touches her green scarf that hangs around my neck.
“Do you mind?” I ask her, feeling awful that I borrowed it, if she has a problem with it. I put my tray down on the counter and start to take it off, but Kara stops me.
“Dude, no. What’s mine is yours since I know we’re on that level now.” She winks at me.
“You’re the best roommate.” I hip check her and let her cut me in line.
“I’m your only roommate.”
“Still,” I say as she pays the lunch lady. I tag along behind and pay for my own food, and then we wait for Megan. We start walking towards our table, which is already filled with the regulars.
“We’ll have to have another sleepover and make it even better,” I tell them as we get close to the table.
“For sure,” Megan says as she puts her tray down across from me. Everyone is sitting in almost the same exact seats as yesterday—me next to Kara and Megan across from us with Lisa. I don’t get a greeting from Lisa, only a subtle glower that I most definitely return. I listen in on the conversation with everyone but mostly focus on eating my meal. The hour ends fast and I head to my next class.
I quickly get changed in the locker room, making small talk with Kara and the girls. I grab my lime-green shorts and throw them on, along with my long sleeve gym shirt with the letters RHS across the chest. While I’m waiting on the other girls, my cell beeps, telling me I have an email.
January 18 th
Hi there, baby girl.
Junior and I made it home fine, please don’t worry.
I miss you, too.
The house is pretty dang lonely but you know me, I’m keeping busy.
Promise me you’ll step outside the box and make friends and have fun.
You know how I worry.
Anyway, email me back. I love hearing from you.
And I love you… lots!
Daddy
Sent from my iPhone
“What’s with that look on your face?” Lisa brings my attention back to the locker room. All of the girls are staring at me, and I can tell they were probably talking to me as I was daydreaming.
“Sorry. Email from my dad,” I explain as I shut the phone and lock it in my locker. Kara gives me a meaningful smile, and then we make our way to the gym. As we walk, it feels kind of weird.
We all step forward at the same time and have this cohesiveness that takes me off guard. I look from my left, where Kara is, to my right, where Megan and Lisa are. We look like a cute little group of friends, and I brand this moment into my memory.
A moment of belonging.
Of course, the second I step into the large gym, Magdelina and Ari are off talking to the side together, and my perfect life crumbles like a chocolate chip cookie. The thought of them together makes me want to barf, so I turn in the other direction, ignoring them, and sit next to Kara on the bleachers. Coincidentally, Mikey is on my other side, giving me a full grin as I sit between the two.
“Hey, Ryder.” He scoots an inch closer to me so that our legs touch.
“Hey, what’s up?” I look over at him, trying to be friendly.
“Not much. I hope we’re in the same group.”
“What do you mean?” I ask back, dazed.
“The tests we did yesterday are to place us in classes. I think we might get matched,” he explains.
“Doubtable. I kind of bombed the sprinting one,” I explain to him, remembering the embarrassment of the running drill. He just smiles at me, probably unsure of what to say. We remain silent, so the awkwardness continues to take over. The entire room feels like a lull, and all eyes are on us. I twiddle my thumbs as I wait on the bleachers for class to start.
“Scoot,” Lisa says to Mikey, urging him to move away from me. He scowls at her but does what she says and moves over to where the group of boys converge. “They saw the board, and Carter realized his jersey was gone. Watch your backs,” Lisa whispers to Kara and me.
“Are we all dead?” I ask Kara, wondering why we started this war in the first place.
“Do you mind?” I ask her, feeling awful that I borrowed it, if she has a problem with it. I put my tray down on the counter and start to take it off, but Kara stops me.
“Dude, no. What’s mine is yours since I know we’re on that level now.” She winks at me.
“You’re the best roommate.” I hip check her and let her cut me in line.
“I’m your only roommate.”
“Still,” I say as she pays the lunch lady. I tag along behind and pay for my own food, and then we wait for Megan. We start walking towards our table, which is already filled with the regulars.
“We’ll have to have another sleepover and make it even better,” I tell them as we get close to the table.
“For sure,” Megan says as she puts her tray down across from me. Everyone is sitting in almost the same exact seats as yesterday—me next to Kara and Megan across from us with Lisa. I don’t get a greeting from Lisa, only a subtle glower that I most definitely return. I listen in on the conversation with everyone but mostly focus on eating my meal. The hour ends fast and I head to my next class.
I quickly get changed in the locker room, making small talk with Kara and the girls. I grab my lime-green shorts and throw them on, along with my long sleeve gym shirt with the letters RHS across the chest. While I’m waiting on the other girls, my cell beeps, telling me I have an email.
January 18 th
Hi there, baby girl.
Junior and I made it home fine, please don’t worry.
I miss you, too.
The house is pretty dang lonely but you know me, I’m keeping busy.
Promise me you’ll step outside the box and make friends and have fun.
You know how I worry.
Anyway, email me back. I love hearing from you.
And I love you… lots!
Daddy
Sent from my iPhone
“What’s with that look on your face?” Lisa brings my attention back to the locker room. All of the girls are staring at me, and I can tell they were probably talking to me as I was daydreaming.
“Sorry. Email from my dad,” I explain as I shut the phone and lock it in my locker. Kara gives me a meaningful smile, and then we make our way to the gym. As we walk, it feels kind of weird.
We all step forward at the same time and have this cohesiveness that takes me off guard. I look from my left, where Kara is, to my right, where Megan and Lisa are. We look like a cute little group of friends, and I brand this moment into my memory.
A moment of belonging.
Of course, the second I step into the large gym, Magdelina and Ari are off talking to the side together, and my perfect life crumbles like a chocolate chip cookie. The thought of them together makes me want to barf, so I turn in the other direction, ignoring them, and sit next to Kara on the bleachers. Coincidentally, Mikey is on my other side, giving me a full grin as I sit between the two.
“Hey, Ryder.” He scoots an inch closer to me so that our legs touch.
“Hey, what’s up?” I look over at him, trying to be friendly.
“Not much. I hope we’re in the same group.”
“What do you mean?” I ask back, dazed.
“The tests we did yesterday are to place us in classes. I think we might get matched,” he explains.
“Doubtable. I kind of bombed the sprinting one,” I explain to him, remembering the embarrassment of the running drill. He just smiles at me, probably unsure of what to say. We remain silent, so the awkwardness continues to take over. The entire room feels like a lull, and all eyes are on us. I twiddle my thumbs as I wait on the bleachers for class to start.
“Scoot,” Lisa says to Mikey, urging him to move away from me. He scowls at her but does what she says and moves over to where the group of boys converge. “They saw the board, and Carter realized his jersey was gone. Watch your backs,” Lisa whispers to Kara and me.
“Are we all dead?” I ask Kara, wondering why we started this war in the first place.
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