Worth the Risk — Chapter Two
Are you willing to lose it all?
I met up with Amber, Cheyenne, and Brianna for lunch. I hadn’t seen that guy since the first period. I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts during class that I didn’t even catch his name when attendance was taken.
“Chels.” Amber linked her arm with mine. "Are you eating today?”
We were almost to the dining area of our school, and I honestly hadn’t thought about if I was going to eat lunch or not. I was hungry, but did I want to stand in line for food? That was the big question.
“Yeah, I guess so.” I led our group up to the line that sold the sandwiches, soups, and salads. There were other food departments we could’ve chosen from—burgers, pizza, vegetarian, and Chinese—but the new salad bar caught my attention.
We all grabbed what we wanted, mine was a chef salad with ranch, banana, and a cup of cappuccino. I’m sure the others took almost the same selections, we were all in the same mindset about food.
There were only two lines open for us to stand in to pay for our food. There were students lined up, looking as impatient as I felt with the situation.
We got into one of the lines and waited along with everyone else. The group of transfers was ahead of us—the girls from this morning and some guys. One of them had on the same shirt as the guy I’d been looking for, but he hadn’t turned around, so I couldn’t be certain if it was him.
I heard bits and pieces of the conversation between the three girls ahead of us. Of course, they were speaking in Spanish to throw off anyone who didn’t know the language.
They kept sneaking glances back at us and looking us up and down as if they were trying to be intimidating. I tried ignoring the urge to say something, but after a few minutes of constant trash talk about us, I had to say something.
“Truthfully, I spent all summer doing an internship with one of Microsoft’s divisions here in the city. Sorry to disappoint you, but I didn’t spend my time on a beach or in France.”
Everyone looked at me, wondering who I was talking to. I kept my gaze on the three ahead of us, so the girls knew I was speaking directly to them. They appeared shocked that I’d understood what they were talking about.
One of the guys with them started laughing hysterically. He pointed at the girl who had done most of the ranting about us. “You got owned, Gabby.”
The other guy beside him gave him a high-five as they both continued to chuckle at the girl named Gabby.
The guy, the one I had my attention on, finally turned around to see what all the ruckus was about. It was the kid from this morning, and he appeared about as amused with my comeback as the other two guys.
“Dude.” The kid who started laughing first slapped Mr. Hotness on the back. “Marcus, dude, Gabby just got owned by that girl.” He pointed back towards me, still laughing over the matter that didn’t even seem funny anymore.
I now had a name to go along with the face, Marcus. I couldn’t help but smile back at the guy who thought this was the most humorous thing he’d seen all day.
The boy glanced away from the one talking and towards our group. Our eyes met, and a look of recognition crossed over his face. He smiled.
“Cool.” Marcus turned back around and moved his tray up the line.
“You think everything is funny, you freakin asshole.” Gabby punched the laughing guy in the arm. “You’re such a dick, Ricky.”
“I went to France this summer.” Out of the blue, Amber popped in her two cents about going out of the country over the holiday break. “I love France. French guys are the best.”
“That’s not what you told me last night.” Bradley stepped in front of her with two of his tag-alongs.
“Yeah, you wish, Brad.” Amber picked up her tray and stepped back in behind me. “Quit trying to fucking cut in front of me.” She pressed her heel back and stepped on the tip of his shoe.
“Bitch, that hurt.” Bradley pushed Amber forward to stop her high heel from pressing into his foot.
“Nice one.” Gabby held up her hand for Amber to smack. She was congratulating her on not taking any of Bradley’s shit.
Amber appeared confused as to what to do but smacked the other girl’s hand in a high-five gesture.
Gabby glanced back at me, but all I got was a roll of the eyes. She turned back around and placed one hand on Marcus’s back like she was laying claim to him. It wasn’t like I was staring at him, or was I?
Their group moved up and gave the cashier the plastic card that allowed them to eat for free. My group used our new credit cards supplied to us by our parents before the start of a new school year.
I watched where Marcus and the crew went to sit, it was nowhere near where our table was located. We’d sat in the same spot for the past three years, always right in the center so we could be seen and see everyone around us.
Marcus’s group took the furthest point away from the center of activity. They walked the whole way across the quad and sat at the table on the border of escape.
