Status: Active. (Based on the novel by Laurie Halse Anderson.)
Twisted
Twenty-Four
Must. Eat. Food.
The lunchroom smelled like deep-fried fat and sounded like a packed football stadium. I bought as much food as I could for $2.50 and sat near the door.
Must. Not. Think.
My brother threw himself into the seat across from me. “Do you think Olivia is gorgeous?”
“I’m failing senior year, Aaron.”
“And I care? Seriously, do you think Olivia is gorgeous?”
“She’s not my type.”
“Two of my friends think she’s gorgeous because she has a car. Can I have a bite of your cookie?” He took the cookie before I could protect it. “I need five dollars, too, because I lost a bet to Jade Weisenbach.”
“What was the bet?”
“Whoever got to ask a girl out on a real date first. Some soccer player was all over him when he was at his locker. He’s such a manwhore. He’ll probably do the whole team by Christmas.” He opened his lunch bag. “Geez, that means I can’t go out with any of them.”
“Technically, you won.”
“What?”
“Hardy- Olivia- she’s wanted you to ask her out for weeks.”
“She has?” he munched on a carrot stick. “Well, why didn’t she just tell me, then?”
“She’s afraid of rejection. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want you going out with her or anyone else, for that matter.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re my brother, you twit. Brothers aren’t supposed to date.”
He rolled his eyes. “Could you be any more ignorant?”
I gave him the stink-eye.
Aaron smiled, though. “Tell Olivia I’ll say yes. She’s sweet and funny, plus she has a car. How old is she, seventeen? Jade’s soccer player is only fifteen. Hah, I win.”
I consumed my ham and cheese Panini sandwiches in three bites each. Aaron gobbled down his cow food and drank his chocolate milk and my soda and rambled on about hot girls and stupid teachers and his new best friends and the need to go shopping for a new guitar. His words came out faster than fully automatic machine-gun rounds. He was making my ears bleed.
I was still in shock because I had two days to read a five-hundred page poem. I pulled Aaron’s lunch bag closer and munched on some apples.
The door to the cafeteria opened. The lunch monitors scowled. I watched, chewing on the apple slice, while Aaron’s mouth flapped. The plastic knob of a crutch poked around the half-opened door. Sean Caine hobbled in.
I stared. Why was he here? Sean never ate lunch with the humans. He went out to lunch with his bandmates or one of the girls who could afford an Audi or Camaro. Why was he here?
He took a few wobbly steps. Even after a couple weeks, he still hadn’t gotten the hang of using crutches.
I leap over the table just as he slips on the grease-slicked floor. He falls into my arms and whispers, “Thank you, Elise.” As I carry him to the lunch line so he can buy a bag of beef jerky (for him) and a slice of sausage pizza and breadsticks (for his heroine, me), everybody in the cafeteria stands and applauds. The lunch ladies are so moved they give us free cookies.
“Hey Sean!” Aaron shouted. “Over here!”
Sean made his way to our table- it was the closest to the door, after all. He smiled at my brother. He leaned the crutches against the table and put his hand on my shoulder. My shoulder.
He gracefully sat. Next to me.
He was wearing ripped jean khakis that were the perfect length; to his knees, a black wife beater with a grey outlining of Dimebag Darrel from Pantera, and a candy bracelet that I was desperate to nibble on. From every corner of the cafeteria, people were watching.
“Shit, you guys will let me sit here, right?” Sean asked. “It’s so hot I can’t stand it. My armpits are blistered, I swear to God. I can’t take another step.”
I wanted to say something, anything, but by the time I got over the shock, he was deep in conversation with my brother- who I adored very, very much at this point- about crutches and armpit pain. Besides, the apple slice in my mouth that I was currently chewing on was a bitch to swallow.
“Y’know, I really like that shirt on you, Elise.” Sean lifted his left leg and set his bandaged foot in my lap, flashing me a grin. “It’s pretty sexy.”
His foot. My lap.
In front of the entire cafeteria.
A collective gasp came out from the crowd.
I was pretty sure that the rest of my life was going to be a bitter disappointment, but at that moment, I didn’t care at all.
