When lunch came around, Kate and I went to our usual table, gossiping about Jade’s presentation. “You know, it was boring if you really think about it,” Kate was saying as she opened her bottled water.
I nodded absently but was too busy watching Zac and his friends to respond.
Perhaps it was Kate’s confidence that morning with Oliver that motivated me to do what I did next. But without giving it much thought, I pushed back from the table, grinned at Kate as she gasped at what I was about to do, and headed across the cafeteria to where Zac sat with his friends. When I reached the table, one of them spotted me and tapped Zac on the shoulder.
“Oh, hey, Holly,” Zac said with a smile.
“Hey,” I said and nodded to the empty chair beside him. “Mind if I sit down?”
Zac’s friends fell quiet as he reached over and pulled the chair out for me. “Nah, I’d love it.”
Tucking my hair behind my ears, I sat down and leaned on the table as we began chatting just as easily as we had that day in the park, a day he didn’t remember. But I did. And this moment was so much better.
We were laughing with his friends over which was our favorite superhero when a shadow suddenly loomed over the table.
“What are you doing?” Jade snapped.
Zac stiffened and opened his mouth. But I spoke first. Locking my gaze on Jade’s, I said, “Sitting here talking. What are you doing?’
“You can’t sit here,” she argued, then smirked, “Tell her Zac.”
“It’s fine if Holly sits here,” he said in return.
Her smile faltered. “This is our table!” She crossed her arms. “We always sit together at lunch. Always…and I won’t let her take my spot!”
The cafeteria grew quieter around us at Jade’s raised voice, but I kept my eyes on her. “You know what, Jade, you’re just a bully,” I said, and her jaw clenched. “You’ve always been a bully. I don’t know why and I honestly don’t care anymore. I’m going to hang out with whoever I want, and you can go about your day, doing whatever you like doing. But so that you know, bullies usually wind up alone. It’s never too late to turn yourself around.”
Her jaw dropped, and I caught the smirk on Zac’s face, his eyebrows raised in surprise. Jade’s friends shifted uncomfortably and tugged on her arm. She jerked away from them, pointed her finger at my face, then stormed off without another word, her crowd of followers hurrying to catch up.
“Sorry,” I said to Zac after she’d gone. “I know she’s your friend.”
“No, not really,” he shook his head. “She likes hanging out with us. But, I’m glad you said what you did. I should’ve said it a long time ago.”
I took a deep breath and blew it out, feeling a huge weight lift off my shoulders. “What are you doing this weekend?” I asked before I could stop myself. I waited, my stomach clenching with worry that he’d turn me down.
But instead, he shrugged and smiled. “Hanging out with you!”
Butterflies fluttered inside me as I answered. “Cool, I think it’s going to be a great weekend.”
His grin widened. “You know, there’s a Spiderman movie coming out!”
I rolled my eyes and gave his shoulder a playful shove. “Everyone knows Batman’s better.”
In that instant, I knew we were going to be alright, all of us. Time was going to keep moving forward like it was supposed to, and for the first time in a long time, I had no worries about what tomorrow would bring.
***
***
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Katrina x
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Time Traveler - Books 1, 2, 3 & 4: Books for Girls aged 9-12 Page 30