Five Months Later

Silence had overcome the occupants of the table in the far corner of the cafeteria. Everyone sat chewing slowly, their eyes glazed. Toby was quickly growing irritated by the lack of conversation. She placed her hand over Chris' and whispered in his ear, "Watch me fling my applesauce at Sam."

Chris watched in amusement as his girlfriend meticulously loaded her plastic spoon with applesauce, then bent it backward with her finger. Together they watched the glob fly across the table and hit Sam between the eyes. They especially enjoyed watching it slide down the bridge of his nose.

Toby giggled in victory. "Bulls eye," she chuckled evilly.

Chris patted her on the head. "That was a perfectly executed plan. I applaud you."

Appearing more confused than angry, Sam asked, "I suppose it wouldn't do any good to ask what that was all about?"

"Probably not."

Mattie and Gordie finally noticed the situation. Mattie tossed her napkin to him. "Did your lunch throw up at you?"

"No, but I think Toby did."

"Doesn't surprise me," Gordie muttered, then looked up at the clock on the wall. "We should go to the library now though guys."

"Why?" Toby howled, attaching herself to Chris' arm.

"Because me and Sam both didn't do our algebra homework, and Chris is letting up copy his."

"Why can't you do that right here?"

"Because I like to cheat in peace and quiet," he said. He shoved back his chair and stood up. "Mattie, do we have Writing today?"

"What day is it--Friday? Nope."

"Okay, well," he said, and leaned over to kiss the top of her head. "We're still on for tonight?"

She smirked. "It's a date."

After they had watched them walk away and witnessed Sam slam into a garbage can, causing a table of freshmen girls to giggle like hyenas, Toby looked at Mattie. "So, Mattie."

Downing the rest of her milk, she grunted, "Heh?"

"I've been wondering about something."

"I wonder about many things. I often wonder about the Russians and if they are someday going to blow us up." She smiled. "I also wonder whatever I did with my conscience."

Toby pursed her lips together, looking like she was repressing comments. "Um, that's very nice, Mattie. I don't wonder about those things…but I do wonder about what's going to happen to you next year."

Mattie opened her mouth to speak, and then paused, the words caught in her throat. "You mean what I'm going to do when all of you graduate and leave for college."

Toby nodded, absentmindedly peeling the crust off of her sandwich.

"I guess I'll jump and scream and be lonely."

"You jump and scream when you're lonely?

"Yes." She grinned, but it quickly faded. "I don't know, really. I guess I'll have to make new friends."

Empathetically, Toby nodded again. "You'll make lots of them, too. But what about Gordie?"

"There's letters and phone calls, I guess. And there's also Christmas and Thanksgiving and whatnot." She shrugged. "That is if he wants to keep a high school girlfriend."

"What's that mean?"

Looking down at her mostly eaten food, Mattie said, trying to sound indifferent, "He'll be in college and he'll be off being smart and important…and I'll be here being immature and not as interesting as all the girls he'll meet in college."

"Aww," Toby said, patting Mattie's head. "Gordie really cares about you Mattie. But I'd be lying if I said that he'd never dump you for a college girl, because I can't predict the future. But I do know that Gordie never shuts up about you, and when he isn't talking about you, he's thinking about you. So even if things don't work out, he's not going to stop loving you."

"That was sappy." Mattie giggled delightedly. "I loved it. Thanks!"

"I hope that whatever happens…" Toby stopped. She looked away and murmured, "I hope you're not lonely in the end."