Chapter Two
Cheri
"Cheri!"
I rolled my eyes, not turning around.
"Stephanie."
"It's Stacy!" Stacy's chipper voice corrected.
It's freaking 11:00. It's still too early for all that happy crap.
"Isn't that what I said?" I scoffed, moving down the lunch line. I picked up a Jell-O and then grabbed a Gatorade off of the small kiosk. "Kay, bye."
I went to go sit with my friends, but Stacy began following me.
"So like...Are you gonna leave, or...?" I turned to her, coming face to face with her giant forehead. It took all of my willpower not to burst out laughing. It reminded me of the photo of Rihanna that Tony had shared on my wall.
Shine bright like my five head...
And to top it all off, home girl had a huge - and I mean gargantuan - zit smack dab in the middle of it.
"Whoa there, honey. Ever heard of Proactiv?"
Her bottom lip quivered and she hurried off the other way.
I really don't know what she sees in me, I really don't.
"What's up, bitches?" I greeted my friends, sitting down at our usual table by the windows. Tony smiled at me, his bright white teeth almost blinding me.
Seriously. I swear that kid is addicted to those Crest white strips. For real.
Wynter and Nami looked at each other before grinning at me.
"Why does that freshman follow you everywhere?" Nami asked, looking at the door where Stacy had went out of.
"I know. I really don't know what she sees in me, for real. I mean, really. I'm ugly and fat." I stuffed three French fries in my mouth as I said this, looking at the ceiling. Tony, my on-again off-again boyfriend (we were dating now. Don't worry about it), raised his eyebrows.
"You're gorgeous, Cheri. Shut up," he said. Marlon sauntered up to our table then, sitting down next to him.
These are my friends. My best friends.
I've known Nami since I was seven, and Wynter...I don't know. She just kind of popped up. Like winter...The season. One day it'd be all hot and then bam! it's cold and snowing.
Nami had short, blond hair cut into a choppy bob. Her bangs were dip dyed an electric blue color, and she had bright brown eyes. Her skin wasn't as deep in the russet tone as everyone else's because she was only half Quileute. Like me. She was pretty. And damn, she knew it.
Wynter's hair was long - to the middle of her back. She always wore her black tresses in a small bump and braid, and was easily the most stylish girl I knew. She liked going on frequent shopping trips, and was constantly trying out new things. Like today; her outfit was all edgy. All her peircings were filled; three in each ear, a stud on her nose, and a ring on her eyebrow. She had on super ripped jeans and high heeled ankle boots, with a biker jacket and a tight black shirt.
Damn, if I wore that out the house, Sue would kill me for sure.
Marlon and Tony...They're cool. I can joke with them both equally, and they treated me like one of them. The guys.
Marlon was like those really athletic guys that liked being adventurous. He had a lot of muscles. Not as extreme as the Pack, but still pretty ripped. He's nice, though. A real flirt, too. It could be annoying at times, but, hey. When are people not annoying?
Tony...Tony, Tony, Tony. When I first met him, I thought he was gay. But then he kissed me. So I knew he wasn't. He was my first kiss. That was back when we were thirteen. The two of us had been inseparable since.
He's cute. Like...Really attractive. We go out sometimes, and then we're a couple for, like, a week. But then I get tired of being a couple, and we're friends. I like him a lot, like really. (Even more than Louis Tomlinson. Shocking, I know.) We've been going out now for about three days.
I give it about...Eh...Five more.
And then there's me. And I have to admit, I was pretty hot for a sophomore. Fat...But still hot. My hair's always been long and curly, and my eyes have always been big and blue. I recently got one blue streak at the same time Nami dyed her bangs. Umm...I like looking good, I guess. But I didn't go to extremes like Wynter.
So, yeah. Those are my friends. We hang together all the time. We piss each other off, we laugh, we cry...You know. Friend stuff.
So, um...Okay.
Wow. I am really awkward.
Let's just...Go back to everyone else.
"What're we doing this weekend?" Nami asked, taking a bite out of her pizza.
"Get naked. Watch some porn. You know. The usual," Marlon shrugged. Wynter scoffed and pushed him as hard as she could, making him laugh. She tried to hide her smile but failed. Which did not go unnoticed by moi.
I elbowed her, waggling my eyebrows. She looked down and tried to hide her blush.
Wynter liked Marlon. Like, a lot.
Everyone knew it. We just liked to humor her, saying that I was the only one that knew.
"Well, the fams and I are having a bonfire this evening. Why don't you guys come around so I'm not subject to hanging with my little cousin all night?" I asked, taking a sip of Gatorade. The guys looked at each other and then nodded.
"Your uncles are hot, Cher," Nami squealed.
"Umm...Okay?"
"They are! Are they going to be there tonight?" she asked excitedly. I nodded slowly and she squealed. "I like the young-kind-of-babyish one, and oh, the-"
"Nami, do something for me, kay?" Tony asked.
"Okay."
"Drink some of this." He handed her his water bottle, and Nami frowned.
"What'd you do to it...?"
"Nothing! You just...Seemed a little thirsty, is all," he said. A sly smile curled up onto his lips.
