New Girl: Chapter Eight

Rebecca made her way to class, her bag strapped closely to her back, thinking back to Lucita and Cyrus and their strange relationship. It only made her think about the similarities she had with Blake. Except Blake would probably never put an arm around her possessively or look at her like Cyrus had looked at Luci. Even though it was obvious he was in complete denial of his feelings for her, Becca had seen it.

“Yo Becca!” Stopping in her step, turned, catching sight of her friend Francis as he made his way towards her, bag slung over his broad tan shoulders. He was also new to the school but had started in the Fall alongside everyone else. Becca didn’t know much about him other than the fact that he lived with his grandparents, and that he had two sisters and two brothers.

“Hey, Francis.”

“Hey, how was your weekend?”

“Okay. Can’t believe it’s already the middle of the school year.”

“Yeah, it’s cool though, time passes by so quickly. Next thing you know we’ll be dead.”

“I never thought about it that way,” she said hesitantly. How did someone even respond to something like that?

“It’s how it all works out. Anyway, lets head to class before the bell.” Becca let him lead the way, following behind. Sometimes she forgot how weird and distant he was, explaining why he didn’t have a lot of friends. Francis was a guy who mostly just kept to himself, especially in a class where he claimed the seat in the far off corner. Taking her own seat near the front, she waited for the bell to signal class. Thankfully, a substitute teacher entered, popped in a movie, allowing Becca to take a much-needed nap on her desk.

***

Lucita was half tempted to skip on her way to class, her feet bouncing with joy beneath her. She was just in such a good mood, she couldn’t believe it. That was until she saw Becca standing outside the class. God, what does she want now? Taking a deep breath, she made her way to her class, to Becca. Whether or not the girl was here to see her or not no longer mattered, she was going to get by her no matter what.

Rebecca looked up, deciding to wave at Lucita. For a moment, Lucita looked around before continuing on her way. So now she wanted to play nice?

“Hi, Lucita.”

“Hello, Becca.” Lucita looked at the guy with Becca who muttered a small hi, hands shoved into his pockets. Lucita couldn’t figure it out, but something about the guy and his bushy black hair made her curious.

Becca looked at them. Francis was staring at her love-struck, and Lucita looked confused and shocked about something. Rebecca smiled.

“Lucita this is my friend Francis. Francis this is Lucita. She just started last month.”

“Hi,” muttered Lucita again, dumbfounded. What was going on with her?

“Hey. So how do you like South Broward?”

“It’s okay, I like it. Miss all my old friends though.”

“Yeah, that happens. Well, uh, we better get going to class.” Lucita smiled at him and nodded in agreement. She gave Rebecca a friendly wave goodbye as she walked off. Lucita watched them walk away, suddenly pissed off at herself for forgetting the guy’s name. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. Crap, how could she forget such a cute guy’s name?

Leaning against the wall, she bit down on her lip. She couldn’t get distracted now, not when Cyrus was just beginning to notice her. Looking down at her gray nails shimmering under the fluorescent lights above her, she soon forgot about the warm brown eyes of Becca’s friend.

***

As Becca sat in class, she thought about how Lucita and Francis had looked at each other. It was sort of similar to the way she had stared up at Cyrus, but not quite. Whenever Becca saw her, she noticed things about the girl. How Lucita walked, her head down, book in her hands. How her smile was always just a little wilted. She seemed kind of lost, and Becca pitied her.

Then there was Cyrus, who just seemed to be a waste of her time. It was like he was so adamant about not falling for her. Except it wasn’t working. They just had a weird relationship.

Just as she was thinking about their relationship, Blake walked in reminding her that she and Lucita were too much alike. The light caught something on his lips, what looked like lip gloss. Of course, he would make out with some girl between classes. The real question was, which girl? Rebecca pushed aside the question and gripped her pen tightly between her finger. God, she was just as sad as Lucita. The difference was Lucita liked someone who actually cared whereas Blake didn’t give her a second thought.

Her teacher quickly silenced the class, talking about Friday’s homework. Ignoring the teacher, she pulled out her homework, leaving it on the desk to be collected and a blank sheet of paper. She began to scribble her own note to Lucita.

Hey Lucita. Look, I know I was mean to you, and I want to apologize for that and fix it. Let’s eat lunch, just you and me, okay. Do you know of anywhere private? Here’s my number 555-7416. ~Becca

Folding up the note, she slipped it into her pocket, ready to slip it to Lucita when she had the chance.

***

Bored, Lucita logged onto her Facebook messenger in her computer class. It was an exciting class made up of upper and lower-classmen. On either side of her was one Senior and one Junior, both of which made her life enjoyable.

“Oo, Lu, didn’t peg you to break the rules,” said Jace. He was a Junior with blue eyes and shaggy blond hair, and one of the first people to be nice to her at the school. She smiled and looked at his computer screen.

“As my mom always says, ‘rules are meant to be bent, not broken.’ Besides, you should talk.” She looked at his screen. He was also browsing through Facebook.

“She’s got you there, Jace. That totally reminds me; I have something for you, Luce,” said Cecilia, stopping her online shopping to grab something out of her bag.

