That Little Box That Beats In Your Chest

Lacey wakes on Monday morning, completely unenthused. She felt like covering herself with her sheets, and just lying there for the entire day. Unfortunately, the guys didn’t let her; they each texted her, begging her to come to school today, as if they could sense her reluctance from their own beds. Putting on some Pierce the Veil, she slowly got ready, careful not to irritate her fresh cuts from the weekend while she was pulling on a pair of red skinny jeans. Putting on a black V-neck t-shirt and a sleeveless black vest, she grabbed her bag, her shoes and an apple before heading out the door.

As Rian pulled up to her house, she sighed, hoping the guys would leave her alone. That wouldn’t be the case.

“Hey chica!” Jack nearly renders Lacey deaf as he yells his greeting into her left ear. She buckles in, and returns his gigantic grin with a small one of her own. She was still upset over the party, but having a weekend to get used to Jack and Alex being a couple had really helped her. Alex, who was sitting on Jack’s other side, gave her a nearly imperceptible nod, and Lacey realized he was worried she was completely uncomfortable with his and Jack’s sexuality. Determined to prove otherwise, Lacey figured the best thing was to talk about it like it was the most normal thing ever.

“So I’m guessing you guys haven’t come out publicly at school?”

“No,” Jack replied, “we’d rather not get harassed by homophobes for the rest of our senior year.”

“Yeah, it would be a pretty sucky last year,” Alex chimed in.

“Do your families know?” Lacey inquired.

“No, but even if they knew, it wouldn’t change much. We hang out together so much, it’s only natural to them that we’re affectionate towards each other. But, I mean, we don’t make out in front of them,” Alex joked.

“Well that’s good…” Lacey concluded. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, and it was only when they got to school that Lacey realized Rian hadn’t picked up Zack.

“Rian! We forgot Zack!”

“No,” he laughed. “He’s getting a ride with some girl he met at the Halloween party.” Lacey felt herself getting nauseous.

So he’s dating her, Lacey thought. She couldn’t really believe it. Zack had always seemed like he would go for a quieter girl, not one who had slept with the entire football team.

-----

As the group (minus Zack) walk down the main hallway to reach their lockers, Lacey spotted something that had her stopping in her tracks. The skinny cheerleader was pushed up against a wall, with a boy kissing her like the world was about to end in 2.3 seconds. That boy was Zack. If there was a moment Lacey could pinpoint as the most disappointing moment of her life, this would be it. Her heart dropped. She quickly walked past, avoiding eye contact with Zack as he turned to greet the guys, and ignoring the calls the amateur musicians threw her way to come back.

-----

By lunch time, Lacey still hadn’t talked to Zack, not that he noticed. In math class, he was so wrapped up in Shayla’s (the cheerleader) tonsils, he didn’t notice Lacey avoiding eye contact. As Lacey walked into the cafeteria with Rian beside her, she was secretly hoping Zack wouldn’t be at the table. Rian placed his order with the old cafeteria lady, and turned to Lacey so she could order. Lacey simply shook her head, not feeling like eating because one, the whole Zack fiasco still had her stomach in knots, and two, she was trying to drastically cut down on her eating; the thighs had to go. Rian raised his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything. They were making their way to their regular table, when Kara walked up to Rian and asked if she could sit with them. The smile that adorned Rian’s face was enough to out-shine the sun. It was evident Rian had a major thing for Kara, and Lacey was happy for him. Rian was such a sweetheart, he deserved to be happy.

Rian put his arm around Kara’s shoulders, and steered her to the table. Jack and Alex were already seated, devouring the mystery meat of the day. Lacey sat down next to Rian, with Kara on his other side, when Zack walked up, with none other than Shayla. Lacey rolled her eyes as she groaned under her breath. Rian seemed to have heard the noise, and turns to her to smirk, showing his mirrored disapproval for the cheerleader. Zack took a seat next to Alex, with Shayla attached to Zack’s hip.

The whole table became very silent, and uncomfortable in an instant. To try to break the awkward silence, Kara asked Lacey why she wasn’t eating.

“Oh, I haven’t felt very good since this morning. I’ll eat later.” After a few minutes of awkward conversation, Lacey gets up to leave. Kara nudges Rian, and they both follow her out of the cafeteria. As soon as they are out of view of the All Time Low table, Kara turns to Rian, and asks Lacey the real reason why she wasn’t eating.

“Yeah, I noticed you don’t eat much at school,” Rian pipes up.

“I just don’t get very hungry,” Lacey explained, hoping they would believe her.

“Well ok, but I still want you to eat… I have a granola bar in my bag,” Rian offered.

“I’m fine, but thank you,” Lacey said, declining food for the second time today.

“Hey, why don’t I give you my cell number?” Kara offered. “I know it’s sort of out of the blue, but you should have some friends that aren’t testosterone-filled,” she said as she winked at Rian.

“Sure, “ Lacey said as she handed the dark-haired girl her phone.