Behind the Lines

I walk into the lunch room with a bit of confidence in my stride. After I left Blaine in the room, I have suddenly contained a new burst of confidence that is not going away.

I make my way up to the lunch line, seeming as a did not have enough time in the morning today to make my own. The line is never that long, since the lunch here is worse than eating one week leftovers with a touch of mold on the side. Fortunately, they had ordered pizza today from the local pizzeria, which is a monthly treat for the students here. Plus, the school gets discounts. I pick up a large slice of pepperoni pizza and a Pepsi, and pay for my meal, then head outside to eat at my tree. As usual, I sit with my back facing the crowd, hiding behind the tree. No one really sees me here, unless they see me walking. So Blaine has a fifty-fifty chance of finding my spot. Unless he really is desperate and asks people, though they would probably then say, “Why are you sitting with the freak?”

I start eating my lunch and get my iPod out so I can listen to the music, instead of all the small talk going on behind me about Blaine and how, and I quote, “utterly hot he is.” Sure, he is hot, but there is just something about him that turns me off. It is not his attitude, which is very sincere and fun, but just his body language. I just cannot quite put my finger on it, which is really frustrating.

I nibble on my food, waiting for Blaine to come. Ten minutes into lunch and there is nothing left to nibble on. I down my Pepsi really fast, along with my short-lasting confidence.

I probably never even meant anything to him. Just a person to chat with. Either that, or he came in the way of the popular crowd, containing of Landon and my brothers, Lloyd, Garrett, Miles, Brandon, and Justin. Miles is my twin, believe it or not. Hence the names, Journey and Miles. Get it? Miles is… well is a mirror image of me, except taller and with shorter hair, and a more manly appearance and structure. He used to be the one that I could tell anything to. Until he blocked me out. We used to be joined to the hip. Miles, Landon, and I. The three musketeers. But not anymore… they replaced me.

Lloyd is the player of the family. Also the oldest. He is a senior, graduating alongside Landon. He is a dick at times, but can be a sweetheart at other times. He likes to hide his feelings behind the brown hair I like to call a mop. For girls, it is an attention grabber. For him, it’s an emotion shelter. You can tell what he is feeling by looking into his eyes, so he likes to hide them when he is sad or angry.

Justin is Lloyd’s twin, just younger by four minutes. He is exactly like Lloyd, expect for hiding his emotions behind his hair. He does not care if you can tell what he is feeling. He is the most caring brother out of all, but the funniest and the family joker, always pulling pranks and getting into trouble, at home and at school.

Garret is the nerd of the family. He is only a sophomore, but unlike other nerds, he is popular, due to our brothers. But do not get me wrong. He may be a nerd, but he does not wear glasses or overalls. He wears the Hollister kind name brands, along with the rest of the crowd. He is a big softy and a great hugger, though I have not had one from him in three years. Sigh.

Last but not the least, is Brandon. He is the youngest, only a freshman. He is still a skinny looking thing, but you can tell that his muscles are growing and his pants get smaller every few months or so. He is the one that breaks up the fights in the house between the boys, believe it or not. He is the peacemaker, and even though he is the youngest, he is the most rational.

And then there is me. The outcast of the family. I would not even consider myself a part of the family anymore, and I am pretty sure they do not either. I wish they would have believed me, but every finger pointed to me, and I could not do anything except watch my walls crumble around me.

As I am lost in my train of thought, I did not notice someone sitting next to me, and all gossip about Blaine seems to cease. I turn my head around to notice that Blaine has found me and sitting next to me.

“Well, I found you,” he declares, smiling wide, his eyes sparkling with achievement and amusement.

“Congratulations! You win the grand prize!” I yell, my smile matching his.

“Cool! What did I win?” he asks me.

“A seat next to me of course! What else could you possibly want?” I ask.

“How about some of that Pepsi, since it took fifteen minutes to find you! I’m so thirsty!” he admits. Then I noticed that he did look out of breath, with tiny beads of sweat on his forehead.

“Have you been running?” I ask, handing him the leftover of my Pepsi.

“Yes. I have been trying to find you, you know. I’ve asked a lot of people, but they do not seem to like you much… care to share?” he asks, taking a sip of the drink.

“I don’t like to talk about it,” I say, my good mood seeming to dissipate in the air.

“Well then, I’m not going to force you to tell me, but if you need an ear, I can lend you one!” he offers, finishing the remainder of the coke. “But anyway, are you with Landon, or something?” he asks me, eyeing me with raised eyebrows.

I start to laugh at the possibility of that happening, which happen to be a zero out of a million.

“What? Is there something on my face?” he asks, running his hands on his face to wipe off a non-existing particle.

“N-no. It’s j-just the p-possibility of me being with L-Landon,” I say, still chuckling, while I stutter a little here and there.

“Well! That’s a relief!” he exclaims, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead.

“How come?” I ask.

