The New Boy
Xena demanded a story.
“I was the new boy,” I said. “I came to the school in September last year. I didn’t know when school started and I enrolled the week after Labor Day, not knowing when school started, not caring.”
“Me also,” Xena said. I nodded, knowing that Xena hadn’t gone to school as long as I had. We’d met in November, on the road, hitchhiking west, away from the Kentucky
“I was the new boy and knew that the first day or two would make or break my life in the new school.”
“Me too,” Xena again nodded.
“I knew that the lunch hour was critical. So I planned my presentation, my attack, my splash. Who, what and when and how.”
Xena and Rosie were scrunched up across from me in the back of the van. Xena was cuddling Rosie on her mattress. I sat on a box on the other side of the van. Xena loved stories and I’d made up many over the months. The New Boy was to distract her from the church people in Kansas Kansas
“I took my sack lunch into the cafeteria and picked out a table. I wanted one with second tier students, not the cheerleaders, someone my age, not the athletes, not the losers, not the leaders, but the second level of students, ones who went to many of the parties, tried out for some sports, sat on some of the benches, cheered at pep rallies, went to games and watched some of the action, knew the top kids on a friendly basis, got some A’s, some B’s and few C’s, not many, if any, bad grades. Didn’t really get sent to the office, didn’t live in mansions but had some type of family network. Just some kids who would look kindly on a newcomer. I saw a couple of likely tables. One had three OK looking girls, not too homely, not too out of place that they might be on the fringe of society. Another had two girls and two boys who weren’t talking with each other. A few other tables had at least one kid who didn’t fit my ideas.”
“I’d take the three girls,” Xena interrupted. She was already into the scene. After all, she’d spent at least one day that I knew of at the high school and probably had seen the cafeteria.
“That’s right,” I said. Xena smiled at Rosie and gave her a congratulation hug.
“Hi,” I said to all three of them when I sat down at their table. “Weren’t we in history together I asked all of them?
“Well, we introduce ourselves, I was past the first had part, just getting to sit down, now the second step.”
“What?”
I sure liked Xena, she gave me 100% attention. She like stories and inserted herself into the scene. I was still fending off questions about those apes in the “Planet of...” movie.
“I didn’t look to see what I have for lunch, it’s always a surprise.” I put a clunky sack on the table in front of me.
“At least I don’t think that’s zucchini this time, boy was that awful, what an afternoon I had, trying to get the taste out of my mouth. Wow! Can you imagine having to eat two raw zucchinis for lunch?” I looked at each of the three girls.
“Zucchinis?” The blond asked a horrid look on her face.
“Big yellow ones, I had to wash them off in the drinking fountain before I could eat them. What a mess! Then I had to break them open and eat them like apples. More than one person almost got sick.”
“I wouldn’t have eaten them,” the second blond said. The other two concurred.
“I didn’t really have a choice, if would got back to my foster people I would have been in huge trouble. I banged my unopened sack a little.
The three girls watched the sack. It could contain a zucchini. It was fall.
“Maybe I’ll get a glass of water before I open it.” I got up a got a glass from the serving line and filled it with water. Cheap. I didn’t even have a nickel on me. When I turned around the three girls were talking with a couple of girls at the next table.
“Since I’m the new kid in school,” I looked at the five girls now, “if this were a movie I’d be a surfer dude from California
“Or, my favorite, a state champion in football and basketball and track and all around stud. But, as we can all see,” I smiled my biggest; I’m just an average skinny new boy at school, a little smart, a little stupid.” I looked at one of the jocks. He nodded yes. We connected!
“More than a little smart,” Xena said. Rosie barked. Thanks, I smiled to myself.
“Well,” I said to Xena, “lunch was about half over and I’d gotten to sit with five girls and two guys. Couldn’t be better but now faze three. What was in the sack?”
Xena’s eyes were bigger. She was looking intently at me, waiting for the climax.
I pulled the sack closer.
“Well, it doesn’t feel like zucchini today, maybe tomorrow.”
“Everyday?” The first blond said, staring at the sack.
“Yea,” I opened the sack for a little peek.
“Oh,” I said quietly, “this is better than I expected.”
“What?” The girls said together. Along with Xena. One of the boys leaned away from me. I didn’t know what he expected; maybe he had it as bad as me?
“Pumpkins! I knew that she was out in garden before I left, I hoped it wasn’t those zucchinis again.” I pulled two pieces of a pumpkin that had been cut in half. The seeds were mostly gone. Another bonus.
“Pumpkins!” One of girls made a face. “You can’t just eat a pumpkin, it’s not even cooked!”
“Hey, she even put a fork in the sack.” I took out a fork and cut a piece of pumpkin.
“Eyeh,” came from over my shoulder, more students had come over to see what the occasion was. I quickly cut a good size pumpkin and put it in my mouth. I didn’t want anyone to think that this was a set up.
“Better than that zucchini last fall,” I announce to the table.
“There’s enough if anyone wants to share,” I looked around while I took another bite. One of the jocks smiled and said to cut him a bite. Which I did. He chewed it and announced that only a pussy wouldn’t eat pumpkin raw.
“The warning bell rang,” I told Xena, “and saved me from eating anymore of the pumpkin. Now I needed something new to eat tomorrow. Maybe that purple eggplant I’d seen that morning when I found the pumpkin.”
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