Page 6 of Colossal
I sit at my usual lunch table in the far back corner of the cafeteria. I’m surrounded by loud hockey players eating like they’ve been starved in captivity for a week. Normally, I would be putting away the sub sandwich in my backpack, but my stomach is too full of dread to add anything else.
Where is she?
Where is Marlow?
I don’t have to stand up to observe the entire cafeteria. Even sitting down, I can see over the tops of everyone’s heads and I can’t find her among the crowds of students. But I know she’s probably going to walk in here in two seconds with a fresh, new boyfriend. Captain of the football team or some shit. She’s so beautiful and clever and personable and interesting. There’s no way that four periods passed after we met and some perfect, normal-sized teenage specimen didn’t ask her out.
Something snaps and I look down to find the edge of the lunch table in my hand.
“Damn, Colossal,” says one of my defensemen. “What did the table do to you?”
“Shut up,” I say, sounding ragged.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
“I’m not hungry.”
The entire table stops eating and stares at me.
“I know what’s wrong with him,” says Tony, with a twinkle in his eye. “I was with him in first period physics. Colossal has a crush on one of the new girls.”
My team belts out a bunch of obnoxious shit all at once.
The giant has a crush.
Nah, he’s going to crushher.
Colossal smash.
“Yo, I heard she’s fine as fuck,” pipes up the team captain. Garrett. Out of everyone on the team, he’s the one who has had the most luck with the opposite sex. He kissed his virginity goodbye sophomore year and made sure everyone in the locker room knew about it the following morning, down to the finer details. “What’s her name?”
“Marlow,” supplies Tony. “I had first period with them. Can confirm she’s hot as shit.”
“Shut up, Tony,” I growl, ready to rip another chunk out of the table.
“Really.” Garrett is already rubbing his hands together. “Should I shoot my shot with her, boys?”
Everyone throws food at the captain at the same time, though he’s able to block most of the flying crusts and empty pudding cups. “What?” Garrett says, defensively. “She’s not dating Colossal, is she?” He looks at me. “It’s not official, right?”
I should keep my mouth shut and just let fate take its course. She’s going to date someone like Garrett. The perfect height, a nice face, a better BMI. For some reason, though, I feel compelled to alert my team to the stakes here. Maybe thecompetitor in me is trying to be heard beneath the pile of self-doubt I’ve buried him under. Or maybe I’m just so overwhelmed with nerves, my body thinks I’m about to play a hockey game and I just start communicating with my team out of habit.
“Uh.” I blow out a breath that sends empty chip bags flying off the table. “She might have said she was…a little interested. In me. I told her if I’m still her choice by the end of the day, I’m in.” Everyone starts shouting at once and slapping me on the back, so I have to talk louder to be heard. “But it’s not going to happen,” I stress, my face turning burgundy. “Like I told her, she’s going to find a better guy by the final bell. I know she will.”
“What do you mean, ‘a better guy’?” Tony says around a mouthful of food. Why does he look genuinely perplexed, along with most of my teammates? Why does no one seem to grasp that I’m three times her size? Three timeseveryone’ssize?
“I—”
Whatever I’m going to say dies a swift death in my throat, because Marlow appears among the sea of students, holding a tray. A tray that contains a carton of chocolate milk and a sleeve of cookies. Why is that so cute? Holy shit, she’s gotten even prettier, in just a matter of hours. The whole place is staring at her. Suspended in animation. Watching the green-eyed brunette with the air of mischief breach the inner sanctum of the cafeteria.
“That’s her, isn’t it?” Garrett whistles. “Oh yeah, I’mdefinitelyshooting my shot.”
Someone chucks a ball of foil at the captain’s head. “Bro, don’t even think about it. That’s Colossal’s girl.”
“No, she’s…”Not my girl?It’s too hard to deny it out loud, because shefeelslike mine, so I shake my head. “I really don’t think—”
“I’m still single, Eric!” Marlow calls across the busy cafeteria, her chin notched up, eyes twinkling. “Just wanted to let you know.”
My heart rate kicks into the two hundreds, my jaw hitting the floor.
