Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve

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I really hate technology.

Because, if we didn’t live in the time where a single event can be captured and forever documented inside a small cell phone, my life would be so much better right now. Oh, what I would give to exist in the age of indestructible bulky Nokia bricks that are incapable of displaying more than four pixels.

I’d be a lot less subjected to total humiliation that way.

Of course, Charlotte grabbed the opportunity with both hands and snapped a picture of me almost immediately, trapping me and my embarrassing clown alter ego inside her iPhone memory card. And then the inevitable happened – within minutes it had spread virally through the entirety of her social circle, and voila! Before I know it, I’m the laughing stock of the school.

Which is part of the reason why, when I enter the breeding ground more widely known as the cafeteria, I also enter my personal hell.

Ignoring the whispers and stifled sniggers that follow me, I keep my head down and stay safely by Ava as the two of us head towards the busy lunch line. The only thing that can marginally brighten my mood right now is food, but, judging by the usual standard of the menu items, I’m not holding out much hope.

“What’s the chances they’re actually serving something edible today?”

Ava shrugs. “Judging by the smell? I’d say close to zero.”

I tune into the odor wafting from the hot food hatch and resist the urge to wrinkle my nose. It’s not exactly one you’d find floating about in a five star restaurant, to say the least.

The queue moves forward and we approach the hatch, eyeing up today’s options. None of them look tempting – apparently, our only choice is a discolored looking meat loaf, sloppy chili or a soup that I could swear I saw moving. Hmm… appetizing. After a brief moment of consideration – in which I decide they’re all equally likely to give me food poisoning – I opt for the chili.

I’m heading towards the pay line with my tray when I notice Connor pondering by the salad bar. Oh, crap. We haven’t had any more encounters since the incident earlier in the week, and I want to keep it that way. Making a conscious attempt to act like I haven’t noticed him, I scoot round the bar and head for the opposite cash register.

That jerk is not what I want to deal with right now.

Especially the day after the whole of the school saw the photos of me looking like a complete imbecile dressed up as a clown.

Now would probably be a good time to transfer schools, I think.

I pay for my unappetizing lunch and head for our usual seats, only a couple of tables away. Ava follows, sliding into the seat beside me and making herself comfortable.

“What did you get?” I ask her.

“Uh… whatever this is.” She gestures aimlessly to her plate, which contains what I think is the discolored meat loaf I had been scrutinizing earlier. “Although the chili probably would’ve been a safer option.”

“You know, we should really start bringing our lunch from home,” I comment, my eyes flickering from her plate back to mine.

“Amen to that,” she mutters, picking up her fork.

The two of us lapse into silence as we attempt to dissect our food, but I’m well aware of the people on surrounding tables whose eyes never seem to leave me. Of course, when I look up, I can never catch them in the act; their gaze-averting reflexes are just too quick. But I can constantly feel the stares boring into my skin, some of them so intense I swear they must possess laser vision.

Little do I know… my lunch time is about to get a whole lot worse.

When Charlotte comes striding into the cafeteria, I steal an angry glance at her. Obviously come straight from practice, she’s clad in her ultra slutty blue cheerleading uniform and sneakers. As she marches down the labyrinth of tables, I fear for her decency – one wrong move in that striped skirt and her underwear will become dinner’s entertainment for the male population of the school. Her make-up covered face looks even smugger than usual and her auburn fishtail plait bounces as she walks.

Normally, I wouldn’t pay much attention to Charlotte. Her entrance to the cafeteria is usually overplayed and exaggerated anyway, and I don’t hold much room in my mind to care about attention whores like her. Plus, she irritates me way too much to think about.

However, today she catches my attention – and not just because she’s practically ruined my social life overnight. Is it me, or does she seem like…?

Oh, God. She’s coming over here.

Ava seems to have read my mind.

“What is she doing?” she hisses, shooting me a questioning glance over the table.

“I don’t know,” I whisper back. “Probably coming to ruin my life a little bit more.”

Within two seconds, she’s approached us, coming to a halt by our table and placing one hand on her hip in her stupidly confident stance. Before I can tell her to get the hell away from us, she speaks. “Georgie…” she drawls, in a smug simpering tone.

“What do you want?” I snap, surprising even myself with the tone of my voice.

A flicker of surprise crosses her green eyes before it disappears completely. “Oh, nothing,” she responds. “I was just wondering why you weren’t wearing your costume today.”

“Seriously, Charlotte? Are you going to go there again?”

She laughs, throwing her head back as if I’ve just told the funniest joke in the world. “Oh, Georgie. You know, you can’t blame me if everyone thinks you’re a dork. I wasn’t the one who forced you to wear a clown costume, was I? I just spread the news. Technically, you brought it on yourself.”

“I was at work,” I snap. “And, yes, you are responsible for this!”

She rolls her eyes in an infuriating manner, which only makes me want to punch her in the face. Maybe that would finally wipe all traces of that stupid smirk away. Before she has the chance to respond, something to her left catches her eye. Her head snaps in that direction and almost immediately her face breaks into a wide smile.

“Con!”

Uh, what? Almost immediately, my own head mimics her actions, my gaze landing on the dark-haired guy swaggering towards the three of us. His ever-cocky air matches Charlotte’s perfectly, but the way he’s smirking at her kind of makes me want to throw up my not yet digested chili.