"Tony!" Nami hit his arm, and he and Marlon started laughing. I giggled, and Wynter laughed, too. Nami just rolled her eyes.
"They're all taken, Nami Baby," I said apologetically.
"Whatever."
We walked out of the lunchroom together. Tony, Wynter, and I all had - ACK - gym together, and Nami and Marlon waved to us. They had Spanish together.
In gym, we had to run. And run. And...run.
"I." Pant. "Hate." Pant. "Runninnnnng!" I groaned. I felt like I could cough up my insides at any second. "Why is gym a requirement!?"
"Cher, we've only gone, like, fifty feet," Tony smirked, slowing down next to me. Wynter soared past us, saluting as she weaved in between everyone else.
"FUCK YOU AND YOUR ATHLETIC BODY!" I yelled at her, flipping her my finger.
"Calm down, Cheri," Tony chuckled.
"I." Pant. "Can't." Pant. "Go." Pant. "Anymore!"
I dropped to my knees and planted my face into the track.
"AAAAAAUGGGGHHHH!"
"Come on, Cheri!" Tony encouraged. "You only have a little bit left!"
"Three more laps is not what I call 'a little bit left.'"
"Actually, we only had to do one-"
"Carry me."
"The things I do for love."
"Umm, no. You're doing it to avoid death."
"Like I said; love."
"Just carry me! Gently, man! Gently!"
Tony picked me up and carried me on his back, running the rest of the lap.
"So like...If anyone asks, I fell and injured myself. Good plan. Good plan."
"Sure thing."
"Have I ever told you you're my best friend?"
"I'm your boyfriend..."
"Well, you're my bestest friend, Tony Tiger." I kissed the top of his head.
"What about the others?"
"Shh, shh...Don't tell them. What happens on the track stays on the track."
"Amen."
When we approached the coach, I groaned.
"I fell so hard, Coach! It hurts so bad!"
"She did fall pretty hard. On her face," Tony said. I kicked him. He didn't have to add that.
"Oh, well...Sit out for the soccer game. See how you feel then."
Aww. I actually kind of like soccer. NOT!
Anything athletic, I try to avoid like the plague. It's just one of the many other reasons why I am fat. And I will remain fat for the rest of my life.
OBESE AND PROUD!
"Cheri, you're not fat, okay? If you were fat, I don't think I would've been able to carry you," Tony told me, leading me to the bleachers. I shielded my eyes from the sun - whoa, sun - to look at him.
"Riiiiiight."
"Seriously, though. What size do you wear?"
"Umm...That is classified information." He eyed me. "Five."
"See? You're below ten. You're overreacting!"
"SHEILDS, get your butt over here now!" Coach yelled. I smirked, and Tony rolled his eyes before jogging over to the teacher. I leaned on the second bleacher with my elbows.
I don't care what he says. I'm fat. Okay? I know I am. Willie tells me all the time.
Yes, yes. I know. I listen to a twelve-year-old. But, hey. That kid's vicious.
0000000000000000000000
"Wynter, hurry up!" I yelled, throwing a stick at her window. She thrust her head out.
"TWO MINUTES!" she shrieked. The guys groaned from the truck, and Nami rolled her eyes. I picked up another stick.
"WYNTERRRRR!"
"What? I'm ready," she snorted, coming out the front door. Her hair was down and straight. She wore a letterman jacket, a tank top, jeans, and sneakers.
This is the most casual I've ever seen her, honest.
"You made us wait for fifteen minutes so you can change into that?" Tony asked.
"What? Is it bad? I could-"
"NO!" we all yelled at the same time. Marlon jumped out of the truck, hoisted her over his shoulder, and threw her in the truck bed.
"We're leaving. Now," he said, patting her shoulder. She giggled.
At the beach, my family was already grilling. Jacob and some of the other guys were playing soccer, and Sam was grilling burgers and hotdogs. Leah was talking with the ladies, and then she stood up and ran to play with Jacob and Willie.
It was ridiculous to think that everyone was in their thirties. They all looked so young.
Too young.
It's freaky.
Everyone looked up when me and my wild group of friends made our presence known. I smiled and we sat down in the sand next to each other.
"These must be the all-too-famous Furious Five we've heard so much about," Emily smiled. I rolled my eyes. Nami elbowed me.
"'Furious Five?' Isn't that from, like, Kung Fu Panda?"
"Got a problem with that?"
"It's stupid."
"It's creative."
"I'm Nami," Nami said, holding out her hand to Emily. Wynter waved.
"Wynter."
"Marlon."
"I'm Tony." He grinned.
"I'm Emily. I'm happy you're friends with our little Cherry-Berry. Keep her out of trouble," Emily winked.
"Emily!" I groaned.
"Oh, yes! We do, actually. We help her with homework, do some volunteering..." Marlon grinned. "Only the best for Cheri."
"Aren't you wonderful?" Emily smiled.
"Thank you, ma'am," Marlon nodded.
