I paced back and forth in front of the teacher's lounge, what's taking so long?

I'm not in trouble, mind you, my Daddy's in a teacher's meeting, so I'm stuck here after school. I checked the clock hung above the lockers, another hour and a half 'til it's over, two hours 'til the two of us drive to Nighthawk Diner for dinner with the rest of my family.

Why is this a problem? I'm starving, that's why! I had mediocre sized breakfast and a small lunch so I'd be able to stuff my face tonight, and don't act like you've never done that! I even passed up spending time with my best friend, Maya, to spend time with my Dad before dinner. But he had a surprise meeting, now here I am 30 minutes after school let out and I'm not leaving for another hour, 26 minutes.

I took a seat on the filthy stairs, worn from all the students walking up and down to get to all the classes. I would even eat Auggie's cooking now, yes, he's cooked before, on a camping trip, don't wanna talk about it. I wouldn't eat a blackberry though, I hate blackberries more then Missy Bradford hates me.

"Riley?"someone said from the bottom of the stairs. I looked up, he was the last person I'd want to see when I was such a wreck inside. Hunger will do a number to the mind.

"Lucas!" I yelled.

"What are you still doing here?" He asked.

"My dad had a meeting, what about you?"

"I had practice but it was cancelled, my Ma still has work so I'm here for another two hours."

"We're both prisoners! And I'm about to die of hunger!" Ugh, I'm not cool, not cool at all.

"I got some grapes left from lunch?"

"I don't want to seem rude, but, give me some of those grapes before I make sure you die a prisoner!" Hunger, man, I'm telling you, it messes with you.

"Hungry, are we?" Lucas asked sweetly. He sat next to me on the steps and opened the zip-loc bag full of green grapes. He pulled the biggest one from the stem and placed it in my open mouth.

Between chews, I smiled,"Thank you! And sorry."

He popped one into his own mouth,"Help yourself."

For the next hour and 14 minutes, we nearly choked ourselves on grapes and when we ran out, we talked. Nothing much, just school, family, Texas, Pennsylvania, and the best, funny stories. It was the first time I enjoyed talking about the time I was sick when the family went to DisneyWorld and I threw up on Goofy! And I could tell he enjoyed telling me about the time when he rode his bike into the muddy creek by his house in Texas.

Time will fly when you have a friend, and food, especially grapes. When I left, I looked back, and saw Lucas smiling at his hands as he twirled the grape stem in and out between his fingers.

At dinner, I ordered a grilled cheese and Auggie ordered a hot dog with a fruit bowl on the side. He was too full to finish and he offered his scraps to me. There was a bit of the bun, the pickle on the side, disgusting, in the fruit bowl, there were a few melons and a cantaloupe, and a grape.

But I don't want this grape, this one is purple, and small, and stemless. Stemless? Why should I care if a grape is stemless or not? No stemless little fruit will get the best of me! I snatched it from Auggie's plate sunk my teeth into the purple demon. Too much food will ruin you too, apparently.

I spit the grape into my napkin and Auggie watched in horror.

"Why'd you take it if you weren't gonna eat it?"

"I thought it was a grape!"

My family burst into hearty laughter. I don't know what came over me, but I thought it was a grape? But I guess it wasn't? Why? Why'd I think that? More importantly, why am I not in bed right now? I guess I'm more then hungry, g'night.