Page 31 of Valentine Dare

“I’m not a nerd, so I don’t fit in their group. I’m not one of the pretty girls, not in there either.”

“You’re not exactly ugly.”

“No, but pretty here means slim, designer clothes and being a bitch to everyone I’m not any of those three. I’m still a virgin, so I don’t fit in with the cool girls, and last but not least, I’m big but I’m not big enough to fit into the fat group.”

We both laughed as we checked the road and crossed it. We kept on running, seeing as we were jaywalking, and we were more worried about cops fining us than getting run over.

Well, I was anyway. I was living with the boys and their mom. She was kind enough to give me money, but I knew I was a burden to them, even if they didn’t say so. I was still one extra mouth to feed, something they didn’t have in their household until now.

“My treat,” she said as we reached the doors of the diner. I felt like a charity case. I knew she was saying it because of my situation. I could have tried to be proud and tell her I didn’t need her charity, but she was being friendly so I should be grateful and nothing else.

“Thanks.”

As we entered, she smiled at me and said, “Just don’t order the whole menu.”

We laughed, agreed on where to sit, and took the corner booth. The news was showing and sure enough, my dad was the headline. It was as if there was no escaping from it. Lacey, the waitress, saw me then looked at the screen and shouted for it to be changed. She knew who I was. She’d seen me in here so many times. We exchanged a few words, out of courtesy, but I had the impression she didn’t think much of Kurt. Then again, no one really did like Kurt; if anything, they tolerated him because of his family status and who he was, and probably they did the same thing about me.

I sighed as she approached our table. “You didn’t have to do that for me. But thanks.”

She smiled. Her dark eyes lit up as she bent down, and strands of her blonde hair escaped her cap. “I know, but I bet it’s a shit storm at the moment.”

She was around the same age as my mom and showing me more kindness than mom had since it happened; every stranger had done that.

“Besides, the prick has been in here talking about it so much. It makes my head hurt the way he talks about you. It’s true, your mom has done a disappearing act?”

I nodded, speechless as I confirmed what she’d already heard.

“That’s rough, kid.”

“I know, but she has a friend to help her through it and we have exactly twenty-five minutes till we need to be back to class.” Tracey said as she broke up the moment.

Lacey shook her head. “Sorry. Course you should be in class. Double chocolate for you, and what can I get for you, sugar?”

I said, “Same as Tracey. I’ll go for double chocolate.”

“Muffin too?”

I shrugged. “Why not?”

I was trying to put on some weight, and I needed the energy to keep up with the boys. They were always wanting more, more and more, not that I was complaining. I loved the attention and even more, the idea of being wanted.

“Girl, you can eat. That’s what I like,” Tracey smirked as Lacey left the table. “But how come you’re all skin and bones, or are you one of those girls that eat like crazy and never put on weight.”

I shook my head. “Nah, I’ve just got my appetite back. Something I lost for a while.”

She motioned for us to move closer together so we could talk privately. Not that anyone was interested in our conversation, but I was intrigued to hear what she wanted to ask me.

“So, it’s true about you and the boys? That you’re with all three of them?”

I didn’t expect her to say this to me. I’d only been with Prent last week, and it couldn’t be public knowledge, especially cause he didn’t go to our school.

“How do you know?”

She winked. “No one talks to me. But they talk, and I listen, especially in the bathroom. Gossip spreads like wildfire in there. If you want to know someone’s buss, just spend a couple of hours locked up in the john.”

I knew what she was saying was true, but then creepy at the same time. The whole idea that someone would spend hours in there…but then it kind of made sense. When you had no friends, being in high school and listening to others in the bathroom made more sense. Especially during lunch time, when all eyes were on who sat with whom.

I decided having someone talk with me was a nice feeling. I knew I had the guys, but I still craved having a girlfriend. I didn’t realize how much until now.

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