ATBG is copyright Viacom.

I tried updating this weekly, but I found that wasn't quickly enough.

Chapter 7: The Cafeteria and the Restroom

Friday's lunch consisted of tuna salad surprise, green beans, toast and fruit salad. Not Ginger's favorite combition of foods. But eating it distracted her from what was really bothering her. Talking to Dodie and Macie. Keeping the news of Nomar's arrival from somehow escaping while chatting with them was sure to be hard. In more ways than one. And they would be sure that Ginger was keeping something from them. And they would be right. So Ginger kept her mouth shut. Maybe they would think her wise, like the Good Book said.

"Aunt Harriet was jogging in the park," Dodie was saying, "when she disappeared. My cousin Suzenne is now all alone in the world. She's staying at a relative's house."

"At your house," Macie asked.

"No, she's staying with Uncle Sam and Aunt Selona."

"Selona? What kind of name is Selona?"

Dodie shrugged. "I didn't name her." Then she added under her breath, "I don't even know what she looks like."

"You mean you have never met her, Dodie?"

Dodie shook her head.

While her two friends were having their conservation, Ginger herself was eating her tuna salad surprise in silence. Actually it wasn't too bad if you didn't think about what you are eating. Her mind was on other things.

"Ginger," Dodie's voice intruded on her thoughts, "you still haven't told us what Principal Milty wanted."

"Mom left a message," Ginger replied without looking up. She didn't elaborate.

"Well, what did it say, Ginger?"

"It was family business."

"But you could tell Courtney? Is that how it is now? Don't try to deny it, Ginger Foutley. I've seen how you were chummy with her this morning."

Ginger hesitated before answering. "She was the one who told me." She still hadn't looked up.

"Oh," Dodie said. "I see."

"Good grief, what does she see in you, Ginger," Macie wondered.

Ginger shrugged.

"You know, you might be right, Macie," Dodie gushed. "Courtney might be into, well you know, girls."

Ginger stared at her, hard. "Are you out of your mind? Courtney isn't like that. I've spent more time with her than you did. You don't really know her."

"Ginger. Ginger. Ginger," Dodie shook her head sadly. "Don't be so naive, Ginger. Those in-the-closet types never come and say it. If they did, they wouldn't be in the closet, now would they?" Ginger had to admit that was true. "They might even be aware of it themselves."

Ginger chuckled softly. "I've seen Darren look at me many times in the past few weeks. And trust me, guys, Courtney never looks at me that way."

"Maybe you haven't really been looking. Don't worry, Ginger. I'll keep my eye out on her."

"I never seen it before, but I'll keep an open mind on this."

Ginger sighed. Was she the only sane student left at Lucky Junior High? Or had she always been the only sane one? She didn't think that Miranda was perfectly sane, either, but then she wasn't too sure about that. "Go ahead and watch her. I don't care. You won't find anything." She knew that was turning into a another nasty fight with Dodie, but there didn't seem anything that she could do about it.

"Psst," a voice hissed behind her. Ginger silently thanked who ever that was that had just provided a way out. She turned and found a figure in very baggy sweats and a Red Sox baseball cap pulled down over her face. "Ginger, we need to find someplace safe to talk about you-know-who." If didn't know any better, she could have sworn that was Courtney. Hmmm, on second thought, since she mentioned "you-know-who," it probably was Courtney.

"Uhh... sure thing." She got up and followed Courtney away. "This might take awhile."

"We'll keep your spot warm for you."

"Thanks, guys."

Courtney led Ginger to the restroom. Inside Courtney went down on her knees in front of the stalls and systemically checked each and every of them. And she didn't rush the job either. She took her time checking. When she reached the other end, she got back up, clearly satisfied with the results, and dusted herself off.

"Was that really-" Ginger started. But Courtney cut her off by raising a finger. Then she went back up the line opening each of the doors. They were all unlocked and unoccupied. Courtney took off her baseball cap.

"Of course it's necessary. You don't know who's listening into your conversation, Ginger. And I don't anyone to eavesdrop on ours about you-know-who. He must not be exposed," she said vehemently.

"But with all the stalls-"

"The air vent!" Courtney hissed as she snapped her neck to look up at the vent. She shushed Ginger with a finger to her own lips. Then she crept slowly yet surely to the floor immediately beneath it. Ginger didn't have any idea of what Courtney was planning, when suddenly, the blonde girl jumped up and whapped on the air vent. The cover fell off, and with it came a little burnette girl about Carl's age. Ginger had no doubt that his little brother was behind this. "We seem to be in the wrong school, don't we, Missy?"

The girl seemed to have trouble regaining her wits. "I-I, ah... It was Carl's fault," she said finally.

"Tell this Carl, 'You have to get up pretty early in the morning to pull the silk over Courtney Q. Gripling's eyes.'"

The girl nodded and scuttled out of the restroom.

"I believe that the Carl that girl was talking about was my brother."

"That's nice," Courtney said in a manner that suggested that she hadn't been listening. "Get over here so I can stand on your shoulders and look into this vent."

Ginger sighed. Might as well. The sooner Courtney was satisfied with their meeting place, the sooner the meeting can start. Then as she allowed herself to be used as a ladder, she was really impressed by how Courtney was thinking ahead. And more than a little concerned about her obvious paranoia.

"Okay, I think that it should be fine for now, so we had best hurry."

"Okay, Courtney, why did you call me from lunch?

"Is he okay?"

"Is who okay, Courtney?"

"You know very well who, Ginger Foutley," Courtney snapped back.

"Oh, him." It was official. Courtney had gotten way too paranoid since yesterday. They were completely alone in the ladies' restroom and still Courtney was afraid to use Nomar's name. Ginger vowed to herself she would find out what the reason was. And not just out of curiosity, either. Her friend needed help. And quick. "Yes, he's okay, Courtney." When she saw Courtney's look, she added, "I burned the note into the principal's ash tray."

Courtney affected a far-away expression. "Good, good." Then she turned to Ginger. "See you next period."

As Ginger made her way back to the lunch room, she led thoughts to Courtney. Why was she intent on nobody hearing them Nomar? Ginger smiled ruefully and slowly shook her head. The answer to that was obvious. But why was so scared that the little alien would be discovered? Then, when she just had entered the lunch room, the answer hit her like a softball out the noon-day sun. She went as quickly as she could without running to the table where her two friends were.

"Guys, I know who Courtney is in love with. And it's not a girl."

"Don't leave us in suspense, girl," Macie said. "Who is he?"

Ginger had opened her mouth to answer when she realized that she wasn't supposed to reveal Nomar's existence. So she did the only thing she could do at that time.

She screamed at the top of her lungs to the ceiling.