Friendly fire

“Okay everyone, line up for lunch,” Mrs. Archibald said, flicking the lights off of our eighth grade classroom as she walked out the door.

The hall filled with whispering as we walked toward the cafeteria. Once there, we shuffled our feet in the slow-moving line. Today was pizza day and everyone wanted to get through the line before it was all gone and only fish sticks remained.

Once through the line, l scanned the crowded room to see where my friends were sitting. Donna saw me looking and waved me over in her direction. Two tables shy of my seat, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Do you mind if I sit with you?” Shaianne asked, hunching her thin shoulders and smoothing a hand down her shapeless skirt.

“Um… uh..,” I stumbled over to the table and sat my lunch tray down. “Y’all don’t mind if Shy sits with us, do you?” I asked, tugging on my ear. I flicked a lock of hair back and popped the straw into my milk carton. Shelly and Donna looked at each other not knowing what to say. Christine, also known as the Jolly Green Giant by half the eight grade, came walking by.

“Go find your own seat Goober Girl,” Christine called out as she flicked Shy’s ponytail on her way past. A cruel smirk spread on her face as tears tumbled down Shy’s cheeks. I knew how Shy felt. Last week I had my own run-in with her, calling her by the secret nickname by mistake.

I wasn’t looking at Shaianne, though. I was looking at Christine and the table she sat at. The cool table was across the room. It was the only round table in the cafeteria and all the athletes and cheerleaders sat there. It wasn’t that they dressed any differently or spoke in a different way. Their school activities separated them from the rest of us.

“Come on, Shy,” I said. “You can sit by me.” She smiled at me, her lips still trembling as she wiped her wet cheeks with the napkin I handed her.

“I can’t believe how lame I look in this picture,” Janet sighed as she rested her chin in her hands, letting the picture flutter to the table.

“It’s not so bad,” Sarah said, picking it up and holding it next to her own. “Now mine is lame. I can’t believe my mother made me wear that dress,” she huffed, then peeled her banana in quick jerks and flung them onto her picture.

I barely paid attention as the conversation changed from hideous hair to Dennis’s cute rear end. I was too busy staring at the popular table.

As I watched the “beautiful people” talking and laughing, I noticed Christine smiling at me. She crooked a finger in my direction then pointed to the trashcans. I told the girls I’d be right back, then picked up my half empty tray and followed Christine.

We scraped trash off our trays in silence then placed them on the squeaky moving rollers that would send them into the bowels of the kitchen. Finally Christine spoke.

“I saw you watching us,” she said, her hip leaning against the lunch counter.

“So?” I lowered my head and concentrated on picking stray hairs off of my sweater. I wished she would get to her point so we could move away from the pungent aroma of the trashcans.

“Why were you staring?”

“No reason.” I said, my hands now in the pockets of my jeans playing with the lint.

“You want to sit there, don’t you?” It wasn’t a question.

“So what if I do? Did I say anything to you about it?” I asked, my voice straining and my hands balling into fists in my pockets.

“You know, I could invite you over to sit there tomorrow,” she said, looking intensely at her thumbnail as she plucked a piece of loose skin from beside it.

“Really?” My eyes grew big at the thought.

“Yeah,” she said, looking up at me. She smiled then, her eyes scrunching up into tiny slits. “If you do something for me.”

“What?” My stomach clenched as I waited for her response.

“I don’t know yet. I’ll tell you tomorrow in Social Studies.” She tapped my cheek lightly and walked away laughing.

“What did the Jolly Green Giant want?” Shelly asked while wiping a smudge of lipstick off, then expertly applying more.

“Nothing. Just being cranky as usual,” I said. When the bell rang we hustled back to class trying not to be late for Algebra.

The next day I stood by my locker stomping my foot and yanking on the combination lock.

“Please open, please open,” I muttered, spinning the dial. “Twelve to the left, four to the right, twenty-three back to the left,” I whispered out loud as I gave it a hard yank. It still wouldn’t open.

“Having problems?” I jumped at the voice that spoke from behind me.

“Oh Shy, could you please open my locker? I swear it must change combinations every day.”

“Sure,” she said with a laugh. She stepped in front of me and twirled the dial so fast I could barely make out the numbers. The lock sprang open in her hand as thunder rumbled loudly.

“Is it raining?” I asked.

“Yep It started when I got off the bus “ She flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. It glistened with rain drops.

