East Chapel Academy

Chapter 7- Marcus

"Can you believe that they wouldn't give me her schedule? She said it's against school policy. What did she think I was going to do with it—stalk her?"

Sam ranted. His plan had been ruined by Ms. Edna, the school secretary, and for once, I'm glad.

"But your whole plan was to stalk her," I reminded him, as I picked at the pile of chicken tenders on my tray. Usually, I would be halfway through them by now, but I'm too anxious to eat. I've been a nervous wreck ever since Whitney told me that Nia was going to sit with us.

It's not that I don't want to eat lunch with her. I do. I just don't want Whitney or her friends to be here while I do it.

It doesn't seem right to eat lunch with the girl I was thinking about making out with, while my ex-girlfriend sits next to us. Oh, God. What if Whitney told her she's my girlfriend?

I wouldn't put it past her. If she did, I definitely won't be able to ask Nia out. I don't want her to think I'm some skeez, who asks girls out even though he has a girlfriend.

"I wasn't going to stalk her, I was just going to...introduce myself," Sam said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I was simply going to introduce myself, it's called being polite."

I sighed. "It's only polite if you don't have any ulterior motive, Sam."

"There's no ulterior motive," he lied. He gave me look of concern. "Is everything okay, you've been acting weird?"

"It's nothing, Man, don't worry about it," I told him.

"Whitney, again?" he guessed.

Sort of. "She just won't leave me alone, and I don't know what I have to do to make her realize that it's over."

"Maybe you're being too nice," said Sam. "You might have to be more straightforward."

"I've tried, and you know what she did." I ran a frustrated hand through my hair. "She asked me if I would still go to prom with her even if we're broken up."

"Yikes," Sam sympathized. "You know what you should do?"

"What?" I asked, open to anything suggestion he had. I was getting desperate.

"You should date someone else," he suggested. "Then she has no choice but to except that you're broken up."

That's not a bad idea. "Maybe, I'll do that. Thanks for the advice, Sam."

"Anytime, my friend," he smiled. If I had to lose out on the opportunity to date Nia, I hope it's to Sam. Then, at least, I'll know she's being treated well.

"What are you two talking about?" Whitney asked sitting down next to me. Stacy and Crystal followed closely behind, taking the seats next to her. Nick sat next to Sam, snatching a chicken tender from my plate in the process.

"Nothing," Sam and I answered simultaneously.

"Sure, you're not," she said looking between us suspiciously.

"So where's this new girl you were telling me about? I thought you said she was sitting with us," Nick asked Whitney. He was now eating off my tray, I let him, better to not let perfectly good food go to waste.

"Wait, she's going to be sitting with us?" Sam said suddenly alert. "Why did no one tell me?"

"I told Marcus," Whitney looked over at me. "I don't know why he didn't tell you."

I don't know why I didn't tell him either. "I'm sorry, Sam, it slipped my mind," I lied, it's been the only thing on my mind.

"If she's smart, she'll sit with us. She was hanging out with that freak, Lavender, when I met her," she said in disgust. I actually like Lavender, she's been my neighbor since before I can remember. We used to play together all the time when we were little, but we just sort of drifted apart when we got to middle school. "When I asked her to sit with us she said she would think about it." Whitney rolled her eyes.