Chapter Eleven: Homesick
“What do they mean?” I said to Stella, my voice quavering a little. “What do they mean?”
“I… I’m not… It’s...” Stella seemed to be struggling for words.
“Really?” I said, harshly, feeling my temper slip away from me. “You paid them to throw balloons at us? What kind of crazy person does that?”
Stella, face still flushing wildly red, looked a little cornered. “It’s not what you think…” she blurted.
My emotions were bubbling over, however, like a cauldron in Harry Potter by somebody who doesn’t know how to do potions. If it had been Liam rather than Stella in front of me, I would’ve pushed him. I felt as if something was fogging my brain and making me dizzy so I couldn’t think. I’d been so blindsided. As Liam had said before, Stella tries to run away from you. Why on earth had I thought she liked me?
Olly stood uncomfortably to my side, and Stella just stood there watching me explode. I tried to find painful words to match how terrible I felt inside. How did I not see the warning signs? I mean, I knew Zach and Addi were her siblings even!
“You’re a terrible person, you know that?” I said, staring at Stella. Stella flinched. “Terrible. Awful. Crazy person. What do you mean it’s not what I think it is?! I think it’s exactly what I think it is.”
Stella started blinking rapidly, but didn’t say another word. She walked up to me and shoved the drone controller back at my chest. Oh yeah, my drone. Was it still flying above? I wasn’t sure if the drone was still airborne somewhere or had crashed somewhere nearby.
Then, she turned and began marching back toward her house, without looking back.
Even Zach and Addi watched, looking a little cowed.
“She is not happy.” Addi said adamantly, shaking her head.
“No ma'am.” Zach said, shaking his head in unison.
I turned to the twins, seething. “You guys need to talk. Did she hire you to do other things too – the soup? Was that her plan too?”
At my and Stella’s outbursts however, the twins suddenly looked cagey and reluctant, like they didn’t want to tell me more and had already said too much.
“We should probably get going…” Zach said, taking Addi by the arm.
“Yeah, see you.” Addi said.
Zach and Addi turned and followed after their sister away from us.
At school the next day, Stella didn’t look at me. And I tried not to look at her. I caught her eye once during lunch and then pointedly looked away.
I mainly sat with Olly, who, while he didn’t seem mad, seemed a little troubled and quieter than usual. But I stated to wonder if other people too actually didn’t like me.
Liam didn’t sit with us at lunch. I wondered if somehow he was only Olly’s friend and only put up with me because he wanted to hang out with Olly. They had known each other longer. I even stated to wonder about Olly. Olly was my best friend, but was I Olly’s best friend, or was Liam? Or was someone else even?
I started thinking about it during classes too, which made it super hard to concentrate even though we were still learning about Geoglyphs and other cool ancient stuff people used to do.
It felt like I was in a little bit of a haze.
"Are you okay?" Olly asked one morning as we walked to lunch. It had been a few days since I had even talked to Liam and I was starting to just wish I was back in Shreveport. I had this terrible longing for my old friends - for Sophie and Paul - where everything seemed so simple and certain. And where I wasn't second guessing if Olly or Liam really actually wanted to be my friends.
I mean, Olly had had an oil balloon thrown at him. And Liam hadn't sat with us for a couple days at lunch.
"I miss Shreveport." I said. Olly put his arm around me.
"I miss New York. But I'm glad I've met you in Texas." I suddenly felt a whole lot better.
We went to sit down at our usual place in the cafeteria and I noticed Ash was there. She never sat at our table - why did she suddenly want to sit with Olly and me?
“You look bad.” Ash said.
“Go away Ash. That's not nice.”
“No, like are you okay? You just don't seem to be normal.”
What was I going to do? Confess to the whole school? Tell more stories about the roll kids? “I’m fine, Ash.”
“Okay…” she said, uncertainly. “But if you want to talk about anything, I’ll listen.”
Olly and I sat down at the table.
“Thanks.” She'd listen, and then probably tell the whole school. I thought darkly.
And then Liam came and sat down too, next to Ash.
“Where have you been the past few days?” I asked, a little angrily. I hadn't really looked for Liam at recess because I'd been playing the Wall ball game and wasn't sure if he'd even wanted to hang out with me anymore, but here he was. We'd sat together on the bus, with Olly in between us, but I hadn't really talked much partially because of my sour mood, and Liam had mainly played games on his phone.
“What, at lunch? Just sitting at another table.”
“Why? You sit with us.”
“He was sitting with me,” Ash said.
And suddenly, I realized Ash probably wasn’t here to spread rumors. Ash was hanging out with Liam.
Apparently, despite telling me he liked no one – or more precisely, Baby Kong, the life sized plastic mascot from Kong Automotive, Liam liked Ash.
I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Ash and I had never really had a great rapport with each other. But Liam, I realized, was still my friend. And it was time to start treating people like friends again.
"Cool." I said.
Liam grinned. "Ash and I are going to coordinate costumes for Halloween."
"Nice."
"What are you doing for Halloween?" A vision of Halloween, and the holiday dance shot through my mind.