Lucita took the small silver envelope traced in pink, slipping her fingers under the flap, revealing the invitation below.

“Wow really?”

Cecilia shrugged carelessly. “You’re okay, for a freshman. So do you think you’ll be able to make it?”

Lucita looked at the date and sucked on her lip. “I’m not sure. My mom might not let me considering it’s a school night. But I’ll ask anyway. If I go through, who will I hang out with, I doubt we have the same friends.”

“You can hang out with me, and Jace of course. But if you want, you can invite some people to come along. I don’t mind.”

“Oh, okay thanks. I’ll definitely ask my mom then.”

“Aw, that freshman has to ask her mommy.”

Lucita shot him a deadly look. “Well I’m only fourteen, so yeah, I have to ask my mom.” Cecilia laughed and pulled out her credit card. As she clicked on the shopping cart on HotTopic.com.

“Man Jace, you’re dumb.” Cecilia laughed some more as she wrote down her number and handed it to Lucita. “Let me know what your mom says.”

Nodding, she took the number and put it in her phone before forgetting.

The rest of the class was spent on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram while Lucita kept to herself, hoping Cyrus would message her. But he didn’t. So she read the latest news on Kingdom Hearts, on Final Fantasy, wondering when the next games would come out. She played some arcade games on Yahoo. Flinching at the sound of the bell, she logged off everything, grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

Down the halls, she heard someone call her name. Stopping, looking at her watch quickly, she waited for the source of the voice to appear. Soon enough, Becca made her way through the crowd of students. Wow, twice in one day. Something was up, something had to be up.

“Uh, hi, again.”

“Hey, I don’t have much time so here.” Rebecca slipped the note she had written into Lucita’s hand. Lucita stared at her curiously as she ran off. Okay, she thought, that was weird.

A part of her wanted to trash the note, but another part of her couldn’t. So on her way to class, she opened up the note. She thought it over once, twice, then thought that she would give the girl a chance. Taking out her phone, she punched in the number Becca gave her, typed a quick text, and sent it through the wireless expressways. She was very good at finding hiding spots. Middle school had made her adept at running and hiding. Lucita headed on over to her third period and thought about things in the long run. A smile graced her face.

***

All through class Rebecca sat relieved. Lucita has responded positively to her note. She was giving her a chance to make up for her actions. Now she just needed class to end quickly so that she could get to her without Silvia or Elizabeth being around. Some things were meant to be private.

The bell finally rang, louder than usual, after a long and boring fifty-six-minute lecture. She ran out, shoving all her papers into her bag without regard. They could always be sorted out later.

On her way, she nearly ran into Blake. He looked down at her confused then smiled.

“Hey, Becca.”

“Hey, Blake. I can’t really stay, I have something to do.”

“Oh, I just had a quick question.”

“Okay what?” she said readjusting her bag on her shoulder.

“What do you think about Lucita and Cyrus?”

Seriously? “I think that they’re just friends.”

“Hmm, I guess. Thanks, anyway, see you later Becca.”

“No problem, later Blake.”

Rebecca walked off, quickly heading to the bustling cafeteria, a slice of pizza this time. She was running a little late, but hopefully not by much. Becca couldn’t let Lucita think she would just ditch her. Whipping out her phone, she sent Lucita a text. Lucita responded quickly, letting her know where she was sitting. It seemed like Luci was in a good mood, which really brightened her own spirits.

When Becca finally reached the lunch room, she saw Lucita already walking out with a salad bowl. Heading to where they were supposed to meet and have lunch.

Paying for her lunch, she left the cafeteria, dodging behind a pillar quickly to hide from a passing Liz and Silvia. Once they were gone, she left, passing the “Circle,” the schools back courtyard, a stone circle where people hung out and ate lunch. Making her way to the building right behind it, entered and walked up the three flights of stairs, to where Luci had told her she would be. This place was as private as they could get.

Reaching there, she saw Luci sitting right there, staring out at the courtyard, her salad untouched, milk carton open, red straw sticking in it.

“Hey.”

Lucita turned, a wary expression on her face. “Hi.”

Rebecca sat down. “I wanted to apologize for how I acted towards you. I was just jealous.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. And it’s not just that. I think we have a lot in common. I saw Cyrus, he’s like Blake in a way. Neither of them notices that there is someone there that loves them.”

“Yeah.” Lucita looked up at the sky. “Sucks doesn’t it. Like I love Cyrus, I really do, but ugh, he drives me crazy. He’s never straight with me, although I did stalk him.”

“Did you really?”

Lucita looked at her sadly. “Followed him around, peeked around corners, watched him. He was such a jerk though. Sometimes I think that’s never going to change.”

“Yeah, heartbreaking isn’t it.”

“You have no idea.” Lucita looked at Becca. “See, it’s just this guy, I love him, more than anything. Since 6th grade. Pathetic right.” She laughed, and Rebecca joined her.

“Only a bit, but I’m the same way.”

“We just fell for the worst guys didn’t we.” “Guess so.” She laughed, and Lucita joined on. They had a lot in common as it turned out, especially in the guy’s department, where they meet eye to eye.