God, I hope we don’t have any more classes together.
The rest of the morning is uneventful, though my peers treat me indifferently. Maverick’s to blame for the unwelcoming atmosphere, but I’m not bothered. They can all go play in traffic. What concerns me is the lack of diversity. I haven’t seen another minority student yet. I follow the crowd into the cafeteria and scan my surroundings. Long rectangular tables are positioned throughout the sizable space. I’m thrilled to finally see a few ethnic faces.
King Asshole and his subjects occupy the far corner of the room.
I grab a tray and stand in the lunch line. Wow, the food looks amazing. Not the slop I’m accustomed to at my old school. Several options are available to boot. A girl could get used to this. I make my selection and head for the most diverse table.
“Hi, is this seat taken?”
“No,” a lanky energetic boy responds. “Join us.”
“Thanks.” I sit down. “I’m Cocoa, by the way.”
“Jamal.”
“Pleased to meet you.”
Jamal’s rocking 360 waves, a goatee, and has beautiful dark brown skin.
“This is Kate and Lucy.” Jamal introduces the other students at the table, waving between them.
“Hi,” they say in unison.
The ivory hue of Kate’s skin highlights her sparkling baby-blues, and unruly brown curls frame her delicate freckle-scattered face. Lucy is Asian, and has chin-length, bone-straight black hair. Both girls are petite and similar to my height.
“You probably shouldn’t socialize with us,” Kate cautions.
“Why not?” I pour vinaigrette on my salad.
“We’re rejects, aka poor scholarship students,” Lucy answers.
“The cool kids are over there.” Jamal jerks his head in the direction of King Asshole. “Perhaps you prefer to sit with them.”
I burst out laughing.
“What’s funny?” Jamal’s forehead puckers in confusion.
“That ship has already sailed.”
Jamal places an elbow on the table and props his chin in his palm. “I’m listening.”
I tell them everything, excluding Maverick finger fucking me, not wanting to disappoint the only kids in the entire school who’ve shown me kindness.
Jamal lets out a low whistle. “Damn, girl.”
“You should keep quiet,” Lucy states.
“I’m not letting anyone bully me.”
“You’ll make things worse for yourself,” Kate says.
“It’s cool.” I shrug, not in the least bit worried. “I’m a fighter.”
“I’ll give you the lowdown on everyone,” Jamal volunteers. “Victoria is captain of the cheerleading squad.”
Perfect. There’s no way she’ll pick me to join the team.
“She’s a total bitch and will make your existence hell. Maverick is the only person who can control her. She’s been chasing after him forever, but he treats her like crap. The dark blond is Lori. Her bark is worse than her bite. You don’t have to worry about her. The brunette is Rebecca. She loves to cause drama and keeps the rumor mill spinning.”
