Chapter 16

The chemical equation for sugar is _.

This is too easy, I thought to myself as I stared at the problem on my paper. Just as I was about to fill in the blank, the bell rang and everyone got up and flowed out of the room as a huge crowd. I quickly wrote my answer and stuffed the paper in my book bag, slinging it over my shoulder and heading to the door with Iggy. when we walked out of our science class, it was complete chaos; everyone was rushing to get to lunch, and me Iggy were just trying to find Max and Fang.

"Hey, Lynn! Wait up guys!" I heard Zach call out.

I spun around, my hair flying around my shoulders, and saw him running towards Iggy and me waving his hand in the air and pulling some helpless boy with him.

"What's up with this boy stalking you?" Iggy whispered so only I could hear in a annoyed tone, as Zach and his friend caught up with us.

The boy Zach had been dragging was a skinny, fair skinned boy with dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and glasses. He stood up straight and fixed his blazer and tie and tidied his messy mop of blonde and brown hair. "Zach, if you ever pull me like that again, I promise I will stab you in the neck while you're sleeping and dreaming of your precious Ja'leese," he glared over at Zach and sounded deathly serious.

Zach scratched behind his head and laughed, "Calm down, Ester 'ole pal. I just wanted to show Lynn and Jeff, here, to lunch." He gestured to me and Iggy standing side-by-side both confused.

Ester glanced at us then did a double take. He looked me up and down, from my straightened hair to my converse, and yes I did wear converse with my school uniform. "This is Lynn? She looks exactly like Ja'leese! Even her converse with a mini skirt looks like Ja'leese!" Ester waved his arms around frantically as we started to walk toward the lunch room.

"I thought I told you about that…guess I forgot. Anyways, Lynn, Jeff, this is Southperk High's lunch room," Zach told us walking backwards into a ginormous room with about a million tables with kids at them eating and a never ending line of food.

"Yay! Food!" Iggy yelled pulling me to the lunch line. "I can smell exactly what I want! Will you help me, Lynn?"

I grabbed 2 trays and handed one to Iggy who was almost jumping with joy, "that's why I'm here ain't it?"

Iggy cheered once more and started giving me his order of everything he wanted. If bird kids couldn't burn off calories as fast as we could, Iggy would weigh more than this entire school together. We went through the line and sat down at one of the few empty lunch tables. I sat Iggy's tray down and he started stuffing his mouth instantly. Shaking my head, I sat my own tray down and sat down in a seat next to him. Zach sat beside me and Ester beside him. There were only 2 seats left and I was determined to only let Max and Fang…

"Hey Zach and Ester," a perky blonde girl said sitting in one of the empty seats.

"Hey Amber and Samantha," Zach waved at the blonde and black-haired girl that had taken Max and Fang's seat. "Lynn, this is Amber," the blonde smiled at me, "and this is Sam," the black-haired girl smiled at me, too, except not as peppy as Amber.

I smiled ever-so-slightly at them and started eating my hamburger. I couldn't help but wonder where Max and Fang were, and then it hit me that they were probably off somewhere making out. I've caught them doing that a lot since I first came…major grossness. Iggy looked up from the PB&J he was devouring, and turned toward Zach, who was looking at me…not that that's new for him…

"Zach, who's this Ja'leese you're always talking about and saying Lynn looks exactly like?" Iggy asked quizzically.

Ester, Amber, and Sam sighed and all did face palms, as Zach sat up straighter and put on a mkore serious face. "Ja'leese is my girlfriend, well she was. About 3 weeks ago she disappeared and we haven't found her…I kind of, like, really love her and I miss her a lot," he said sadly.

I looked down at my tray, "well, I'm full now. Jeff, I think we should go look for Maya and Nick." I stood up with Iggy following and dumped my tray. Zach, Sam, Amber, and Ester watched us confused as we walked out of the crowded, noisy lunchroom and into the deserted hallway.

"This way," Iggy whispered as he walked down the hall.

We walked past a few empty classrooms until Iggy stopped suddenly causing me to run into him. I looked to see why he stopped and saw exactly what I didn't want to see. Max and Fang making out as if they weren't in a school full of hundreds of people we didn't know.

"You are so lucky you can't see this," I said quietly to Iggy.

"What is it?" he asked. Why would he ask if I just said he was lucky not to know?

"Let's just say Max and Fang are…busy and haven't noticed us yet," I told him tugging him away from the very awkward scene, that only I was able to, unluckily, fully notice.

"Ew! They're making out! What if someone walked in on them?" Iggy shouted causing Max and Fang to pull apart and stare at us.

"Um…Iggy. I really think we should leave. Like, now," I yanked him back down the hallway.