CHAPTER FIVE
"Hey, Lil?" I hear my new name whispered from behind me. I don't answer. I keep my eyes on the notes being written on the board.
"Li~illll,"
I write the formula in my book and try to keep my attention on Mr.Parkensans explanation on how it works.
"Delilah, Deli~laah,"
I grit my teeth and decide to humour my impatient friend behind me. "What?"
"Can you sleep over tomorrow night?"
"I don't know...Why?" Damn she's caught my curiosity.
"The English test is the day after tomorrow annd~~"
I tune out of my friends explanation and roll my eyes at my friend, I should have known...Maths is Isabelle's subject. Maths and woods or any other handy subject. Not English. She just gets lost with English.
I turn around to answer my friend when Mr.Parkensans voice forces me back to attention. "Anything you wish to share girls?" He asks knowing that if we're smart we'll say 'no'
And we do say no too. Mr.Parkensan is only a fair teacher if you're an attentive student. If you catch his attention he could get mean. But I am a good student. So I usually go under his radar.
"Good." He gives a nod and says to the class, "Once you have finished your notes choose a partner and prepare for the prac"
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"Sooo, can you?"
I trudge slowly beside my friend to lunch. "I'll have to ask my Dad, but I'm guessing that it'll be okay anyway."
"Cool, 'cause I'm absolutely lost on what we need for this darn English test" My friend pulls a face. And as we approach the place where our group usually sits I begin to wonder why my friend is trying to get me to sleep over. My first and foremost guess is so she can talk to me about depression. I feel my heart clench at the thought, at the word. How can that one word do so much damage? I thought that knowing that I had depression would help me...But it isn't helping at all. It just makes me want to wish away that afternoon when Isabelle had saved me. It makes me wish that I was gone even more then ever before. I sit down and take my bag off. I just sit looking around the lunch area. It is a bright day for autumn and a little warm. But not to warm to make my scarf suspicious. Not that it matters. The only one who notices me is Isabelle. And she already knows why I need to wear it. Thinking of my friend I look over to where she is sitting. She's laughing at something which Sam has said. I smile at her laugh, it's goofy sounding, yet rich and true. When I laugh it sounds...forced. Probably because it usually is. Sam and Isabelle are the clowns of our group. Isabelle looks over to me, a big grin set upon her face. I look away to my bag and pretend to be getting something out. When I chance a glance back into her direction she is talking to Sam again. They seem to be arguing over something. And laughing. I let a smile creep to my lips. As I allow my eyes travel over my friend. She is tall; my head comes only just above her shoulders. The height probably comes from her legs, they're quiet long and strong. I'm surprised that she is such a slow runner, with those long and strong legs. Runners' legs. But she hasn't got runners feet though. They're big and uncoordinated. She has broad shoulders and long arms. I feel my face grow warm as I remember those warm arms enveloping me last night, making me safe and warm. A breeze pushes her dark hair into her eyes; she thoughtlessly brushes the hair from her face. Her hair is not black, though at a passing glance it may seem to be. It is in fact a dark brown. A very dark chocolate brown. Her blue eyes suddenly turn my way and my eyes dash to the ground; I duck my head so that my blush cannot be seen. I sit looking at the ground for nearly five minutes not trusting my eyes to look up and behave. I flick rocks and dirt and trace shapes following the cracks of the old asphalt. I don't notice that my friend is sitting beside me until she speaks.
"Don't you have any lunch today?"
I look up with a startle at the sudden question. "No" I answer. Oops wrong answer...true. But wrong. "I mean I'm not very hungry. I'll probably have something later."
Isabelle nods, though I can see that she doesn't believe me. Tsk, I wouldn't believe me neither if our positions were swapped.
She reaches into her bag, pulls out a container and takes off the lid. "Here."
I smile awkwardly at my friends' persistence. "No thanks, I'm really not hungry."
"Aw, c'mon. I made it myself."
I look into the container. It has some sort of rice dish in it. I am hungry. Despite my lies to my friend. And I hadn't packed a lunch. I never do. I don't eat at school. I open my mouth to refuse again.
But the container is pushed into my hands and as Isabelle gets a fork she says "And in my opinion it's the best rice I've ever made too."
The fork is in my hand now. I look at the food and hesitate. Or at least I do until Isabelle comes closer and puts her mouth to my ear.
"Ya know, I'm gonna feed you if you don't start eating some."
