Terrestrial Alien ✔

Chapter 5: Sports Oriented

Joshua

    "I dare you, tell me one more time to go talk to him and I will stick this fork up your nose."

     Maggie is glaring at Ethan with crippling force, and Ethan is just sitting next to her with that wide, sunny grin still on his face. They're at it again. I am, of course, sitting across from them, so as not to be in the crossfire, but I'm quickly debating whether or not a whole separate lunch table would be better.

      "Woah, woah, no need to be so defensive, Maggs." Ethan says innocently, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I just know you've had a crush on Pattie since you moved here, I'm only trying to help you out."

    He grins as he can see her once again bristling with anger. This is honestly stupid. She's been in a horrible mood since second period because, even though the chemistry test was multiple choice, she's positive she failed it. Even two periods later during lunch she's still not in any of a better mood, and Ethan deciding to bring up Connor Patterson is only making it worse.

    Connor is the goalie for my soccer team, the boy's team, and Maggie is the goalie for the girl's soccer team. For this exact reason, Ethan seems to think they're a match made in heaven; that, and Maggie also acts differently around him. Instead of being a pronounced nonconformist like she usually is, she likes to do whatever he's doing, and always makes a point of waving to him even from across the room. That's what started this conversation actually, as soon as the bottle-maroon haired goalie stepped into the lunchroom, she'd perked up and waved to him like a puppy wagging its tail.

    He had smiled and waved back, which of course lead to Ethan poking a stick at Maggie as soon as Connor had turned around. "Oh my gosh," he'd said, while mimicking Maggie's voice and cupping his face in his hands like he was blushing, "did you see that? Connor waved at me! He's so perfect and dreamy, omg, and he looks so hot when he smiles— Those freckles are to die for!"

    "Shut up!" Maggie replies to Ethan's most recent remark, and the plastic fork in her hand is gripped to the point where it seems close to breaking.

    "How would you know I liked him since I moved here, I was here way before you! I've been here since second grade, and you only moved here what— nine years ago with Joshua?  You two are both still new kids!" I look up from my greasy cafeteria pizza at the mention of my name, fearing the now unavoidable approach of being pulled into the conversation.

   Ethan scoffs, "Oh, so you've liked him since the second grade now? How romantic! Don't you think so, Joshie?"

    And there it is. I frown as he turns to look at me, once again wearing that stupid fake lovesick expression that he probably modeled off of a cartoon character.

     Giving a sigh, I rest my chin on my hand and try to appear disinterested. "No, not really. I don't believe in people loving someone for that long, if she did it would have worn off by now." That's somewhat of a lie, but I want this conversation to be over already. Even I can tell Maggie has a thing for him, but I know better than to try to get her to admit it, because I know she never will.

     "And besides," I cut back in when I see Ethan open his mouth to protest, "like Maggie said, we weren't there to know if she really did in second grade, so let it go."

     Maggie grins triumphantly at Ethan, who pouts with a defeated, betrayed look sent my way. "Whatever..." He grumbles, hating to have his fun squashed, especially by me. I may be his best friend, but sucks for him because I don't want to have to put up with his shenanigans all the time.

    "Where did you two move here from anyway?" Maggie asks, probably looking for a change in the conversation. I can't help but stiffen, and I drop my gaze to my food again instantly. Little do they know, I dislike this subject ten times more than the first subject.