Rhi only realized she was at school the next day when one of April's
goonies purposely bumped into her between second and third periods. The
shining brunette gave her a nasty, venomous look, then swept off down the
hall, her hair swinging behind her like a shampoo commercial. Rhi was
tempted to shake her head, trying to clear it of the haze through which
she'd been operating that whole morning. There was a constant anticipation,
a need for the day to be over so she could get home and find out if Mom had
been able to get The Mirror. It capitalized itself in her brain, looming
over classes and notes and even Matt's lost-puppy presence as he warily
shadowed her, never quite following, but ending up in the same places
nevertheless. Finally at lunch he dared approach her, mindful of that
dreamy air she'd been floating in all day. He didn't even begin to hope the
haze was due to something he'd done; despite her hopes to the contrary,
Matt Green had Rhi Abernathy figured out quite well.
"Hey, Rhi, how's it going," Matt began nervously, settling his tray across the lunch table from her. Her eyes regained their focus, and for a moment she looked at him almost normally. Then her green eyes narrowed, and she regarded him suspiciously-at best. She unwrapped her sandwich and took an almost angry bite.
"What? What'd I do?" he asked, bewildered. When she didn't answer right away, his voice softened and he asked, "Did you think about my message yesterday?"
"Matt," Rhi began, almost angrily, then she set down her sandwich and sighed. "Matt, you know I can't go with you. It's not that I don't like you, it's just-"
"Then why?" It was his turn to be angry, and that surprised him. "Why not, Rhi? I know we're just friends, and I don't want to change that. I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend or whatever-I just want a date to Prom, and I think you'd be pretty cool to go with."
"Are you forgetting your girlfriend, Matt?"
"I broke up with her! Remember?"
"Yeah, I know that and you know that. She doesn't seem to want to get that into her head, and I'm not going to be turned into some kind of slut because everyone thinks I broke you two up."
"Since when do you care what people think about you?"
"Since I'm sick of being harassed whenever I go down the hall! Since I'm tired of listening to her threats and having her boobs run into me in the halls because she's told them I'm the source of all her problems!" Rhi knew her voice was rising and found she didn't care. "Since I'm sick of sitting at an empty table at lunch and never having a lab partner and riding the damn bus alone and being fucking invisible!"
Matt sat back as though she'd struck him. "I know you don't like other people, Rhi, but you can't blame April for-"
"For what? Sending her cheerleader secret service after me every chance she gets?"
"For your absolute determination to be a social pariah!" He riposted, startling her. "You don't make any effort to become part of anything here! I know it's different from your old school, but there are people here and groups-"
"Why should I want to be a part of them? Why should I want to know anybody at this suburban hellhole?" Crumpling the brown bag in her fist, Rhi smashed the remainder of her sandwich back into the wrapper and moved to stand up. Matt's hand shot out, seizing her wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. She stared at him, stunned-it had been a very long time since anyone had dared touch her without her permission.
"You don't want to go with me, fine," Matt growled, his grip like steel. "But you have to know that your supposed social exile at this school is eighty-five percent your own fault. April isn't that influential, no matter what you or she thinks. You're determined, since day one, to not fit in and not like anyone. My invitation was simply an opportunity for you to maybe get out of your little hole and see a bit of the world. If you want to stay hidden underground forever-" he released her wrist, "fine."
She sat there for a moment, unable to think of anything to say. Matt turned his attention entirely to the school lunch before him and would not look at her. Finally, with a growl that was half sob, she got up, threw away her lunch, and left the lunchroom as fast as she could.
"Hey, Rhi, how's it going," Matt began nervously, settling his tray across the lunch table from her. Her eyes regained their focus, and for a moment she looked at him almost normally. Then her green eyes narrowed, and she regarded him suspiciously-at best. She unwrapped her sandwich and took an almost angry bite.
"What? What'd I do?" he asked, bewildered. When she didn't answer right away, his voice softened and he asked, "Did you think about my message yesterday?"
"Matt," Rhi began, almost angrily, then she set down her sandwich and sighed. "Matt, you know I can't go with you. It's not that I don't like you, it's just-"
"Then why?" It was his turn to be angry, and that surprised him. "Why not, Rhi? I know we're just friends, and I don't want to change that. I'm not asking you to be my girlfriend or whatever-I just want a date to Prom, and I think you'd be pretty cool to go with."
"Are you forgetting your girlfriend, Matt?"
"I broke up with her! Remember?"
"Yeah, I know that and you know that. She doesn't seem to want to get that into her head, and I'm not going to be turned into some kind of slut because everyone thinks I broke you two up."
"Since when do you care what people think about you?"
"Since I'm sick of being harassed whenever I go down the hall! Since I'm tired of listening to her threats and having her boobs run into me in the halls because she's told them I'm the source of all her problems!" Rhi knew her voice was rising and found she didn't care. "Since I'm sick of sitting at an empty table at lunch and never having a lab partner and riding the damn bus alone and being fucking invisible!"
Matt sat back as though she'd struck him. "I know you don't like other people, Rhi, but you can't blame April for-"
"For what? Sending her cheerleader secret service after me every chance she gets?"
"For your absolute determination to be a social pariah!" He riposted, startling her. "You don't make any effort to become part of anything here! I know it's different from your old school, but there are people here and groups-"
"Why should I want to be a part of them? Why should I want to know anybody at this suburban hellhole?" Crumpling the brown bag in her fist, Rhi smashed the remainder of her sandwich back into the wrapper and moved to stand up. Matt's hand shot out, seizing her wrist in a surprisingly strong grip. She stared at him, stunned-it had been a very long time since anyone had dared touch her without her permission.
"You don't want to go with me, fine," Matt growled, his grip like steel. "But you have to know that your supposed social exile at this school is eighty-five percent your own fault. April isn't that influential, no matter what you or she thinks. You're determined, since day one, to not fit in and not like anyone. My invitation was simply an opportunity for you to maybe get out of your little hole and see a bit of the world. If you want to stay hidden underground forever-" he released her wrist, "fine."
She sat there for a moment, unable to think of anything to say. Matt turned his attention entirely to the school lunch before him and would not look at her. Finally, with a growl that was half sob, she got up, threw away her lunch, and left the lunchroom as fast as she could.