I carried my tray of food in the cafeteria, my eyes wandering around, looking for Sally till I finally found her. She was sitting alone and munching her sausages. She seemed pretty happy being alone but sorry to crash her mood. I walked briskly towards her, I needed to talk to her urgently.
After Berkeley sent me out of her class, I had loitered around the class with nothing to do before I decided to play basketball to pass time. I was grateful that she didn't send me to the principal who might have given me detention but I guess her reasons are not strong enough for that. Calculus had equally been bad as I wasn't very good in calculations or brainstorming works... Scratch that, I sucked at it and if not for my effortless and amazing skills in playing basketball, Jenny Cassandra Perkins would have been a brunette with just passable good looks and nothing more to it.
I dropped my tray of food and sat in front of Sally who seemed really surprised to see me. She didn't even try to hide it.
"Aren't you supposed to be with Josh?"
"Yeah but I really need to see you." I said in a panicked voice.
"Is there a problem? Are you okay?" She asked in a worried tone.
"Yeah, I have a problem and I'm definitely not okay."
"What is it?" There was a hint of panic in her voice.
"I think I have a crush on Jason."
She sighed deeply, dropping her head on the table and raised it back up like a possessed demon, "Shit Jenny, you scared me, I thought it was something really serious."
"Come on, this is also something very serious." I whined. "I think I have a crush on Jason."
"You think?" She asked carefully
"Okay I have a crush on him."
She looked at me blankly, "So... what is the problem in that?"
"Aren't you getting it?"
"Um...No."
I gave her a deadpan look and she returned the look before her brown eyes lit up in recognition.
"Oh...you're dating Josh."
I nodded, glad that she was already getting my point. "Yeah."
"Do you really like Josh?"
I wasn't expecting that. "Of course." I replied with much conviction. Even if Bianca was one of the reasons I dated him, there were other reasons and I've actually started to like him.
"Okay then, so what do you want to do about it?"
"That's what I'm asking you."
Sally shrugged, "Don't do anything then, it's just a crush that'll soon wear off, don't worry."
"What if it doesn't?"
"Yeah, what if he doesn't?" She repeated eerily, taking a bite of her sausage. "I don't blame you though, he was really quite dashing."
"Yeah." I folded my arms on the table, smiling with a dreamy look on my face.
"So what's up with you and Berkeley? She was really out to get you today."
I scoffed. "She has always been out to get me, today just seemed worse."
"Did you offend her in any way?"
"I wouldn't hurt a fly...except if the fly was Bianca though." I added.
Sally chuckled, shaking her head. "Poor you."
"I have a theory." I spoke suddenly in a way that made Sally startled. "Let's just say hundred years ago, Mrs Berkeley lost her husband but had an only son whom I was unfortunately betrothed to. So we got married and then he died before I could give him a child so Berkeley blames me for his death and for the loss of everything she loved. She then swore that she would have her revenge... We both died and now, hundred years later, we both reincarnated, she as my English teacher already seeking revenge on me."
At first Sally just stared at me, then she burst into laughter. "You know Jen, if I didn't know you that well, I wouldn't have believed you could make up a story like that."
I rolled my eyes at her. "That was the best theory I could come up with."
"Hey Sally... and stranger." A tall girl with ash wavy black hair joined the table with her friend who was much shorter. I think their names were Andrea and Rhea.
"Bye Sal." I said and left the table immediately. I didn't want to have an encounter with those two, especially Andrea, she just gets under my skin.
I went to where Josh was sitting which was where jocks and most basketball players sat but he was the only one on the table where we usually sat together with his best friend Cole, and any of his other friends.
"Hi." I greeted as I sat facing him.
"Oh, hi Jen." He smiled as he looked up from the magazine he was reading. "I was waiting for you." He said, closing the magazine and dropping it on the table.
"I'm sorry, I had something important I needed to do before I came here."
"Sure." He said with a nod of his head. "I'm sorry too."
"For what?" I actually knew what he was sorry about but I feigned ignorance.
"About your birthday."
"Forgiven and forgotten." I smiled.
He smiled back, his white set of teeth in full display. "I'll make it up to you."
"Hi Josh."
I heard the same annoying girly voice again. I turned to see Bianca sitting beside me.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked in surprise. Just then, Cole came and sat beside Josh, facing Bianca.
She shrugged. "I came here with Cole." She stretched out her hand on the table and held Cole's hand as if to prove her point.
I stood up immediately, "I'll leave then," I simply couldn't imagine sharing a table with Bianca but before I could leave, Josh held my hand to stop me from going.
"Don't leave." He pleaded with his deep blue deep-set eyes.
I sighed. "Fine." I flopped back down beside Bianca. Maybe it wouldn't be as bad as I thought. She was glaring at Josh, probably because he stopped me from going. If she was here for Josh, she had better have a rethink.
Bianca cleared her throat as Josh and Cole did their guy greeting stuff. "Cole, I really enjoyed your party, it was superb."
"Thanks Bianca." Cole replied, then he turned to me, "Why weren't you able to attend the party Jen?"
"There was a family thing going on that I couldn't miss." I lied smoothly though it wasn't really much of a lie.
"And Josh thanks for giving me a ride to the party." She winked at him.
Josh looked a bit startled. "Sure."
Did she just?- I thought Josh told me he went alone so why was he affirming Bianca's question? I knew Bianca was trying to get under my skin but I just needed to be sure. "You gave Bianca a ride to the party?"
"Yeah, when you told me you weren't coming, Bianca called and told me that her car had broken down, so she begged me to pick her up."
I stifled a laugh. Even if it might have been a lie, I was glad it pained Bianca. The shock on her flat face was evident but she quickly hid it.
"I hope you've 'repaired' your car Bianca because Josh would be dropping me off today and I don't want you begging around. "
She did a great job in masking her anger this time. "Oh, so you get Jake, your so-called bestie, to give you a ride to school and then Josh to take you home. Is that why you haven't gotten yourself a car or any other ride yet? So you can play guys around?"
I balled my hand into fist, trying to calm down. I hadn't even been in Josh's car since we started dating recently, and it was still Jake who would take me home. I just said it to piss her off.
"Are you jealous because I get to have different guys give me a ride? You know, you can get me a car, I would be very grateful if you do cause I don't actually like people giving me a ride at their inconvenience but it seems you do, after all you were the one who lied about her car being damaged just so Josh could give you a ride."
Bianca stood up from her seat in anger, she didn't try to hide it this time. "I'll get you Perkins." She fumed and stormed out.
Cole was laughing silently as she left. I don't blame him, anyone who saw her beetroot red face would have done the same. Josh was struggling to hold his laughter but his smile betrayed him while I was too heated to laugh.
"Are you dating Bianca?" Josh suddenly asked Cole.
Surprise clouded his big brown eyes as he ran a hand through his short black dreads, " Dude, No."
"Why did you bring her here then?" Josh asked.
"She gave me a bribe." He had an easy grin on his face.
"Bribe?" Josh questioned.
"Yeah, we made out in the closet."
I choked on my food as I heard it. That was really disgusting and she had the guts to tell me that I was playing around. As I ate my food, I kept on thinking of basketball practice. I would definitely make sure her reign as team leader ends today.
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