This makes me take a big fork full of the rice and making a face at my friend who has moved her head away to watch me, I shove the rice into my mouth. Isabelle wasn't bragging when she said it was good. It's true that the rice was good. Isabelle is great at this stuff. Practical things. If you let me into a kitchen you had better warn the fire brigade first. Because it's guaranteed that I would put something alight. My cooking skills are almost non-existent. I take another more manageable mouthful taking in the rich flavours of my friends cooking.
"It's good isn't it?" My friend unnecessarily asks.
I look over to her sitting beside me. She's smiling as she watches me. I let a small smile creep to my mouth again at my friends' subtle boast. And agree with her.
I'm halfway through the rice when Susan comes over to us. "Hey, we've got P.E. next so we're just gonna start going to the gym now, Kay?"
"Yeah sure. Have fun." Isabelle answers waving her eyebrows.
"Shut-up!" Susan says in a good natured manner to my friends humour. She pulls a face before leaving. And following the rest of the group to P.E.
I finish my mouthful and ask my friend what she had been teasing Susan about.
"Ahhh, nothing much. She's been teamed up with a guy who she has a crush on in Badminton is all."
"Oh, that seems awkward. Does he know?"
"What? That she has a crush on him?"
I nod my affirmative.
"I dunno. Maybe, Maybe not." She gives me a grin. "He's been flirting with her apparently though."
"Wow." I'm surprised to say the least at this insight of one of my friends' lives. "I did not even know Susan liked anyone. I mean in 'that' way."
Isabelle laughs at my sentence. "Yeah, for such a good reader you've let quiet a few details pass you by."
I poke at the rice as I reflect on my friends comment. It is true that I have let life slip me by. A frown creases my brow. But I could not help it. Could I? Oh, how I wish I was stronger. How I wish I could take on the world without constantly burdening people. But wishing will not get me anywhere. Yet still I cannot help but yearn for these wishes to come true.
I am startled by my friend once again when she takes my hand holding the fork and gets a fork full of the rice. "Hey!" I pull my hand and the rice away with a smile. Isabelle is smiling too.
"What? You weren't eating it!"
The rice is still on the fork I pout looking at it for a moment then I look at my friend.
"You want it?" I ask.
"Uh-huh."
"Okay." keeping my eyes on my friend I put the fork full of rice forward. Isabelle grins before leaning forward with her mouth open for the food. Just before she has a chance to take the food I snatch the fork away and put it into my own mouth instead. I make sounds of delight at the taste of the food. "Mmmn, this is the best rice I have ever had!"
Isabelle cracks up and goes to take the container from me I try putting it out of her reach but those long arms reach around me and take hold of the container.
"Let go thief!"
"No! You gave it to me."
"Well I want it back!"
Isabelle wins this battle of strength and takes the container from me. I clutch the fork in my hands. "I have the fork."
"So?"
"You'll have to use your hands."
"So?"
"W-well that's...unsanitary."
"Hmn...give me a mouthful of the rice with the fork. And you can have the rice back."
I look at Isabelles playful eyes. "Alright then." Isabelle puts the container between us and I take another fork full of the rice.
"No tricks."
The fork enters Isabelles open mouth and comes out empty. Chewing the food Isabelle passes the container to me.
But I refuse it.
After swallowing Isabelle asks, "Why not?"
"I'm actually pretty full."
"Then why'd you make a fuss over me taking it?"
I take another fork full. "No reason." The fork travels toward my friends' mouth giving a small smile my friend takes the forkful and bites down onto the silverware in her mouth. I pull the fork out slowly as it scrapes light lightly on the teeth of my friend. The fork is out and I am suddenly startled by the sound of the lunch bell ringing loudly. I blush as I think of what I had just been doing. I place the fork hurriedly back into the container I get up and swing the bag across my shoulders, "Ah, I have to get my books for my next class 'kay?"
I am already leaving my slow friend at the end of this sentence and had I been rude enough I may have run off even before she could give me a farewell. But to humor my friend I paused for a reply.
"Oh, sure then Lil." Isabelle smiles as she gets up.
I am about to run until she speaks again, "See you after school at the gate if it's okay with you…?"
My stomach twists at the offer. "Ahh 'kay. See you." I wave goodbye and before my friend has a chance to say anything else I'm off and running to my locker.
My heart racing and my face flushed red.
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