Still

Chapter Seven

"Bottoms up," I said as I began chugging down the lukewarm school milk.

My stomach rumbled, and I had to stop myself from collapsing in on myself. That milk was definitely a bad idea. It really made me want to never drink milk again, actually.

"Are these seats taken?"

I looked up and saw a girl from Bio standing above me. She had soft blonde hair, and a melancholy smile frozen to her face, as if she didn't know how to frown. Our Bio teacher liked her though, so she must be nice to some degree, right?

"Go ahead," I said, scooting my lunch tray closer to my body.

The girl sat down across from me at the lunch table, placing her bag on the seat next to her, and pulling out a plastic container from inside.

"I always bring home lunch," she chirped. "You're Alice, right?"

I nodded. "Sara?" I guessed. "We're in Biology together."

"Sara May, actually," she said, and tapped the table with her acrylics, making a clicking sound with them. "You wouldn't mind if some people join us for lunch, would you?"

Sara May turned around towards the cafeteria doors, and waved for some others to join. The two girls who came towards us were dressed almost exactly the same, with ripped jeans and shirts that showed off their tiny waisted. All of them had soft curls, too, including one of Sara May's friends who I had really wished I didn't know.

"Hey, Brianna," I greeted her. Brianna waved at me, as if nothing had happened the other day.

I didn't recognize the other girl, but she had Sara May's dirty blonde hair and tiny body. They had to have been sisters, or cousins at least. She gave me a soft wave as she set down her heavy backpack next to Sara May's.

Neither of them really said anything to each other. Instead, all three girls began to eat. Brianna brought takeout from some fast food restaurant nearby, and the other blonde pulled out a protein bar.

"Do you have any water packets with you?" The blonde asked Sara May, who just shook her head.

"Why the hell would I have water packets with me?" Sara May said, frowning. "You need a new brain, June."

Sara May and June. Why did I get the feeling that their parents purposely chose matching names? I almost asked about it, but Brianna shrieked before I could. She had been staring at her phone ever since she sat down, and pounded the table with manicured hands.

"The Johnson Brothers are coming to Denver this spring!" Brianna shrieked. "Sara May, we need to get tickets! My hoodie from last year's concert is starting to fray at the sleeves and I need a new one."

Sara May continued to stab at her salad, not really eating it. There was a strange look in her eyes, as if she was thinking through some big plan. Brianna continued to talk about the boy band, and would casually mention that she could easily afford tickets because her dad loved her so. Just sprinkling in the facts.

I looked back down at my food, and I no longer felt like I could eat it. There was definitely something wrong with that milk– I was sure of it. Just looking at the pasta and green beans on my plate made me want to hurl, so I pushed it away from me.

"Are you going to eat that?" June asked me, staring at the food.

"You won't fit into that cute dress you got for Sadie's if you eat that," said Brianna, still staring at her phone.

April frowned, and leaned back into her seat. "I guess you're right, then."

"Are you going to Sadie's, Alice?" Sara May asked me, finally looking up.