Chapter 14: The league of Outcasts
1759 Words
It was lunch hour on a hot Friday afternoon at the prestigious Bridgetown High School. The classy dining hall, air-conditioned with tables and comfy benches, painted yellow and blue colors of the school. Different grades had their designated areas where they sat and the noisiest of them was the tenth and part of the eleventh grade. The eleventh graders were quiet as a grave. For them the SAT's were looming and they needed all the attention and preparation to overcome them.
Audrey was seated at the far end of the hall, with a bunch of other misfits, the dumb fat and ugly, those who were thought to be poor and only attending Bridgetown on scholarship and those whose families were disgraced for major scandals that made headlines all over canon Islands. They didn't talk much to each other, it was all quiet in their area no chats, jokes or fun activities, showing each other trending juicy gossip on their phones. As a matter of fact, they didn't know each other, just not at a personal level but rather by the shadow of shame that followed them everywhere they went. What a sad life. But Mason would cheer it up.
Carrying his plate, he marched across the hall to the outcasts section amid gasps and judgmental eyes from the other students. Some even thought someone was pretending to him from the face to the walking style and that aura of fun around him. No fuckin way.
"Hi there, you've been scarce"
"What are you doing?" Audrey asked surprised.
"Sitting next to you" he sat and started enjoying his meal despite the gaze from Audrey, "hmm so sweet, never been a fan of eggs though"
"Says the guy munching them like a lunatic" he ignored her and kept chewing, the rest of her companions had lost their appetite as for their eyes they were busy, fixed on Audrey and Mason, wondering what the former had given to God for him to bless her that much.
"So, why do I have this feeling that you've been avoiding me?"
"I'm not that hard to spot..."
"Come on you're not the only plus sized girl in school...you're the prettiest though" he winked and smiled making her blush.
"But am the only one with a horrible dress code and nerdy round-metallic framed glasses"
"You know what surprises me...your hair looks good by the way and I love that locket round your neck" she touched it as though it was not her he was referring to, "you know your dress code is horrible but you still don't change it"
"I'm a more of a stand out than fit in kind of a girl" she said confidently going back to enjoying her food.
Mason knowing how to read body language realized she was a little pissed off. Not that he cared but eyes on the prize, besides his benefactor was watching somewhere in that crowd of Hawkeyed judges. Smiling and enjoying every moment of shame he was going through, that made him want to make it worthwhile.
"Sorry, you're just perfect the way you are"
"You don't have to pretend, it's not like you'll be killed for it"
Gone were the days she used to think he liked her, or maybe it was just her mood swings? As they kept interacting she realized he was just another one on the long list of people she was going to meet, hands she was going to shake and not hold. But still, she strived to make a positive impact, make him believe in people liking him for him and not for fame and outside beauty.
"It's wrong, won't happen again" it was his turn to lose the appetite now, as she ate he was begging her, ''are we good?"
"It's not a big deal, you said what you said and I felt how I felt now can we move on?"
"Doesn't really sound like cool to me"
She laughed through a mouthful of food before covering her mouth, chewed the eggs and lentils, swallowed and took a sip of water.
"Sorry" she said and took another sip, Mason's brows were raised in surprise, "you should have seen your face after you said those words"
"Ha-ha so funny I pranked Mason, lets laugh about it"
"Terrible loser, you prank me all the time!"
"I don't remember doing it, at least not voluntarily" he denied bitterly and it was ironical right? There he was seated pranking her, in fact ever since they met, from that talk as he helped her pick up her stuff from the ground he was pranking her. With every word, smile and compliment he threw her way and left her feeling important and loved was a prank. He didn't like her even one bit...okay he liked her personality but that was not an excuse to be chubby and ugly, dressing like a ninety-year-old granny.
"Fine, I'll remind you next time"
"Speaking of reminding people" he kept his plate away and focused on her, she tried so hard not to shy away but failed terribly, "look at me"
"You have my ears"
He stretched his hand and touched her chin, forced her to look at him, cameras were out, was it not a secret anymore? The heavens had finally met the hot unbearable scorching earth.
"Please tell me you're coming to the dance tomorrow"
"Well, about that..."