“Hey, why don’t we sit somewhere new this year?” The girls stared at me like I’d announced Oscar De La Renta had closed shops. “I mean, we sat in the same spot since we were a freshman, time for a change.”
“Why?” Amber would be the one to challenge anything I said.
“Change is good sometimes. Plus, we would have the advantage of getting out early when the bell rings and not having to have everyone crowd around us.”
That might work since Amber always wanted to be the first of everything, even if it only meant getting out of the dining quad early.
“Okay, where then?” Amber agreed, and so did Cheyenne and Brianna.
“How about over there?” I gestured to the one table closest to Marcus’s. His group looked to be in another type of disagreement since Gabby was slapping one of the guys once again.
Amber’s eyes darted back and forth between my chosen table, the rowdy group next to it, and then back to me, seeking confirmation that this was what I wanted to do.
“Okay, whatever.” She rolled her eyes and followed.
The Marcus table became eerily quiet when the girls and I sat our trays down at the table next to them. I felt their stares as we began to eat our salads and drink our mini-sized cappuccinos.
“Aren’t you at the wrong table, Coño?” Gabby, who nominated herself as the spokesperson for the table, was the first to confront our choice of where we sat.
I, as well as Cheyenne, kept the reference she called us cunts to ourselves. I had no idea why she was so hostile to us, me in particular, since her attention was focused my way.
“Like, we can sit anywhere we want.” Amber decided to confront her once again, which drew Gabby’s attention away from me and over to Amber.
“Like. Oh. My. God. You are so right. You freakin own the school. So, of course, you can sit where you want. Would you like our table as well?” She picked up her tray and motioned for everyone else to do the same.
The rest of her group ignored her and continued eating.
“You can have both tables and have more room for your precious selves. We can go eat over there on the sidewalk.” Gabby motioned with her hand to the portion of the quad lined up with the path that encircled the school. She sat her tray back down on her own table since the others hadn’t moved at all.
“Gabby, shut up.” Ricky, the guy who she argued with earlier in line, spoke out against her giving us a hard time. “Just let them eat.” He took another bite of his pizza slice and gave me a quick wave.
“Whatever.” Gabby sat back down but kept giving me evil glances.
Just because I interrupted their bashing of us in the lunch line didn’t mean she had to go all hating on me now.
We continued with our meal in our new seating arrangement. Bradley and his group, who regularly sat with us at the center table, kept motioning for us to come back over, but I waved him off and turned my attention back to my salad.
My eyes kept wandering over to Marcus, who seemed to be in a deep conversation with his friend seated next to him. He never once glanced our way, even during the whole Gabby outburst.
The bell rang before I had the chance to finish a third of my salad, but it wasn’t like I was starving to begin with. I chugged down the rest of my drink and tossed out all the rest.
We followed Marcus’s group out of the quad. I tried to keep my attention away from him, but somehow my eyes always ended up going back to him.
Gabby peeked back at our group, and I immediately glanced away from Marcus’s backside. She slipped her hand into his and gave him a tug so he was pressed closer to her body.
Once again, she peered over her shoulder and smirked at me when she caught me staring at them holding hands.
I pretended not to care, but deep down, a hint of jealousy stirred about.
Journalism was my next-to-last class of the day.
I’d spent the past forty minutes with Amber, Cheyenne, and Brianna in our drama class, which helped to occupy my mind, but for this one, I was going solo.
The others took photography, and I’d taken a writing course to help round out my electives and make me more versatile in the business world once I graduated.
The class size was small, so that meant individual attention would be abundant for those of us who had trouble expressing ourselves in written form. There were six other students and myself sitting around the large round table when the eighth student walked in.
“I think I have the right room.” Marcus looked down at his schedule and then back to the number on the door.
Ms. Prichard stood from her seat and met him before he could come in any further. She was a younger teacher who seemed to have grown up in the same living conditions as most of us, and the wealthy lifestyle appeared to have carried on into her adult lifestyle.
I could tell just by the way she dressed, talked, and behaved, and by the fact that she jumped to attention when she saw it was one of the others trying to enter our collective group.
She acted as though he was going to go postal on us with the way she kept him between the doorway and taking his first step into her classroom.