Ew.

“Hey, babe.” His confident drawl and half-smile serve as a greeting.

Wait… babe? My eyes begin to flicker between the two of them, willing my suspicions not be confirmed. By the looks of the way those two are eyeing each other up, it seems like it, but at the same time, the prospect is too horrifying to even consider.

“Uh…”

Before I can question what I’m sincerely hoping isn’t true, Connor reaches where Charlotte is standing. Then, without warning, she practically throws herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing their lips together.

Which is when they proceed to continually explore the insides of each other’s mouths, right in front of our lunch table.

In all honesty, the thing isn’t helping on the whole keeping down my disgusting lunch front.

“You’re dating?” I finally manage to force out, when the pair’s making out total nears thirty seconds. For a moment, I’m completely ignored – obviously deemed less interesting than their other half’s mouth – but after a couple of seconds more, they finally break away. Which is a good thing in two senses, since they’re both probably starved of oxygen about now too.

Stealing a glance at my best friend across from me, it seems she shares the same horrified expression as I do. Like me, she’s not exactly Charlotte’s biggest fan, and she hasn’t taken a liking to Connor either – not after hearing the stories of how much of a jerk he is to me.

As the loved-up couple turn back to me, Connor slings his arm around Charlotte’s shoulder. The Devil shoots a self-satisfied smile in my direction. “Yeah, we are. Great, isn’t it?”

“Hardly,” I snap.

“Ooh,” Connor taunts. “I think she’s jealous.”

“I am not jealous!” A menacing glare is sent toward the both of them. “Believe me, there is no way I’d ever date a jerk like you.”

Especially one who’s been telling the whole school I’ve got some kind of obsessive crush on him.

Charlotte wraps a protective arm around his waist. “Well, good, ‘cause he’s all mine. He asked me out yesterday. It was so romantic.”

Connor being romantic? I hardly think so, but then I expect me and Charlotte have very different views on the art of love. It wouldn’t surprise me if she thought feeling her up on the first date was romantic.

I’d say that was harsh, but it’s probably true.

“Well, I couldn’t resist, could I?” Connor says, smirking at his newfound girlfriend. “You’re just too hot.”

She laughs hysterically, slapping his arm as if she’s actually modest – when in reality, vanity is the only thing she’s good at. Well, that and cheerleading, I suppose. Then, he pulls her in closer, reattaching their lips as they begin eating each other’s faces like they’re the only source of food.

Again with the vomit inducing.

“Get a room,” I retort angrily, staring pointedly down at my tray. “And preferably one far away from this table.”

“She is jealous,” Charlotte comments amusedly, when they break away again. “Let’s get away from here, anyway. I don’t want to hang around these dorks.” She turns to Connor, smiling up at him. “Claire saved you a seat at our table again. You know, unless you’d rather stay here...”

“I’ll pass,” he says, making sure to send a triumphant look in my direction. “Let’s go, babe.”

And then, in a matter of seconds, they’ve flounced off. I watch their retreating backs, and the way that Connor’s arm snakes round the back of Charlotte’s waist, debating whether or not to slip lower.

I’m just glad, for the sake of my stomach, that it doesn’t.

When the couple are safely out of earshot – and simpering pathetically over at the A-list table – I turn to Ava with an incredulous look etched across my face.

Her own expression seems to mirror mine.

“They’re dating?” I repeat, sinking lower into my seat as the information processes. If I’m honest, Connor and Charlotte being romantically involved with each other is like a worst-case scenario. The two people I like least on this planet joining forces? It’s a recipe for disaster – as well as public humiliation for me – that isn’t really the news I wanted to hear today.

“I didn’t see that one coming...”

“I probably should’ve,” I admit. “Charlotte’s been practically stalking him ever since she heard that he was back. It was like she was determined to get him on her side instead of mine, although I have no idea why. Maybe it’s some pathetic revenge for what happened in sixth grade or something.”

“They’re all pathetic,” Ava comments.

“Well, Charlotte can have him,” I say, picking up my fork again and re-attempting to force some chili down my throat. “It’s not like I want him around me anyway.”

“Hey, you know what we need?”

I peer at my thoughtful looking best friend curiously. “What?”

“A plan to take Connor and his little girlfriend down.”

Catching sight of Ava’s smirking expression – especially on someone who’s usually so seemingly sweet and innocent – I laugh. However, despite the humor of the situation, I can feel the cogs in my brain start to whir. Connor has been a jerk to me for almost two weeks, yet all I’ve done is sit there and take it. I guess a sprinkling of revenge wouldn’t taste so bitter.

“You’re really serious about this?”

Ava nods. “Yup.”

I take a deep breath before returning Ava’s nod. “Okay. What do you have in mind?”

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It's a bit late. I'm sorry... guess your most reliable updater has just failed you, right? It won't happen again! Homework is a bitch, lol.

Anyway, hope you like the chapter. Thoughts on Connor's new girlfriend? Oh dear, lol. I think I overdid it on the whole "jerk" front 'cause now you all hate him so much. Ah, well ;)

I'm going to set the comments target a bit higher, to challenge you all ;) 70 comments = update on Friday (and it will actually happen this time!)

By the way, 1 person leaving like 10 comments doesn't count, LOL. You can't cheat!