Never Alone

When we returned to school after the famous “first date,” everything was different. It wasn’t different like a huge flashing neon sign was put in our way, but things were different. Kind of like the after taste you get after gulping down a thing of medicine. My best friend was no longer single. We couldn’t stay up late giggling about boys and making up lengthy impossible date sequences because she was taken. We couldn’t be in the mall and point out random hot guys because she was already obligated to someone, and by doing that she was losing part of his trust. I understood completely her situation, and whenever something came up I tried to be as understating as possible but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. If she texted me something adorable he had said I would ball up my fists in jealously. Yeah I was jealous, but who wouldn’t be. He was great, everything a girl could ever want and, lucky me, I got to know everything about it. I saw her when the bell for first period dismissed us.
“Maddie!” I shrieked as I pushed my way through the crowded hallways to hear about the bus ride to school when he, of course would sit with her and they would talk and bump shoulders I wanted to hear every second of it.
“Alyssa!” She waved over at me and stopped waiting for me. “Oh my gosh you will never believe what he said to my earlier! It was so cute. He saved a seat on the bus for me and he kept me warm and….” Her voice faded as Brayden walked up right next to us. They started talking and slowly they walked away. I trailed behind them as we made our way to our second period. I wanted to give them the privacy they apparently needed, so I took a quick turn down a different hallway and made my way to class.
I smiled and said “hi,” to the friends that I passed on the way but it wasn’t the same. The hallway was more open, colder. Suddenly it was silent and the cheerful giggles of us were washed away like the white on the pathetic walls. I got to my class early. I set my books down and waited. From down the hall I could hear loud enthused laughs, definitely a boy and girl. She came in fingers twirled in her hair. She tended to do that when she was nervous.
“Hey,” she walked over and sat down next to me. “We missed you, where did you go? We were talking and then one minute I look behind me and you weren’t there.”
"Yeah I know just I didn’t want to bother you two or anything and besides I had to talk to Mr. Peters about something wrong with my grade. It’s nothing, so what did you two talk about?”
“Oh nothing really, just stuff.” She smiled and swayed gently side to side, another nervous habit of hers. I nodded, disappointed but understanding.
When lunch came all our friends walked down together. Loud as we were we didn’t seem to notice the glares and shhhh’s of the teachers as we passed by their classrooms. At lunch all of us sat together in our normal spots, even though we didn’t have assigned seating we sat in the same places every day out of habit.
Sophie, the funny entertaining one of the group sat next to Madison. Sophie had long flowing hair; it was a light orange-blonde mix. Today it cascaded down her shoulders. She was heads above the rest of us. Around 5’6 I would say.
Madison of course sat in the middle of the action. Her dark curled waves laid down her back but a section was tied up in a polka dot ribbon, her signature.
I sat on the other side of Madison, my sandy hair was a little bit longer then shoulder length and today I had decided to scrunch it into neat little waves.
Across from us sat Brooke and Lily. Brooke had wild curls that were a dark brown almost a black in some lights. Lily had dark brown hair, just like Madison, except she always straightened her hair so that not a stray piece was sticking up. Recently she had died a strip on the side hot pink, she was really into bright colors. We all sat down, opened our brown paper bags and released our lunches.
“Ugh Sophie you have cookies! I will trade you a bag of cheese-its for 5 of those peanut butter cookies!” We exchanged goods and so did the rest of our little table. Lunch was one of the rare times we were all together and the funny thing was we were so hungry that 80% of the conversation involved food or food related topics. In between big helping bites on her sandwich Lily spoke.
“So,” gulp, “Madison, what did you and Brayden talk about on the bus this morning?”
“Oh yeah Alyssa I forgot to tell you the whole story. So we were on the bus and there was like only one half of a seat open and I was the last one on the bus. So I was gonna have to sit with some big random high-schooler but then Brayden moved over and made them switch seats just so that we could sit together. It became this big whole thing but eventually we got to sit together and I got the window seat too, just how I like it.” The whole section of our table awwwwwed. I smiled to hide my glint of jealousy. I wish I had known this whole story earlier but I didn't press the issue knowing that she was already busy with a billion other things all going at one time. As we were shoveling food into our mouths I realized that Madison & Sophie were whispering to each other. I questioned asking them what they were talking about but my sandwich was too tempting so I took another big bite. I almost choked on my bite when I heard them yell in laughter.
"Ummm guys want to tell us what's so funny?" I asked swallowing.
"It's nothing." Said Sophie whispering back at Madison. I didn't suspect that they were going to let me in on the joke so I looked over to talk to Brooke or Lily. Lily had her back facing towards our table; she was talking to one of the guys near us. Brooke on the other hand was fishing something out of her shirt. It looked like food.
Concerned I asked, "Uh Brooke you okay there?" She looked up startled and slightly embarrasses.
"Oh yeah this? Yeah I'm fine it's just someone," she looked over at the guys table behind us, "Decided that it would be really funny to throw food down my shirt and now I can't find that dam cheese-it!" I turned my head, covered my mouth and even tried taking deep breaths to stop the laughter but nothing could. I cracked up, My face turned so red it might as well of been on fire. Madison and Sophie stopped their conversation and looked over at me. Madison's face was that of horror and then she started laughing at my reaction to Brooke who, despite everything going on around her was still trying to find that dam cheese-it.
"Guys what's so.... BROOKE GET OUR HAND OUT OF THERE!" Lily screamed grabbing Brooke's arm.
"Oh I found it!" Brooke said picking up a cheese-it from her lap. Lily shook her head in disgust as the lunch aids announced the end of our freedom and back to classes.