Page 26 of Enemies to Prom Dates
Beth
“Is there room for us?”
I was about to take a bite of my salad when Fitz’s voice cut through the noisy buzz of the lunchroom. I turned and saw him and his crew, Ed and Heath.
“What are you doing here? You eat over there,” I said, pointing to the other side of the room.
Not to say there was assigned seating. But it went without saying we all had our place.
Lunch breaks were broken up by the classes.
Eleven-thirty for the freshmen. Noon for the sophomores. And twelve-thirty for the juniors. Technically, the seniors ate at one o’clock, but since they were allowed off campus for lunch few ever ate in the lunchroom.
As this was our third year in high school, we had long since established our circles and our seating habits. It was simple. The pecking order of who sat where was based on popularity. The room consisted of six long tables in rows. The popular crowd sat on the left half of the room. The not-so-popular crowd on the right.
Then the tables were broken down even further. Far right, mid right and center right. Far right being the least popular. Center right being as close to popular as one could be while still being on the unpopular side of the room.
Reen, Janie and I were center right. Had we made a push this year, we could have actually asserted our way onto the center left table. But none of us thought it worth the effort.
Fitz, Ed and Heath, naturally they were the far-left table. The most popular table in the room because it allowed them to see everyone with their backs up against the kitchen. And of course, everyone could see them.
So them standing at our table, making it appear as if they wanted to eat with us, was…unprecedented.
Fitz took a seat anyway. Ed crowded in next to Janie who actually made a squeaking noise and Heath sat on the other side of the table next to Reen who was now sandwiched in between Locke and Heath.
“What are you doing?” I asked Fitz.
“We agreed on Friday night that we were going to work together. Outside of a couple of classes, one study period and passing each other in the hallways, this is the only time we can all get together and talk.”
Of course I’d told Reen and Janie everything that had happened Friday night. Well, I only told them about the list. They were thoroughly outraged on my sisters’ behalf and agreed to keep their ears open for any gossip or the barest hint of someone placing a bet on something.
But what else was there to do?
“You sound like you have a plan,” I said. “Do you?”
“I do. First I need answers.” Fitz looked at Locke. “Who showed you the list?”
Locke, who had sat with us again for no other reason than Reen had practically dragged him along, blinked at Fitz’s question.
“Sorry?”
“You said someone showed you the list.”
“Noooo,” he said slowly as if speaking to someone of inferior intelligence. Something I imagined Fitz would not appreciate. “I said, Isawthe list. Seeing it and being shown it are two different things.”
Fitz gritted his teeth. “Fine. Where did you see this list?”
“On a phone.”
“How could you see a list on someone’s phone unless they unlocked the phone to show you,” Ed asked smugly as if he’d caught Locke in a lie.
“I have my ways,” Locke said coyly.
“Don’t be an ass. Just tell us,” Heath said.
Locke seemed to consider the order, then it seemed he considered about five other things before he finally said, “I guessed the password.”
Fitz snorted. “Yeah, right.”
