Thrust Into His Arms

Okay, so here I am back to survival 101.

I’m in the third class now. It is still pretty early to decide if today would be peaceful or not. Curry and Maverick have returned to sitting with me in the cafeteria.

They had been having their lunch at Courtney’s table because they thought me and Rex needed space. Something I think was very unneeded. Turns out Courtney is a little nice after all. Curry had been right, there is indeed some small good side to her.

She does not come off as the welcoming type. She isn’t welcoming at all—that is a known fact.

I first could not believe my eyes when I saw them at her table. I was really expecting her to shoo Maverick away. But she didn’t.

"Have you heard from him since? Text him to see if he has arrived there yet." Curry urges me. "No no no. Don’t do that. It would make you look clingy. I don’t think a guy like him would like that.

Let him text first. If he does not, you can. But wait until tonight." Maverick argues. "Come on, why would you say that? Clingy is nice. It would make him feel needed. There is no need for playing hard to get since they are already dating."

"That makes sense too. But it does not mean you have to be a barnacle like someone is with Courtney."

Curry screws her neck. "You should have just come clear that you are in need of a spanking. Come here. "

"What are you now, my mother?"

God, this is giving me a headache. "Guys, guys, guys please calm down. I am trying to tap into Juliet’s character. Your bickering is not helping with that." I say faintly.

He points to Curry. "It is her that you should be telling that to. She likes fighting way too much. She should be a boxer. I so feel sorry for whoever is going to end up with yo—ouch!" He winces as she smacks his head.

"Stop being loud. She said she needs to tap into Juliet’s character." Curry looks at me curiously. "Would Rex still be one playing Romeo?"

"Yes. He would be back before then." I respond in the same faint tone. I have been feeling lethargic since this morning. Expecting trouble drains out energy.

"That is such a relief!" She exclaims dramatically. "Here I was thinking that you would now have to be paired with Gary Hart or one of those other drama imbecile boys!"

Maverick slams down his cutlery on the table, warning"You can insult everyone else Curry, but leave Gary out of it. I won’t just sit down and take it if you continue to insult him."

"What? do you like him now?" I too look at him, expectant and keen for what his answer would be. He glances back and forth between me and Curry and sees the intensity of our watchful gazes and the burning curiosity in them and probably realized that we would know if he lies. "Okay fine. We are. . .sort of a thing now."

"Since when?" I for one is very happy. Not that I think Gary is good for him or anything. But because I am happy that he has finally gotten over his delusional crush on Calix like he said he would. Gary is an asshole like Curry said. But there is no possible way that he can be as much as Calix. So that makes this a good piece of news, no? "It’s been lingering for a while now." He is looking dreamy as he tells, "We both did not make a move on it until last week. Became official yesterday."

Curry gapes. "And you are just telling this to us now? Gweneth told us the very day that she and Rex became a thing." She points out. "She didn’t actually tell us. She did not need to because it was so obvious. Like wild obvious. Mine is a secret. I could have chosen not to tell you guys. But I am."

"Valid." I comment.

"Yeah, valid. Painfully." Curry sighs wistfully. "So that means that I am the only one single out of us three."

"Here’s some friendly advice; look for someone else. Courtney is a no-go."

"Shut up!" Curry flares and he flinched. "You are barely in a relationship and now you think you can tell me what to do about my love life?"

"You don’t have a love life." Maverick simpers out. "And that was a considerate advice."

"Well I don’t need it. Not from you!"

"Sorry, my bad, cheetah." Curry calms down when she hears that. I was calmly watching them the whole time. I have learned that in their arguments it is better to be a bystander.

Peaceful silence comes in. I was grateful for it even though I knew it wouldn’t last more than a minute. Curry spoke the next second, with a strong tap on the table. "Ha! That reminds me! Courtney said to ask you if you wanted to be a part of her clique."

I frown. "What is that?"

"Like be a part of her friends circle." She explains, adding. "It would so much boost your popularity. And also give you a little protection since she is kinda close with the Diamond league students. So. . . What do you say?" She is looking at me with hopeful eyes. I let seconds tick by before I speak. There is nothing to consider about that offer. So my answer is, "No."

"Why? It is a great privilege. You would be that first ever scholarship student to join the clique!" She is doing great in making it sound enticing, but I am just not feeling it. I do not see what good that would do to me. Even if there might be some good, I don’t want it. I smile. "Please tell her I said thanks for the offer, but no." I reject again.

"Why?"

"Because I do not want anything that would rope me in or even bring me close to those Diamond league brats."

Courtney glances in my direction just then. She smiles and I unwittingly smile too, before she continues chatting with her friends. I frown slightly, since when did me and her become BFFs? I thought, wondering.

"But you are already kinda close with them through Rex." Curry points out, and that kind of sets me off.

"No." I say in a raised voice. "That would never make me close with them. If a zombie apocalypse were to overtake this school from ground Zero, and theirs happen to be the only surviving pack of humans, I would rather give myself to be eaten by zombies than join them!" I just hope that a zombie apocalypse really does not come so I would not need to prove how much I mean that. How is that for an emphasis? Curry just said something about me being popular as if it is a good thing.

Well I am popular. Popular for being the first female target that psycho Calix has ever picked out. And then for the fake video he posted of me stripping myself naked. And then for getting suspended, and then for being back here, and now for dating Rex.

I seriously told and promised myself before coming here that I would have a quiet and invisible school life. But look now, it is the total opposite. A mix of choas, catastrophe and anarchy. Quiet and invisible, huh? So much for that.

How do I not have a mental breakdown with all this? It’s a miracle.

"See? I told you so didn’t I?" Maverick tells her.

"Told her what?"

"That it would be insensitive of her to bring that up to you. I knew you wouldn’t agree. Only a fool would. Courtney may have shown us her good side, but I still don’t like her."

"Why? I don’t really see what you guys have against her. She is nice." Curry defends.

"In your eyes. Love is indeed blind.

Courtney told me I looked like a squirrel the other day. Can you believe that?" He tells me.

"She was complimenting you?"

"By saying that I looked like an animal?" The bell rang just then. Signalling the end of recess. I couldn’t be more expectant and happy for it. Curry still admonishes me to think about what she had said. I wanted to tell her no way in hell, but nodded like I would as it does not seem like she would give up talking about it.

I am heading to math class. A subject that I am not good at. I almost hate it, and that is because of Mr Kowalski, the math teacher whom some of the students refer to as squeaky bald because of his bald head. It is so shaven that one can be able to see their reflection of they used it as a mirror.

His teachings are way too confusing. He makes the problems way more lengthy and complicated than they actually are. I hope this class quickly ends.

Then I go to swimmi—

What is he doing here?