Page 81 of Organized Chaos
“So, Chris, do you go to school with Mia?” Raven asked as Reid raised his hand to catch the waiter’s attention.
“No. But we’re in the same grade.”
“Oh. So, you’re a year older than her?” When I started senior year, I was only sixteen. As usual, I was the youngest in my class.
"Umm, I guess."
Raven tapped her menu. “Mia is the youngest in her class because her teachers suggested skipping a grade. She was too advanced. IQ of 155.”
IQ of 151,I corrected in my head.
Raven was being deliberately generous about my intellect. A not-so-subtle hint that I was young and sexually inexperienced but too smart to succumb to pressure in case Chris had ulterior motives.
Chris merely smiled. “I believe it.”
The chipper waiter interrupted before Raven could speak again. “Hi folks, how are we doing today?”
While he took our order, Reid glanced at Raven sternly, silently communicating with her. Secret language or not, this time, I understood their exchange. No translation needed.
“Leave him alone.”
“What? I’m just taking an interest in the guy.”
“Well, cut it out. He is a nice kid.”
“Too nice. I don’t buy it.”
As soon as the waiter disappeared, Raven resumed the interrogation. “Chris, I don’t think I caught your last name.”
“It’s Allen.”
Raven furrowed her brows, trying to place the name Allen in our social circle, going through her mental catalog of our contacts. Raven took a diplomatic approach when the name didn't ring a bell. “Does your family know ours by any chance?”
“Maybe through church.” He shrugged with a smile.
Most of the families that attended our church lived on the Upper West Side. We didn’t know all of them, but most were part of similar statuses and social cliques, so she would have at least heard the last name in passing.
Raven frowned, lost in thought.
Aware of her dilemma—refusal to voice an impolite demand of his identity but also unwilling to let me be acquainted with a boy she knew nothing about—Chris bit the bullet and put Raven out of her misery.
“But I highly doubt anyone from your family hangs out with mine.”
“How come?”
“Because we live in Harlem, and I don’t think the friendship would be very convenient,” he pointedly replied. “You know, because of the distance between Harlem and Upper West Side.”
Unlike myself, Chris came from humble beginnings. He was attending college in the fall through merit and scholarship, not by paying hefty tuition fees.
Reid coughed uncomfortably at Chris’ insinuation of his blue-collar life and modest neighborhood to paint the stark differences in our social standings. I was pretty sure Reid was kicking Raven under the table. She said nothing while I wanted to die of mortification.
Undeterred, Chris charged forward. “It’s a long hike, but our family has always attended this church. Guess we are suckers for loyalty.”
The waiter returned with our food and set down a curry dish in front of Raven and a Pad Thai for me.
“Thank you.” I quietly churned my noodle around my fork, wondering if this lunch was salvageable. Sulkily, I muttered, “Why don’t you tell him about my IQ again? That was going really well.”
The clinking of forks stopped around the table. Wearily, I glanced up. Reid smirked into his food, attempting to smother a laugh. Raven was biting her lips, embarrassed. However, Chris couldn’t hold back.
