Why me, God?
I scramble upright again, tray in hand, then bolt outside as fast as my wobbly legs can take me. Fuck the bottled water. I’ll die thirsty. I sink onto the metal bench opposite Leah, my eyes downcast, too mortified to look at her.
“Are you okay?” she asks softly.
There’s genuine concern in her voice. I’ll be forever grateful to her for not laughing at my expense.
I force a small smile. “You saw that, huh?”
“Yeah,” she answers, abandoning her meal to focus on me. “Do you know her?”
I open my mouth to respond but hesitate. How much do I tell her? Disclosing my family drama could scare her away. Truth be told, I wouldn’t blame her one bit if it did. Anyone with common sense would think twice before involving themselves in a messy situation.
Moreover, being my friend could make her a social pariah. It’s better if she learns everything from me. She’s bound to find out on her own anyway. I’m pretty sure Deja is making it her personal mission to alert the entire student population about my “slutbag” ways.
“She’s my cousin,” I admit. “Kinda hard to believe, right?”
Leah’s lips form a perfect O. “Definitely wasn’t expecting a blood relation.”
“I don’t know where to begin,” I say jokingly, though my stomach is doing somersaults. “Deja… um… my mother—”
“Hey, you don’t have to tell me anything you’re not comfortable sharing.” She reaches across the table and grasps my hand. “For what it’s worth, Deja and her friends pick on me too. But only when my bestie isn’t around. This is her lunch block, but per usual, she’s off doing only God knows what. Just know that I’ll be all ears whenever you’re ready to talk.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. “Are we cool then? I completely understand if you want to think over hanging out with me.”
“Of course we’re cool,” Leah assures me. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. Anyway, it’s still my goal to persuade you to the vegan lifestyle.”
“You’re barking up the wrong tree,” I say, popping the lid off my marinara sauce. “I love cheese way too much to ever go vegan.Realcheese.” I dunk a mozzarella stick in the sauce before taking a bite. “So, who’s your bestie?”
“Her name is Meela. You’ll meet her crazy ass soon.”
Crazy?I hope this Meela is as welcoming as Leah.
I push the pending introduction to the back of my mind and gobble down the fried gooey goodness.
“Damn, that hit the spot.” I grin, rubbing my belly. “All hail to the mighty cows for their delicious gift to the human race.”
“Oh God.” Leah chuckles, rolling her eyes skyward at my antics. “Dramatic must be your middle name.”
“It is,” I state sweetly.
Leah chuckles again and refocuses her attention on her lunch, biting into a pineapple.
Silence settles between us, and my thoughts shift to all the goals I need to accomplish before graduation. “By the way, where are you doing your community service hours? Think you can help me get on there?”
I need to get the ball rolling on completing my forty hours pronto. The sooner the better. Then I can focus on more important things, like finding a job and picking up as many shifts as possible. Graduation, figuratively speaking, is right around the corner.
“Sibley General Hospital, but not for community service hours,” she states, slatheringchicken saladonto a cracker. “I completed mine freshman year but still volunteer there.”
“Damn, you’re ready to walk across the stage while my procrastinating ass has zero hours.”
She chuckles. “Well, not quite. I’m just a lowly junior.”
“Really?” My eyebrows shoot to my forehead. “Thought you were a senior for sure.”
“Nope, but I do have most of my credits already. I’m the resident brainiac.” Leah shrugs nonchalantly. “Highest GPA in the whole school. Next year I’ll have a half-day schedule and take college courses in the afternoons.”
I whistle. “Must be nice.”
