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Ethan

The cafeteria worker wears her hairnet like a battle helmet Her etarian?”

“Vegi-wha?” I stare at her

She jabs at the er The yellow, unyielding mass resists her stainless steel scoop like it’s afraid of her too “Vegetarian,” she says “We don’t do veejan here, so don’t ask, but you’ve got to pick so”

I eye the choices in the pan in front of me I’m late, last in line, and no stearavy-type substance The chicken? At least the chicken looks like chicken, even cold Horong can you go with chicken?

“I guess I’ll have the ch—“

“Don’t get the chicken,” a voice beside me says I turn to the tall chick with black hair that I’d seen walking next to the path and not on it, the one with the nice—

I forceher head, nose scrunched up

“Just…don’t”

“Okay then, I guess I’ll have the—“

“Two salads,” the girl says, holding up two long fingers “Please”

The lunch lady shrugs and puts the bowls on top of the glass partition The bossy girl snatches hers, places it on her red plastic tray and walks away

“Alrighty then,” I say, claie that boils under e who’s spoken to me in alnore a warning about food poisoning And it’s been a long tietables

I follow the girl and watch as she hands over her plastic meal card to the cashier I reistration and reach intolike a fool The cashier swipes it without a look in my direction and I walk to an empty table across the room I sit with my back to the wall, out of habit So far, the Scholastic Honors Prograiven me a fair amount of space These are smart kids; they feel my boundaries

I dig into er froer Shack, with double cheese, and I’ a pin-up spread of the extra bacon when I hear the salad guardian’s voice

“That’s uy from my dorm

“I don’t see his name on it”

“Give it up, Marcus” She doesn’t back down “Find another seat”

“Nah” A chair screeches across the hardwood floor, and the guy erated motion to sit down “I think I’ll sit here with you I’ve missed your feisty little ass”

Feisty ht be another word for bossy, or bitch, but he’s too busy staring at her chest to feel the energy rolling off her

“Move,” she seethes Her jaw is set and her hands are balled, that long, black ponytail tre like the sash on a cocked spear

He doesn’t Hethat ers circle around an invisible dick, and he opens hisin tandem with his hand