Broken Locker
Lana gnawed on her lower lip as she approached her locker. All these months later, it was still crumpled. The metal corners were still folded in on itself. Compared to the adjacent lockers, with their sleek, symmetrical designs, she was reminded of a trash bin that had been compacted and compressed into a rectangle whenever she had the misfortune of looking at her locker.
The school officials promised to fix it but never got around to it. She believed it was useless to continue trying after weeks of requests. Their attention was on the state championship and decorating the entire school with the animalistic regalia of the wrestling team. Everywhere she looked, there was a bull or a tiger or a cobra on the streamers hanging from the rafters in the gym or taped to the cafeteria and classroom walls.
Lana sighed and pinched the lock. She spun it to the right three names, then to the left once, and brought it back to the final number. With a quiet grunt, she pushed it inwards, and the locker flung open. She ducked her head back just in time when the locker slammed into its neighbor, making the entire row of compartments shudder.
Hearing a yelp, she flashed an automatic smile at the freshman four lockers down The clamor had caused her belongings to tumble out of her own locker. As the girl snatched her textbooks, Lana said, "Oh, God, sorry about that. You can tell my locker sucks. The school never bothered to fix it or move me to a better one."
The freshman made a noise of understanding, stuffed her books into her locker, and scurried away. Lana watched her locker close and resume its normal position. Dragging her tongue across her lower lip, Lana huffed and grabbed her Chemistry 201 notebook. She had a test tomorrow and didn't study last night, having spent the remainder of yesterday afternoon with the cheerleading squad and wrestling team practicing their moves on the soccer field.
She smiled to herself and tucked her notebook to her chest. Dean had been particularly swanky. He had lifted her high over his head and held her up with one hand. She had balanced herself on the thick base of his palm, towering over everyone, her delight palpable as Dean chuckled below her.
Another hand pressed against the smooth surface of the lockers. Compared to Dean's hand, this one was large, hammy, like the burgers he inhaled at the downtown dinner. Spry hairs sprung up from his knuckles. With uneven fingernails dotted with dirt and paint on his cuticles, Lana wondered if he ever washed them, the thought making her stomach churn.
"Lana, hey," Edgar said, running his other hand down his neck. He leaned into the wall, arm muscles flexing in a way that made her want to roll her eyes. "How's it going, my rose?"
She touched the dark red flower in her hair. Her headband started feeling tight as soon as he spoke. "Oh, hi, Edgar. I have Chemistry in two minutes, so…" She shrugged.
Edgar snorted like a real burly bull, the sound guttural and offensive to Lana's ears. "Ah, Mr. Frann is a real pain. He's always getting on your case about late work."
"Yeah, he's something else." Lana hardened her tone. "I wish he would just go away."
"Retire already, old man, am I right?" Edgar joked, and a quiet chuckle tumbled past her full lips. He cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Anyway, the boys and I are going to the diner tonight before the quarter-finals match."
"'Tonight?'" She gasped and touched her cheek, long fingers spreading over her mouth. "Oh, no, I can't go, Edgar."
He deflated like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon hitting a streetlight. His heavy shoulders sagged, and his mouth creased towards his chin. His lower lip looked ready to wobble, the sight rather pathetic as Lana fiddled with the hem of her sweater.
"I'm going to fail my test tomorrow if I don't study tonight," she quickly said, her smile half-hearted. "Don't worry about me. I just have to get this burden off me, and I'll be free."
Edgar grinned, a spark lighting up his eyes. "That's true. I can't have my girlfriend falling back a year because I want to share a strawberry shake with her." He slipped his arm around her waist and brought her closer, every atom of her being recoiling. "But I suppose there's always semi-finals?"
"Oh, yeah, totally!" she chirped, tucking her chin down for him to kiss the bridge of her nose.
As if on cue, the bell rang. She thanked her lucky stars. He immediately released her, startled by the sound, and she left without another word. His goodbye went unanswered as she hurried to her class, lip curling in annoyance. Lana was the last person to arrive to the lab, ignoring the ire of Mr. Frann when he threatened to give her a detention and waving to the boy who truly won her heart.
In the back, she sat down at the long, black desk next to Dean. He arched an eyebrow at her and set his hand on her knee, massaging it with a soft thumb. Opening her notebook, Lana giggled behind it and whispered to Dean throughout class, deciding to give Edgar the news before semi-finals.
It's not like we were serious in the past few weeks, she thought, stroking Dean's shoulder when Mr. Frann turned around to write on the chalkboard. I'm sure he'll get over it in time for the next match.