"Shut up, Mar," I rolled my eyes. Tony wrapped his arm around me, kissing my cheek. I smirked, turning so he could kiss my lips. After that, I laid my head on his lap and started playing with his hoodie. Marlon, Nami, and Wynter started a conversation about Adventure Time (I may be fifteen, but that show is the shit!), and we started being stupid.
Like we always were.
"For real! She was all..." Wynter stood up, imitating Lumpy Space Princess. "My lumps!" She turned around and swayed her but. "My lumps!"
I fell back on Tony's lap, laughing so hard my sides started to hurt.
"Remember that-" Nami stopped to let out giggles. "-episode where there was, like, a zombie invasion? My favorite thing she says is 'Oh, no. I am not gettin' eaten by zombies tonight,'" she said in the perfect Lumpy Space Princess Voice.
I couldn't breathe, I was laughing so hard. No sound was coming out of my mouth, and I was crying. I finally calmed down when I heard Willie say my name. I looked at him upside down.
"What?"
"Mom wants to know if you and your friends are hungry?"
"Is that really a question?" Nami asked, narrowing her eyes playfully at my cousin. His eyes landed on her, and he turned a faint shade of pink. He smiled.
"Well, uh...You know, she was, uh..."
"EWW! Willie, she's like, three years older than you! Crush on someone your own age! Leah!" I screeched.
"I have a Frisbee in the truck. You guys wanna toss it around for a while?" Marlon asked. Wynter nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah! Come on, guys! It'll be fun!"
"I thought we were eating...?" I moaned from Tony's lap. He chuckled and pulled me up.
Five minutes later, I was tackling Wynter to the ground to try and get the Frisbee from her. She screamed, and then broke down into laughter. It fell from her hands, and Marlon picked it up. Nami ran after him, and he threw it to Tony.
I stood and ran to get it from him, but he held it out of my way. I narrowed my eyes, and tickled under his armpit.
Tony Tiger is major ticklish.
He broke out into laughter and tried to get away, making it possible for me to grab the Frisbee and run away with it. But - darn, that second doughnut I had for snack - he caught up to me. He picked me up, tickling my sides and swinging me around.
"Tsunami! Catch!" I cried in the midst of my laughter, throwing it to Nami. She caught it cleanly, and ran all the way to the line in the sand that we called our goal. She threw it down and Wynter joined her in a crazy touchdown dance.
"Who's bad? Who's bad? Oh, yeah! Who's bad?" Wynter chanted, making faces and dancing like she was in Beyoncé's Single Ladies video.
"Tsunami Nami, what? Tsunami Nami, what?!" Nami chanted. I wriggled out of Tony's grasp to join them with my awesome twerking skills.
"To the window, to the walls! To the sweat drop down my balls! To all these bitches crawl, yeah! ALL THESE BITCHES CRAWL!" I continued dancing, Wynter and Nami acting as my back up.
Marlon and Tony looked at each other, amused.
"It was one point, you act like you just won the game!" Marlon exclaimed. I stopped dancing.
"Only 'cause we did! Duh!"
"It only just-"
"DINNER TIME!" I yelled, cutting him off.
"You're something else, Clearwater," he laughed. I stuck my tongue out at him, and took Tony's hand. I led them over to the grill, and we all got burgers. Well, except Wynter. She declared that 'she was an individual' so she got a hotdog.
Yeah, I don't know either.
We sat down and ate, and I explained to them what we usually do now.
"This is the part when we tell the legends. You know, right?" I asked. Everyone nodded. "Yeah, well Billy Black tells them like killer. He's amazing when it comes to the legends," I smiled. Tony wrapped an arm me, and I laid on his shoulder.
Sam went to sit by Emily, and he eyed Tony's arm. I rolled my eyes, kissing his cheek and then giving Sam a look. I looked around afterwards.
"Where's Billy? He's usually the highlight of my night," I said. Sam looked at everyone, making me frown. "What...?"
"We're skipping legends tonight, Cher," Sam said. I pouted.
"So you mean I brought all my friends out here for nothing? Thanks, guys. Thanks bunches."
"Shut up, Cheri. I'm having fun! This beats our movie nights for sure!" Wynter winked at me.
"I liked movie nights..." Marlon frowned.
"Not saying that I don't like them...!" Wynter said quickly. Marlon laughed and punched her shoulder playfully.
"Just kidding with you, Winnie," he chuckled. Wynter grinned.
"Billy's going to be here any minute. He has a visitor with him," Leah said, fidgeting with her hands.
Leah doesn't fidget.
Something was up.
I sat upright, narrowing my eyes at her.
"Cheri!"
"Billy!"
I turned around, and grinned at the man who was like my grandfather. He rolled up in his wheelchair, grinning at me. My own grin faded when I saw who was walking with him.
He looked different. But the same. I couldn't exactly place what was different, but it was something...Something.
"Cheri," Not-my-dad Dad said. He smiled at me.
I felt my nose tingle, and tears flooded to my eyes. I threw my half-eaten burger at him and scurried off of the picnic blanket. As mad as I could (which is hard, really, cause I'm in sand), I stomped away, ignoring the shouts of my friends as I left.
There it is! Review, please!