Call of the Moon

Chapter Five

“Wait!” Lizzie called out, slamming her locker door shut and running down the hallway after the boy.

“Lizzie!” Elle called after her. “Where are you going? What’s going on? Wait for me!”

Lizzie ignored her friend as she concentrated on the scent trail ahead of her. She caught a glimpse of the boy as he hurried into the cafeteria but lost him and his scent once she was inside. The smells of too many people and the food that was being served overwhelmed the other scent.

“Jeez, you must be hungry today,” Elle complained as she caught up to Lizzie. “You sure took off for here without me.”

 Lizzie turned to look at her friend, an apologetic look on her face.

“I’m sorry, Elle,” she said, glancing back into the cafeteria. “I thought… I recognized someone I knew, but I must have been mistaken.”

Elle looked puzzled as she tilted her head and asked, “Who was it?”

 Lizzie searched the cafeteria again before looking back at her friend and telling her, “Just someone I knew a long time ago.”

 Shaking her head, she reached out and threaded her arm through Elle’s. 

 “Enough of that. Let’s see what this cafeteria has to offer,” she said, leading her friend toward the line of students waiting to be served.

 “I hope it’s edible,” Elle said, grimacing.

 “Me too,” Lizzie said, stopping behind a tall, older boy.

 She turned back to look around the room for the mysterious boy once more but didn’t see him. 

 After they filled their trays with food and something to drink, they paid for their lunches. Looking around the room, Elle found an empty table near the wall.

 “Now, tell me all about that hunky guy you were walking with from homeroom,” Elle said, unrolling her napkin and setting it on her lap. “Dean, was it?”

 Lizzie shook her head, setting her silverware next to her tray. 

 “Deon is his name,” she said, feeling her face warm again.

 “Right, Deon,” Elle said, smirking at her. “Tell me about him. What’s up with you two?”

 Smiling, Lizzie speared her fork into her salad and shoved a piece of lettuce into her mouth. Elle sighed and rolled her eyes at her friend as she picked up her own fork.

 “That avoidance tactic won’t work the entire lunch period, you know,” she told her, taking a bite of her salad.

 Swallowing, Lizzie grinned and said, “I can try.”

 She put more salad into her mouth and chewed, winking at her friend.

 “Oh, just tell me,” Elle said, setting her fork down and glaring at her. “You know you’re dying to.”

 Lizzie swallowed her bite and nodded, reaching for her juice to wash the food down before answering.

 “As you know, he asked me to hang out with him after school tomorrow,” Lizzie said, smiling at the memory.

 Elle nodded as she picked up her fork to continue eating. 

 “I remember that. Go on,” she said before taking another bite.

 “He asked me to hang out after school today, but it’s my turn to make dinner, so I had to tell him tomorrow night,” Lizzie said, spearing more of her salad on her fork. 

 Elle sighed and shook her head as she chewed.

 “Such a shame both of your parents are working today,” she said after swallowing. “It’s totally ruining your love life.”

 Lizzie giggled and said, “He was okay with it, so it’s not all that bad.”

 “So, what are you two going to be doing tomorrow after school?”

 “He’s got football practice, so I’m going to go watch him,” Lizzie said, waving her fork around. “Then, I think we were going to go get some coffee or a soda to drink.”

 Elle lifted one eyebrow at her and smirked, asking, “A football player, huh? You’ve hit the senior high jackpot.”

 Lizzie giggled, covering her mouth, and Elle joined her.

 “Did you want to come with me to watch him play?” Lizzie asked once she’d calmed down. “You could keep me company.”

 Elle thought for a moment, then nodded and shrugged, saying, “Sure, I’ll go. Maybe I can find a hunky football player boyfriend of my own.”

 Lizzie ducked her head as she looked around the room to see if anyone had heard her friend and said, “Shush! Someone might hear you! He’s not my boyfriend.”

 Elle rolled her eyes and said, “Yet. Besides, the noise in here is too loud for anyone to hear anything at another table, so I think you’re safe.”

 Lizzie looked doubtful, but when she looked around the room, she saw no one was looking in their direction. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched. 

 “So, what exciting things have happened in your classes so far?” she asked Elle.

 Elle shrugged and said, “Nothing as exciting as you getting your first boyfriend.”

 Lizzie blushed and said, “Stop it. You know he’s just a friend.”

 “For now,” Elle said, wiggling her eyebrows up and down. 

 Giggling, they ate their salads while comparing notes on their classes and teachers, trying to figure out who would give the most homework and who would have the hardest tests. 

 After they finished their lunches, they cleaned up their table and headed to their next class together, which was science. Since it was on the second floor, they climbed the staircase, dodging the students coming down the stairs. 

 Walking into the classroom, they saw tables set in rows instead of desks. They chose a table near the windows and sat down, putting their backpacks on the table. Lizzie was digging through her backpack, trying to find a pencil to take notes, when she caught the scent again.

 Lifting her head, she looked around the room and saw the boy from earlier. He had walked into the room and was staring at her from just inside the doorway. They locked eyes, and she gasped as he winked at her and gave her a sly smile before going to a table across the room.