Ms. Prichard took the slip of paper out of Marcus’s hand. “Well, it seems you have the correct room. Please, take a seat.” She was more reserved with him than she was with any of us who had entered earlier.
Marcus glanced around the table, maybe hoping to spot someone he recognized. His eyes landed on me and the empty chair beside me. I motioned with my hand for him to come over, and he seemed relieved that not everyone was unwelcoming of his presence.
He took out another new notebook from his backpack and wrote the name of the class on the top. His eyes kept focused on Ms. Prichard, who had taken a seat where she could be in view of everyone. His pen went right to work as she gave out her list of demands needed to pass this course.
The class time went by in a flash, it was like I wasn’t even there. I hardly took any notes or listened to what the teacher talked about as my attention was more focused on the guy seated next to me.
I had to set my thoughts straight. I couldn’t let this little infatuation, or whatever it was, hold me back in my senior year.
Even though I’d already been accepted into Columbia, I still needed to maintain all that I’d worked for. I would stop all this nonsense distraction today.
I left as soon as the bell sounded, not looking back to see where Marcus could’ve gone.
I met Amber outside at the end of the day. I had to leave as quickly as possible since I had to rush over to the downtown theater where my dance practice was being held. We were going to be practicing for an upcoming show that had Broadway talent scouts attending.
“You can miss one practice.” Amber pulled my arm trying to get me to come with her. “I need someone to go shopping with me.”
“Amber, I can’t.” I tugged my arm free. “This is like legitimately important.” I saw the transfers were heading out to their designated bus which would take them across town.
As much as I tried, I couldn’t help but watch Marcus goof around with his friends, including Gabby, as they walked over to the awaiting travel means to go home.
“Earth to Chelsey.” Amber’s hand waved in front of my face.
“What?” I focused my attention away from the rowdy group and back to my impatient best friend.
Amber stood with her hands on her hips watching the scene I gazed away from. “Do we have a particular interest in anyone over there?” Her smile was too predictable, and I could tell she had something brewing in the back of her mind.
“No.” My answer was too quick, Amber’s eyes jumped at the chance to catch me in a lie.
“I’ve known you since, like, forever, you’re lying right now. Which one? Come on, Chels, it’s okay to have a crush.” She took hold of my hand and pulled me in the direction of the group that was getting closer to the bus.
“What are you doing?” Once again, I pulled my hand away so she couldn’t lead me to where I didn’t want to go.
“Let’s go say bye.” She tried to grab my hand again, but I jerked away before she had the chance. “C’mon, it will be our senior adventure. Which one do you want?” Amber peeked back over to the transfers. “It will be so different from all the other guys we’ve dated, and it will only be for a short time. You know, let them get a taste of the good life, then walk away when we go to college. No biggie, Chels.”
Wow, when did she get so vain? Wait, this was Amber, she’d always been like that.
“No. I have to go to dancing practice. I’ll talk to you later.” I could never go through with a plan like that, it would be wrong.
“Bye, Ricky. We’ll see you tomorrow.” Amber called out to the students loading onto the bus.
The guy who turned around when his name was called was the boy who’d told Gabby to shut up when we sat next to them at lunch. He was cute, but not as gorgeous as Marcus. His hair wasn’t as long, and his eyes weren’t as shiny, but overall, I’d have to give him an eight out of ten.
Ricky waved back to Amber as the rest of the guys hollered and slapped him on the back. I guess it was a big deal to have one of us talk to one of them outside of the school system.
The girls, Gabby, and her crew, stared down at Amber and me with looks that would’ve killed us if they could.
I looked at Marcus, which I shouldn’t have, but I did. He was the only one who wasn’t making a huge deal over Amber talking to them. Our eyes met, and I knew he saw me, but he turned back to the bus and boarded without giving the incident a second thought.
“He will be mine by the end of the week. Shit, possibly by tomorrow.” Amber knew she could have any guy who had a pulse.
I didn’t know what she was up to, but somehow, it wasn’t going to be good.
“Hey, I gotta go.” I gave her a quick hug and pressed the button on my key so my new Jag would open. Hopefully, the dance would be able to take away a lot of these conflicting feelings I had.
Maybe it was time to step outside the box I’d lived in since the day I was born.
But that could be dangerous, and that was something I definitely was not.