---
The lunchroom smelled like deep-fried fat and sounded like a packed football stadium. I bought as much food as I could for $2.50 and sat near the door.
Must. Not. Think.
My brother threw himself into the seat across from me. “Do you think Olivia is gorgeous?”
“I’m failing senior year, Aaron.”
“And I care? Seriously, do you think Olivia is gorgeous?”
“She’s not my type.”
“Two of my friends think she’s gorgeous because she has a car. Can I have a bite of your cookie?” He took the cookie before I could protect it. “I need five dollars, too, because I lost a bet to Jade Weisenbach.”
“What was the bet?”
“Whoever got to ask a girl out on a real date first. Some soccer player was all over him when he was at his locker. He’s such a manwhore. He’ll probably do the whole team by Christmas.” He opened his lunch bag. “Geez, that means I can’t go out with any of them.”
“Technically, you won.”
“What?”
“Hardy- Olivia- she’s wanted you to ask her out for weeks.”
“She has?” he munched on a carrot stick. “Well, why didn’t she just tell me, then?”
“She’s afraid of rejection. It doesn’t matter. I don’t want you going out with her or anyone else, for that matter.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re my brother, you twit. Brothers aren’t supposed to date.”
He rolled his eyes. “Could you be any more ignorant?”
I gave him the stink-eye.
Aaron smiled, though. “Tell Olivia I’ll say yes. She’s sweet and funny, plus she has a car. How old is she, seventeen? Jade’s soccer player is only fifteen. Hah, I win.”
I consumed my ham and cheese Panini sandwiches in three bites each. Aaron gobbled down his cow food and drank his chocolate milk and my soda and rambled on about hot girls and stupid teachers and his new best friends and the need to go shopping for a new guitar. His words came out faster than fully automatic machine-gun rounds. He was making my ears bleed.
I was still in shock because I had two days to read a five-hundred page poem. I pulled Aaron’s lunch bag closer and munched on some apples.
The door to the cafeteria opened. The lunch monitors scowled. I watched, chewing on the apple slice, while Aaron’s mouth flapped. The plastic knob of a crutch poked around the half-opened door. Sean Caine hobbled in.
I stared. Why was he here? Sean never ate lunch with the humans. He went out to lunch with his bandmates or one of the girls who could afford an Audi or Camaro. Why was he here?
He took a few wobbly steps. Even after a couple weeks, he still hadn’t gotten the hang of using crutches.
I leap over the table just as he slips on the grease-slicked floor. He falls into my arms and whispers, “Thank you, Elise.” As I carry him to the lunch line so he can buy a bag of beef jerky (for him) and a slice of sausage pizza and breadsticks (for his heroine, me), everybody in the cafeteria stands and applauds. The lunch ladies are so moved they give us free cookies.
“Hey Sean!” Aaron shouted. “Over here!”
Sean made his way to our table- it was the closest to the door, after all. He smiled at my brother. He leaned the crutches against the table and put his hand on my shoulder. My shoulder.
He gracefully sat. Next to me.
He was wearing ripped jean khakis that were the perfect length; to his knees, a black wife beater with a grey outlining of Dimebag Darrel from Pantera, and a candy bracelet that I was desperate to nibble on. From every corner of the cafeteria, people were watching.
“Shit, you guys will let me sit here, right?” Sean asked. “It’s so hot I can’t stand it. My armpits are blistered, I swear to God. I can’t take another step.”
I wanted to say something, anything, but by the time I got over the shock, he was deep in conversation with my brother- who I adored very, very much at this point- about crutches and armpit pain. Besides, the apple slice in my mouth that I was currently chewing on was a bitch to swallow.
“Y’know, I really like that shirt on you, Elise.” Sean lifted his left leg and set his bandaged foot in my lap, flashing me a grin. “It’s pretty sexy.”
His foot. My lap.
In front of the entire cafeteria.
A collective gasp came out from the crowd.
I was pretty sure that the rest of my life was going to be a bitter disappointment, but at that moment, I didn’t care at all.
---
♠ ♠ ♠
Man, eight chapters in one day. I think I've made up for lost time. :)Comments?