kurt asked.
“Not if you let me finish.” Tina said.
“Anyways, long story short, I snuck out of my house and biked to his. I threw a rock at his bedroom window and he eventually came outside to see me.”
Tina continued her story, taking sips of coffee throughout the telling of it. Every once in a while she’d glance over Mercedes shoulder at Artie when she mentioned him. At the end, when she described their hug, both Mercedes and Kurt sighed and awed simultaneously.
“So you two are cool now, right?” Mercedes asked.
“I guess. I mean, just because we agreed to try and be friends again…doesn’t mean it’ll happen.” Tina said.
“Oh will you stop, girl, it will.” She said.
“I agree. You two are so hideously awkward, that it’s bound to happen.” Kurt said checking under his nail beds.
“Thanks?” Tina said raising an eyebrow.
“What he means to say.” Mercedes said exchanging looks with Kurt.
“You’re all he’s got.”
Artie glanced at the clock across the room. There were only a few minutes left until the period was over and that he’d have to go to his next class of the day. Once again, he had another lonely lunch date with himself.
“Happy Thursday.” Mercedes said behind Tina’s open locker.
Tina closed her top level red locker and looked at Mercedes with droopy eyes. She sure hoped she looked better then she felt.
“Girl, you look tired.” Mercedes said, raising her eyebrows.
“I feel tired.” Tina said turning to head up the hallway. Within the first few steps, Tina had to take a gulp of coffee just to look alive.
“Gosh, what were you up to last night?” Mercedes asked.
“Well…” Tina started.
The first bell rang for first period interrupting Tina’s story. If the biology room wasn’t across the hall, she would have told Mercedes about the night before on the way to room 210.
“I’ll be right there.” Mercedes stopped.
“I forgot last nights homework in my locker.”
“Okay. I’ll save you a seat.” Tina said reaching for the doorknob of the biology room.
To play on the safe side, Tina chugged the remainder of her coffee. If she could make it though the first period of the day without falling asleep, she’d be set. Slowly, Tina wondered to her usual seat next to the window on the far left. From her backpack that sat next to her on the floor, she pulled out last night’s homework and a sheet of notebook paper to do the warm up.
When Artie rolled into the room, he immediately saw that Tina was indeed sitting alone. This caused him to stop in the middle of the room to decide where to actually place himself.
“Move it cripple.” A football jock said forcefully pushing Artie out of his way.
Artie stopped by embracing his hands on a lab table a few feet away. He looked back and scowled at the jerk that pushed him into a table. He was laughing and a friend of his gave him a high five. The abuse Artie put up with sometimes amazed him. That’s when he decided to give Tina a chance.
“Sitting next to her might be awkward, but at least she won’t call me a cripple and push me around.” Artie thought turning to her direction.
“Anyone sitting here?” He asked.
“No…” Tina said. She was honestly surprised that he was talking to her.
“May I?” He asked.
“Of course.” Tina said smiling at his formalness.
She moved the chair to the other side of her to make room for Artie. Sure she said she’d save a seat for Mercedes, but she never necessarily said that’d it be next to her. To keep true to her word, Tina placed her backpack at the seat behind her.
“So how many other houses did you visit after mine?” Artie joked looking at Tina’s coffee mug.
Tina looked at him and playfully rolled her eyes as she quietly laughed to herself. Then she went back to her work to prevent getting yelled at. When Mercedes got to her seat, Tina turned around to face the puzzled look on her face.
“Tina, please face the front.” Mr. Stone said as he drew a diagram of the digestive system on the whiteboard.
Tina growled in her throat and slouched in her chair. She’d have to tell Mercedes about last night later. She knew Mercedes wouldn’t rest until she knew the back-story of how her and Artie were within feet of each other. Suddenly, something landed in her lap. It was a pink eraser wrapped in a strip of lined paper. Tina looked back at Mercedes with wide eyes before unraveling the piece of paper under the desk.
You + Wheels, Explain now.
Tina took her pencil off the table and wrote her response using her knee as a hard surface. She then read it to herself.
I really can’t on such a small piece of paper. I’ll explain later, I promise.
Tina re-wrapped the piece of paper around the eraser. While pretending to stretch her shoulders, Tina dropped the eraser onto Mercedes’ table. She heard it bounce off the table a few times before Mercedes read her response. Though she did want to tell Mercedes about last night, it would just have to wait…especially with Artie right next to her.
***
On account of Tina being so exhausted, the day went by slowly. By lunchtime, the boost that her coffee gave her from earlier had worn off. So she wouldn’t fall asleep right there, Tina took out her MP3 player and blasted metal though her ears while nibbling at a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Suddenly a Styrofoam mug appeared on the table before her eyes held by a hand that could only belong to Kurt. Tina took out her headphones and placed them on the table.
“Talk.” Mercedes said sitting down across from her.
“Is that from the teachers lounge?” Tina asked making a face at the coffee she assumed was for her.
“What? Mrs. Martin owed me a favor.” Kurt said.
Tina and Mercedes exchanged confused looks and then both looked at Kurt for further elaboration.
“You’d be amazed what you can get away with when you do your teachers eyebrows.” Kurt smiled.
“Anyways.” Mercedes started.
“What’s going on with you and wheels? In one night he goes from doing everything humanly possible to ignore you to sitting next to you voluntarily.”
“And trust me, things like that don’t happen without something in-between.” Kurt said.
“Alright, Alright.” Tina said taking a sip of the strong coffee.
“I couldn’t sleep last night…my mind just wouldn’t let go of him.”
“That’s it?” Kurt asked.
“Not if you let me finish.” Tina said.
“Anyways, long story short, I snuck out of my house and biked to his. I threw a rock at his bedroom window and he eventually came outside to see me.”
Tina continued her story, taking sips of coffee throughout the telling of it. Every once in a while she’d glance over Mercedes shoulder at Artie when she mentioned him. At the end, when she described their hug, both Mercedes and Kurt sighed and awed simultaneously.
“So you two are cool now, right?” Mercedes asked.
“I guess. I mean, just because we agreed to try and be friends again…doesn’t mean it’ll happen.” Tina said.
“Oh will you stop, girl, it will.” She said.
“I agree. You two are so hideously awkward, that it’s bound to happen.” Kurt said checking under his nail beds.
“Thanks?” Tina said raising an eyebrow.
“What he means to say.” Mercedes said exchanging looks with Kurt.
“You’re all he’s got.”
Artie glanced at the clock across the room. There were only a few minutes left until the period was over and that he’d have to go to his next class of the day. Once again, he had another lonely lunch date with himself.