Page 2 of Reviving Kendall

Shrugging internally, I weave my way through the tables. If my stomach hadn't distracted me, I would have already seen the group of jocks sitting at the table to my left. A foot juts out and catches around my ankle. Tumbling forward, I manage to get myself straight before smacking my face on the table next to them.

Their rambunctious laughter echoes around the now silent room.

"Stop trying to bring attention to yourself, trailer trash," Derrik says while his buddies snicker. I ignore them the best that I can, even when the derogatory comments and laughs follow me behind the counter.

"You can't be back here, dear," Jane, the lunch lady, tells me as she tries to shoo me back around the corner.

I put on the saddest face I can muster, "But I'm not feeling well, and I was hoping to get some hot water in my thermos to make some tea and soothe my throat." I realize that I'm rambling, and I'm not surprised. That's what normally happens when I lie.

Something in my face has her taking pity on me, "Ok. Give me your cup and go stand on the other side of the counter."

I dig it out and quickly move to do as she says. This woman is my savior of the day. Of course, I'm going to obey with no questions asked. The sneers start up again behind me, but I ignore them. Until I feel someone behind me that is.

Derrik's voice makes chill bumps break out over my skin and not the good kind, "Need money, trailer trash? I know you do. I've got five bucks for you if you'll meet me after school."

I assume my best approach is to act like I don't hear him, however, it only makes it worse.

"What do you say, baby?" He says and then a little louder, "Stop begging, trailer park." At the last he thrusts his hips into my ass and I jerk forward bumping my hipbone into the metal counter.

"Young man, that will not be tolerated in this school," Jane says fiercely, coming back around the counter. "You just stay right there. Are you ok?" She asks turning to me.

Know that old saying, snitches get stitches? Yeah, I may not end up with stitches but the pod squad will make my life even more hell.

"I'm fine," I tell Jane. "It's ok. He didn't hurt me or anything."

She looks at me like I'm crazy, "Sweetheart that was harassment and it needs to be reported."

I shake my head, "It's ok really. He was just kidding."

Derrik nods at us and holds up his palms, "Just playing around."

Shaking her finger at him, she warns, "Don't let me see that again or we will be talking to the principal and you'll be lucky if you're not suspended."

He does his best to look contrite until Jane turns back around to me. Then he puts his fingers to his mouth and licks between them. I fight the urge to vomit as I look back to her.

She hands me back my thermos full of water this time and also a few packs of honey, "The honey is soothing for the throat. Just mix it in with your tea and it should take out the ache. Oh, and wait just a minute." Hurrying around the corner she busies herself gathering a few things.

When she comes back, I'm handed a paper sack like our elementary field trip lunches used to come in.

"There's an orange, yogurt and peanut butter and jelly sandwich in there," she says. The confusion must show on my face because she quickly adds, "You could use some extra meat on your bones."

My jaw drops, and I suck in my pride long enough to tell her thank you. She just waves me off as she walks away, "It's no big deal, but you're welcome. Come back and see me if you need more water for your tea today."

Her kindness makes me feel bad about lying. Especially when I make my coffee and slide the little packets of honey in my bag. I won't do that again.

With coffee refueling my system, I walk the halls to my locker. As I open the lock, my work clothes come tumbling out. They are shredded almost into pieces and someone has written the words trailer park across what's left of them in some chicken scratch handwriting.

"Too bad about your clothes, trailer park," Derrik says walking by with his goons right on his heels. "Guess you should have taken me up on that offer." Their laughs make me want to punch things. I work hard for everything that I have and that isn't much. Then to have someone do something like this over a stupid grudge that should have been destroyed with that train, it only makes me that much angrier.

I slam the locker door, take a deep breath and sip on my coffee. That's how I'm going to make it today. One sip at a time.

Weirdos

Compared to the morning, the rest of my day is boring and uneventful. Even with the snide remarks from Derrik in the one class that we share together.

I even pat myself on the back for managing to make it to work on time. Sans uniform of course. Luck is on my side for once today. Charles isn’t pissed at me for not having my uniform. I think he’s just glad that I showed up. Friday nights at the only Mexican restaurant in town can get busy. Add that to the live music that only plays on Friday and our crowd is pretty incredible. So, yeah, any callouts have the potential for disaster.

One of the best things about being busy is I don’t have time to stop and think about all of the bad shit in my life. Plus, that means more people and more people equal more tips.

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