“I want to take a shot at lover boy, over there,” he says, looking over to where Landon is sitting, laughing alongside his friends.

“Why? You gay or something?” I ask, my brow scrunched up in the middle.

“Yes. How can you not tell?” he asks, his expression matching mine.

“Nah. You just don’t come across as gay,” I admit, finally putting the puzzle pieces together from before.

“I hope it’s not a problem,” he asks hesitantly, looking a little scared of what I would say.

“Nope. Why would I be?” I ask curiously. I mean it; I do not have a problem with homosexuals. In fact, they are very lovable people.

“That’s why I moved here. People at my old school would bully me. You know, beat me, abuse me, and knock down my things. I just couldn’t take it anymore, and neither could my family, so we moved here,” he admits, looking lost in his own little world, a hint of sadness on his face as he recollects memories from his old life.

“Well that’s their loss. I’m pretty sure if they got to know you, they would be the best of friends. But people aren’t like that, and we have to deal with it. Some can’t and end their life. But I say, that it takes more courage to live, than to kill yourself,” I say, remembering things from my past as well.

“Man, that was deep,” Blaine finally says, after a moment of silence, lightening up our dampened mood.

“Oh yeah, I should totally become an author,” I say, my smile coming back to my face, as I lean against the tree and relax. I hope I am able to keep Blaine’s friendship for a long time to come. He seems like a swell guy.

But of course, as I think that, a few girls come over to where we are sitting, which is a first. Both of them are from the popular table, where Landon and my brothers sit. Clarissa, the school’s bitch, is your typical stuck-up, blonde, rich kid, and a little bonkers in the head. Her sidekick, Bethany, is the Clarissa wanna-be child, always doing whatever Clarissa does.

“Hey Blaine,” Clarissa greets in her nosy, high pitched voice, that could break a few glass windows and cups.

“Hi…” Blaine says hesitantly, dragging out the hi, and looking curiously up at her with an eyebrow raised, something I’ve noticed he does when he is curious.

“We were just wondering if, like, you wanted to come sit with us, instead of this freak here,” she says sickly sweet, turning bitter at the end.

“Why would I want to do that?” Blaine asks, surprising not only Clarissa, but me.

“Well, why would you want to sit with her?” Bethany asks, hatred dominant in her voice.

“Why would I want to sit with you?” Blaine counters, enjoying this sick, but amusing encounter.

“Well, this would give you a chance to become one of the populars’, and ditch this abomination. Why would you want to give her the time of day. Haven’t you heard what she has done?” Clarissa states, and gone is her sickly sweet voice, replaced with a cold, hard undertone.

“Well, you can shove this offer up your ass, because never would I ever want to hang out with someone by the likes of you. You may think you own the school, but you don’t. All you get attention for is being easy, as they boys put it. When in reality, all you are is an insecure, little bitch, who doesn’t even know how to give the time of day. You may think you are pretty, but please, who are you even kidding. I can wipe all of that so called beauty with a Kleenex and pull out those awful extensions in your hair. Your nails are as fake as your boobs, and you are as dumb as a rock. I would rather die than sit at that very table with you. I just won’t be able to put up with that torture, you call a voice,” Blaine says uninterested, not even flinching at Clarissa’s hard glare.

“Blaine, you have made the biggest mistake of your life,” Clarissa says.

There is no doubt that this will be the talk of the school: Blaine disses Clarissa. I can already see that headlines and drama this will cause.

“Bring it on, Blondie,” Blaine says smirking.

“UGH!” Clarissa screams, stopping her feet like a baby, then storming over to her table, where there is no doubt she will start the rumors.

After a few moments of silence, I finally break it, getting over the shock.

“I can’t believe that just happened!” I say, my eyes wide, as well as my smile.

“What? Her temper tantrum or me siding with you,” he asks, taking his lunch out of his bag, which consists of a turkey sandwich.

“Um… both I guess. No one really sides with the freak,” I say shyly, looking away from his holding stare.

“Well, whatever I said to her was true. I would never sit with her, even if I never met you. Besides, I think you’re too good of a person to do whatever the people in this school are talking about. And whatever it may be, even if you did or did not do it, I’ll be here. You look like you could use a friend, and I can use one too. So if you don’t mind, I will be sticking with you for a while,” Blaine preaches, as if he actually understands me. Excuse me… he DOES understand me.

I smile and look away at the distance, leaving a comfortable silence between us.

Replaying the situation again in my head, I smile brighter.

“Thank you, Blaine,” I say, looking at him.

“No problem, Journey.” He simply says, looking at me and returning the smile.

I think this is going to be the start of a great friendship.

“By the way, Blaine…” I start.

“Yes?” he asks, his mouth full of sandwich.

“Lover boy over there is straight. I wouldn’t waste your time on him…” I advise, looking away at the horizon again.

He bursts out laughing and rolling on the ground.

Finally he says, “You think I didn’t know that? Aw, man, you are my new best friend,” he says, taking the words right out of my mouth.