Here's the thing – gingham check is so cliché," Alice said as she reached over to swipe a couple of chips from my plate; I mean why shouldn't Dorothy wear a red dress, you know? It would go so much better with the ruby slippers."
"I think the idea is that she grew up on a farm," I ventured.
"Oh right, okay so she could be wearing a potato sack, "Alice went on" Or a flowered dress. She grabbed another chip. "Or anything else but that stupid blue and white checks!" Stabbing the air with a chip to make her point.
"Calm down honey, are you sure you want to mess with a classic?" I asked.
"Don't even get me started," Alice replied."You should see what I've got in mind for the flying monkeys."
"I can't wait."This was the truth. Alice Cullen is my best friend and has been since the first day of kindergarten. We had the same Barbie lunchbox and we decided we were destined to be best friends .Alice's mum had been like my own since my parent divorce and I stayed with my dad Charlie. Even though we were so close we were as different as two people can get.
For example Alice had short pixie like black hair and bright blue eyes and was wearing white and gold leggings under a high waisted jean skirt and a white tank top and gold ballet flats. She had bright pinks lipstick and black mascara. I on the other hand, had on a plain blue T –shirt and jeans and black converses.
Anyway, Alice is into drama stuff (like seriously it may well be her middle name) and she signed up to do the costumes and makeup for the school's production of The Wizard of Oz.
"So how often do you have to be at rehearsal?"I asked.
"I'll be there don't worry," she said, reading my mind."Nobody in the cast and crew wants to miss the big game!"
Our soccer team was having an amazing season – so far. But our last game was this week, and it was against La Push High School, who put a major hurt on us last year. There must be something in the water over in La Push, because those girls are gigantic. Coach Clapp is always telling us to "work our lower centres of gravity,' which basically means run a lot and steal the ball as much as you can. " We'll do our best," I said with a sigh.
"I don't care about that, "she teased "just win!!" She took another sip from my coke, producing a hollow slurping sound.
"You drank the whole thing!" I cried.
"Sorry." Alice winced sheepishly."I'll get you another."
I rolled my eyes."I'll do it," I said, swiping the cup." You'll probably drink the whole thing on the way back to the table."
"Good point," she admitted as she popped a piece of her cookie into her mouth and chewed it cheerfully.
I climbed out of my grey plastic seat and crossed to the front of the cafeteria. Alice and I always sit in the same spot – far right at the back. As far away from the trash bins as you can get. Digging some money out of my pocket, I paid for a refill at the register, then headed over to the drink dispenser and pressed my cup against the metal lip. The machine clanged and ground and spat ice into my cup. I put the cup under the coke and let the brown fill liquid fizz down in a stream. I waited for the bubbles to die down, and then fill it up to the top. I was just fitting the lid over the cup when I turned –and ran into someone's green shirt. Half of the coke soaked him, half splattered on the front of my T – shirt. "Oh my god!" I cried. "Oh, I am so sorry!" Reaching behind me, I grabbed a wad of napkins and pressed them against my victim's shirt.
"That's okay," he said, but just as I pulled away the napkins, I realized that someone had left an open packet of tomato sauce sitting on them ... bright red that was now on his T- shirt.
I felt my face burning. "Oh, jeez, I can't believe this!"
"You can't?'
He had every right to be mad, but then I looked up into his green eyes, I could see that he was about to laugh's could also see that he was cute, really cute. My heart started beating like a humming bird and my head felt light. "Let me get you some more napkins." For some reason, my throat had gone dry.
'Um – No thanks,' the cute boy said. A smile twitching at the edge of his mouth.
"I just wanted you to know that I'm usually very coordinated," I told him, Instantly feeling like an idiot. Stop Talking, I told myself. "I'm on the soccer team," I went on, instantly disobeying my own orders.
He smirked. "Would have guessed you were on the National Food Fighting team."
Okay. Okay, he's joking. So at least he doesn't want to kill me...." I used to be – but I got cut."
"Too many fouls?" Cute Boy guessed.
I nodded. "You got it."
Laughing, he looked down at his shirt." This isn't so bad, really. I can take care of it in the bathroom."
"Really?"
'Don't sweat it," he said, and I could have hugged him. Not that I would do anything like that of course.