“Oh dang. Now I have to take the bus home.” I crammed my back pack into my locker, grabbing my Social Studies book before it slid to the floor. “Come on, we’re gonna be late.” I grabbed her hand and headed for Mr. Wojick’s class.

“Wait,” she said, stopping me by the door. “I have something for you.” She handed me a small square of white, her name inked in straight, neat print on it. I flipped it over to see her face against the standard blue background. Christine called to us as she came out of the girl’s room.

“Hey string bean, what you got there? Hey look, it’s a scarecrow for my garden. Thanks,” she laughed as she grabbed for the picture. I tucked it quickly into my book before she could reach it. Christine glared at me and flounced into the room.

“Thanks,” I said, tucking the picture into my purse; then I dug around until I found my own and handed it to her.

“I’m gonna hang it on my bulletin board,” she whispered, her cheeks glowing as she smiled, carefully slipping the photo into her Hello Kitty wallet.

Mr. Wojick wobbled his head and slapped his hands together, drilling us on the Hundred Year’s War. My pen scratched across the paper as I tried to keep up with his rambling. A small noise startled me and I looked down. A small piece of pink paper was lying on the floor by my desk. I slowly placed my hand over it as I glanced at Mr. Wojick. He was standing over Bobby, one finger wagging in Bobby’s face as he lectured him on how to behave properly in class. I slipped the note into my desk and unraveled it as quickly as I could.

I know what I want you to do. I’ll tell you at lunch.

Christine

I looked up quickly and turned around in my seat. She waved at me and winked.



* * *



“Get in line,” Mr. Johnson bellowed in his deep coach’s voice. Everyone immediately shut up and stood straight in line as he walked beside us. While waiting in line to collect our mystery meat and lime gelatin square, Christine told me what she wanted.

“If you want to sit with the cool kids, you have to tear up the picture Shaianne gave you while she watches.” She wrenched her mouth in a hard line while her eyes seemed to glow.

“I can’t do that. Shy’s been my friend since the fifth grade.” There was no way I could do that. I felt my cheeks burning. “I won’t do it!” I stated, placing my hands on my hips.

“Hey Lorie, heard you were sitting with us today,” Wendy said, her arm linked in Dennis’s. He smiled at me and told me he’d save me a seat.

“Okay. I’ll do it.” I slowly took Shaianne’s picture out and walked up to her.

“I saved you a seat.” Shy moved her purse so I could sit. My hand trembled as I showed her the picture. I looked at my hands as I painfully tore that little square in half. Tears filled her eyes as she held the pieces up. “How could you? I thought you were my friend!” She threw the pieces at my feet and ran to the other side of the room.

“Wait Shaianne,” I called, walking toward her.

“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” Wendy asked as she walked up to Shy. She wrapped her arm around Shy’s thin shoulders.

‘Don’t worry Shaianne,” Melissa said. You can sit with us. I’d love to have a picture of you. Wouldn’t you, Wendy?” Melissa placed her arm around Shaianne’s shoulders as well.

“Yes I would.” Wendy handed Shy a Kleenex. I looked at Christine. She was laughing.

“Next time, you’ll think twice before you call me Jolly Green Giant, won’t you?” Her laugh was like glass breaking to my ears. I stared at Shaianne sitting at the coveted cool table, then I glanced at the girls at my regular table. None of them would look at me. I bolted from the cafeteria.

“Lorie? Are you in here?” I drew up my legs so she couldn’t see them from under the stall and tried not to breath so she couldn’t hear me. I quickly brushed my tears away with a wad of tissues. I wanted to blow my nose as well, but I couldn’t take the chance. “Lorie, I need to talk to you,” Shaianne called from the other stall. I looked up into her pale face and watched her ponytail swing by her face.

“Oh Shaianne,” I cried, “I just wanted to sit at that table once. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” I grabbed some more tissue and blew my nose. She stepped off the toilet and went to the sink. Water splashed in the metal basin for a couple of seconds.

“Here “ She shoved some wet paper towels under the stall door.

“Thanks “ I took the towels and wiped my face as I stepped from the stall. “I’m sorry.” I tore the paper towels, concentrating on the even strips I made.

“I know. Here.” She handed me her picture, neatly mended with transparent tape.

“Wanna spend the night Saturday? We can dress up and order pizza.”

“Yeah. Maybe that cute guy from Domino’s will be the delivery boy.” She patted my shoulder as we walked out of the door.

“So what was it like sitting at the cool table?” I was dying to know.

“It wasn’t as fun as sitting with the girls. Those people are so stuck up!” We laughed as we walked to art class.