JSYK: On Wednesday I start school again, so I'm probably not going to be able to update as often as I'd like. Reviews motivate me to write faster, though! ;)
When Massie and Claire entered the cafeteria, Claire trailing slightly behind Massie and dragging her feet, everyone else had already gotten their lunches and had taken their seats at their usual table on the far left side of the cafeteria.
"Hey, Mass!" Plovert called as they approached. "Alicia said you were running late, so I went ahead and got you your usual meal." He gestured to the Diet Pepsi and grilled chicken salad sitting on the table. There was even a packet of her favorite dressing on her tray, waiting to be poured over her salad.
"Awwh, thanks Chris," Massie cooed, leaning over and giving a blushing Plovert a quick hug before sitting down next to him. Claire noticed Cam frowning and quickly excused herself to go get her lunch, since, unlike Massie, no one had bothered to get it for her. She wandered over to the pizza station and was contemplating whether to get a slice of the cold cheese pizza or just get a slice of lukewarm pepperoni pizza and pick the pepperonis off when Cam sidled over to her on the pretext of grabbing a few extra napkins.
"Have you talked to her yet?" he asked. Claire found herself growing annoyed at his persistence.
"I tried," she replied flatly. "But you know what? I think Massie really likes Plovert."
Cam cringed at her words, and Claire immediately melted. He was just so effing cute!
"Maybe what you need to do to get Massie's attention," Claire offered, her voice much kinder than it had been previously, "is be seen with another girl." It would kill Claire to see Cam with someone else, but at least she wouldn't have to try to play matchmaker anymore between her best friend and her ex-boyfriend.
"Really? Would you do that for me, Claire?" Cam asked, his one-blue-and-one-green eyes hopeful.
"What? Me?" Claire squeaked.
"Who better?" Cam replied logically. "Everyone knows we're close. And we do kind of have a past."
Claire sighed. "Okay, Cam. I guess you're right."
"Great!" Cam exclaimed, flashing her the kind of winning smile that had made Claire first fall for him. He grabbed her hand and held it as they made their way back to the table, and even though Claire reminded herself it was all an act, her entire arm tingled. It wasn't until they were seated at the table (after Cam had pulled her chair out for her, all gentleman-like) that Claire realized she had completely forgotten about her pizza. Oh well. It wasn't like she had an appetite now, anyway.
--
"So are you and Chris Plovert official yet?" Kristen asked, falling into step beside Massie as everyone filed out of the cafeteria.
"Not yet," Massie replied, her lips turning up into her signature half smile. "Personally I'm more interested in Cam and Claire," she added.
"Did you see them holding hands?" Kristen gushed. "They are so cute together."
"It's weird, though," Massie mused. "Earlier I got the feeling that she didn't want me to go out with Plovert."
"Maybe she likes Plovert, and she's pretending to go out with Cam to make him jealous," Kristen suggested.
"Are you sure Claire would do something like that?" Massie asked.
"Claire can be crafty." Kristen shrugged. "Remember in the seventh grade when she snuck onto your computer and tricked all of us into thinking she was you?"
"How could I forget?" Massie rolled her eyes. "But that was four years ago."
"Still," Kristen replied. "You should keep an eye out. You know, make sure she's nawt trying to steal Plovert."
"Thanks, Kris." Massie smiled at her friend, feeling slightly guilty about not telling her about how Alicia was going to try to steal Josh. That's between Alicia and Kristen, Massie told herself firmly. And besides, Kristen stole Josh first. Alicia is just taking him back. Her conscience reassured, Massie waved goodbye to Kristen and made her way toward her locker to grab her books for her next class.
--
As he did everyday, Josh gave Alicia a perfunctory greeting before taking his seat in the desk she always saved for him next to her in the back row of the Algebra II/Trig classroom. Atypically Alicia, who was apparently too busy texting on her phone to notice him, didn't respond.
"Hey, Alicia," Josh tried again.
"Oh, hey," Alicia replied breezily, briefly glancing up from her phone to smile at him.
"Who are you texting?" Josh asked curiously.
"Just someone," Alicia replied enigmatically, closing her phone and sliding it into the front pocket of her jeans.
"Okay," Josh replied, feeling slightly confused. Ordinarily if Josh asked Alicia a question, she would immediately launch into a full-length explanation, sharing every last miniscule detail like the gossipy attention whore that she was. Today that didn't seem to be the case.
As Josh was pondering this, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He deftly pulled it out and checked the screen.
Kristen: hey :)
Josh glanced at Alicia, who was again too immersed in her texting to pay him any mind. Ordinarily if Josh received a text message, Alicia would crane her neck to see who it was from, ask him why he was texting Kristen, and promptly make a move on another guy in an attempt to make Josh jealous, like the clingy ex-girlfriend that she was. Once again, today that didn't seem to be the case.
Josh was so distracted by Alicia's peculiar actions that he put his phone back up without even thinking to reply to Kristen. Alicia, who had been furtively watching him all along using the mirrored surface of her LG Shine, smiled. Alicia, one. Kristen, zero.