Choose your spot
It was never simply a matter of choice. Not even in preschool. And
certainly not by the time she got to second grade, before she met her
best friend. First there was the problem of her lunch. She brought it in
a metal lunchbox with a thermos that clunked around the sides. If she
wasn't careful, the pearlescent inside glass would break and float
around her milk, ruining it.
The cool kids bought lunch from the cafeteria ladies. Warm meatloaf
with salty good gravy, or noodles with sauce. Foods that made her mouth
water and her mind wander. She was lucky if she had dry tuna and
dehydrated apples in a tiny bag with the Weight Watchers logo on the
outside. Could she have been any more conspicuous? No, not likely.
Other kids got chocolate milk in cartons and Twinkies if they
weren't buying what the school made. And there she was, sitting off at
some awful table, looking longingly at the popular girls while they ate
oozing mashed potatoes and lunchroom cookies. Her bruised Red Delicious
apple was anything but and she just wanted lunchtime to be over.
Peter started putting away the huge folding tables with
dark wood-grain vinyl tops. It was loud - he undid the brakes, pushed
one side up until the other started rising into a teepee of metal and
then linked the two sides together at the bottom before rolling them
over to store at the side of the room. She was getting ready to pack up
her measly rations, more dissatisfied than usual because Vicki wouldn't
trade her anything and she couldn't stand one more day of tuna, when she
heard giggling and whispering from the popular table. She looked over
and all the girls were talking excitedly - and motioning to her to join
them.
She looked behind her wondering who they meant, and realized they
really did want her. She came over and they whispered more and more,
hiding something behind cupped hands on the table.
"What is it?" Jenny asked.
Sarah and Martha and even Vicki were smiling and motioning for her
to come in closer for a look. She tried to see, but couldn't. They kept
gesturing and so as they sat on one side of the table, the one closest
to the cafeteria service doors, she leaned over the other side, her back
to the outside wall where the tables and Peter Gregory were. She tried
to see between Sarah's fingers into the shadows. What she was hiding in
there Jenny had no idea, but it must've been something wonderful.
They told her to lean in closer and so she did. But still not close
enough, she had to practically climb over the table until she was bent
in half looking to see what it was that caused such excitement. That was
when she heard the laughing. Behind her. Lots of it. From what sounded
like many other children. She craned her neck around and the whole rest
of her class was lined up, pointing at her and gawking. Her face flushed
and she heard her heart beating heavily in her chest. She looked back
at the girls and they were laughing too.
"Your panties! They can see your panties!" Martha said, and they broke into new peals of laughter.
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