"I don't know. But actually... " I said, an idea taking shape. "I do really have to go shopping."
“I… I’m not… It’s...” Stella seemed to be struggling for words.
“Really?” I said, harshly, feeling my temper slip away from me. “You paid them to throw balloons at us? What kind of crazy person does that?”
Stella, face still flushing wildly red, looked a little cornered. “It’s not what you think…” she blurted.
My emotions were bubbling over, however, like a cauldron in Harry Potter by somebody who doesn’t know how to do potions. If it had been Liam rather than Stella in front of me, I would’ve pushed him. I felt as if something was fogging my brain and making me dizzy so I couldn’t think. I’d been so blindsided. As Liam had said before, Stella tries to run away from you. Why on earth had I thought she liked me?
Olly stood uncomfortably to my side, and Stella just stood there watching me explode. I tried to find painful words to match how terrible I felt inside. How did I not see the warning signs? I mean, I knew Zach and Addi were her siblings even!
“You’re a terrible person, you know that?” I said, staring at Stella. Stella flinched. “Terrible. Awful. Crazy person. What do you mean it’s not what I think it is?! I think it’s exactly what I think it is.”
Stella started blinking rapidly, but didn’t say another word. She walked up to me and shoved the drone controller back at my chest. Oh yeah, my drone. Was it still flying above? I wasn’t sure if the drone was still airborne somewhere or had crashed somewhere nearby.
Then, she turned and began marching back toward her house, without looking back.
Even Zach and Addi watched, looking a little cowed.
“She is not happy.” Addi said adamantly, shaking her head.
“No ma'am.” Zach said, shaking his head in unison.
I turned to the twins, seething. “You guys need to talk. Did she hire you to do other things too – the soup? Was that her plan too?”
At my and Stella’s outbursts however, the twins suddenly looked cagey and reluctant, like they didn’t want to tell me more and had already said too much.
“We should probably get going…” Zach said, taking Addi by the arm.
“Yeah, see you.” Addi said.
Zach and Addi turned and followed after their sister away from us.
At school the next day, Stella didn’t look at me. And I tried not to look at her. I caught her eye once during lunch and then pointedly looked away.
I mainly sat with Olly, who, while he didn’t seem mad, seemed a little troubled and quieter than usual. But I stated to wonder if other people too actually didn’t like me.
Liam didn’t sit with us at lunch. I wondered if somehow he was only Olly’s friend and only put up with me because he wanted to hang out with Olly. They had known each other longer. I even stated to wonder about Olly. Olly was my best friend, but was I Olly’s best friend, or was Liam? Or was someone else even?
I started thinking about it during classes too, which made it super hard to concentrate even though we were still learning about Geoglyphs and other cool ancient stuff people used to do.
It felt like I was in a little bit of a haze.
"Are you okay?" Olly asked one morning as we walked to lunch. It had been a few days since I had even talked to Liam and I was starting to just wish I was back in Shreveport. I had this terrible longing for my old friends - for Sophie and Paul - where everything seemed so simple and certain. And where I wasn't second guessing if Olly or Liam really actually wanted to be my friends.
I mean, Olly had had an oil balloon thrown at him. And Liam hadn't sat with us for a couple days at lunch.
"I miss Shreveport." I said. Olly put his arm around me.
"I miss New York. But I'm glad I've met you in Texas." I suddenly felt a whole lot better.
We went to sit down at our usual place in the cafeteria and I noticed Ash was there. She never sat at our table - why did she suddenly want to sit with Olly and me?
“You look bad.” Ash said.
“Go away Ash. That's not nice.”
“No, like are you okay? You just don't seem to be normal.”
What was I going to do? Confess to the whole school? Tell more stories about the roll kids? “I’m fine, Ash.”
“Okay…” she said, uncertainly. “But if you want to talk about anything, I’ll listen.”
Olly and I sat down at the table.
“Thanks.” She'd listen, and then probably tell the whole school. I thought darkly.
And then Liam came and sat down too, next to Ash.
“Where have you been the past few days?” I asked, a little angrily. I hadn't really looked for Liam at recess because I'd been playing the Wall ball game and wasn't sure if he'd even wanted to hang out with me anymore, but here he was. We'd sat together on the bus, with Olly in between us, but I hadn't really talked much partially because of my sour mood, and Liam had mainly played games on his phone.
“What, at lunch? Just sitting at another table.”
“Why? You sit with us.”
“He was sitting with me,” Ash said.
And suddenly, I realized Ash probably wasn’t here to spread rumors. Ash was hanging out with Liam.
Apparently, despite telling me he liked no one – or more precisely, Baby Kong, the life sized plastic mascot from Kong Automotive, Liam liked Ash.
I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Ash and I had never really had a great rapport with each other. But Liam, I realized, was still my friend. And it was time to start treating people like friends again.
"Cool." I said.
Liam grinned. "Ash and I are going to coordinate costumes for Halloween."
"Nice."
"What are you doing for Halloween?" A vision of Halloween, and the holiday dance shot through my mind.
"I don't know. But actually... " I said, an idea taking shape. "I do really have to go shopping."