"Come on"
"Will you put your hand away and let me speak? It makes me nervous" she brushed off his hand, what she didn't see was Mason wiping it on his trousers, dude didn't even want to touch her. He saw it as resilience there you might think of treachery, hate and manipulation.
"Okay"
"I didn't get a chance to ask for permission but I'll still come"
"Defiant huh?"
"No, just putting myself first and out there"
Even if he didn't like her...at least not romantically as Tina made her think. Why not use that chance to put herself out there? Show the haters that she belonged instead of waiting for a sense of belonging to present itself. There was no better way to put oneself out there rather than attending a Mason Klein party.
"Eeh, spotted a secret admirer or something? Hope he is cute"
She pinched the skin and hair off his arm. Mason shrieked retracting his hand.
"What was that for?"
"Running into conclusions, I'm sure no one wants me"
"I want you" he said confidently, she and the other outcasts on the table froze, their eyeball almost popping out of their eye sockets, some plucked wax from their ears in case they didn't get him right and another could be seen asking her neighbor to pinch her out of that terrifying dream, "look at you, it's priceless"
There it was. The smaller prank inside one big prank. Her facial muscles relaxed to a smile that hid her disappointment perfectly, but her heart was still thudding in her chest. Was she lying to herself saying there was no way she and Mason could be a thing? It would have been true if she wasn't getting goosebumps at his touch and her heart threatening to burst out of her chest because of his words.
"Too much for not pranking me voluntarily"
"That was involuntarily I swear"
"No"
"For real. We're becoming friends..."
"I wouldn't call us that"
"Close then, people who are close"
"People who know each other"
"Either way we're just people but that's the definition of friends"
"There has to be mutualism, a relationship to have friendship"
"Okay" he thought about it licking his lower lip, she realized he did that a lot and even though she didn't want to she found it sexy, "we've helped each other I think, a lot"
"Yeah a lot. You win"
"See you at the party then?” Mason left his seat stretching his arms. The hall was going empty with students leaving.
"Hopefully"
"What?"
"Hopefully I see you at the party"
"Oh, tired of seeing me huh. Fine, just pray there is no storm today"
"I have Tina"
"Oh, so you have options now? I'm yet to meet this Tina you keep talking about"
"But you've seen her, right?" She asked curiously, it wouldn't have made sense to her if they knew each other. To some extent she cared whether or not they knew each other. A tinge of inferiority complex and lack of self-belief because anyone in their right senses would have chosen Tina over her.
"Yes of course. I'm dying to meet her, I got to go. A hug?"
"No"
"Not a hugger, a fist bomb then?"
"Cool...boom!" She said when their bare knuckles met.
Just like he came Mason left, swiftly with eyes on him. Some were even thinking he had gone mad and others wanted the charm she was using on him. On top of that list came the meanest blondes anyone had ever seen at Bridgetown. Most of them had held the position of Mason's girlfriend at a particular time in the course of their time at the school.
"Look at you" they surrounded her like a pack of wolves.
"so confident, what have you given him that he is so obsessed with you...I don't even know what to call you plump"
"Are you dumb or something"
"Yeah she is dumb. In fact, she is practices selective dumbness" They turned around to face Tina, once again she had showed up at a time when Audrey needed her the most.
"And who are you?"
"You don't want to know. If you can excuse me, this is my friend..."
They burst into a hysterical laughter that attracted the focus of everyone. Audrey was caught up in another attention whirlpool after Mason showing up at her lonely table.
"Anything funny?"
"You said she is your friend?"
"Positive"
"Since when does she have friends?"
"Today. Let's go bud, don't mind them" Tina took her hand and dragged her away. Audrey was looking on quietly as though it didn't concern her.
"Thank you"
"You don't have to say that. Next time stand up for yourself it pains me to see them make fun of you like that"
"Next time"
"For real? Anyway, where was your Mr. Right when it was all happening. I'm getting tired of saving your ass?"
"Ooh he doesn't like me. You were wrong"
"I'm never wrong. See you after class?"
"Sure. I also need some help with party dress code"
"Hmm, I see someone is trying to spread their wings…nice locket by the way. Bye!"
"Bye!"
- Writer
