A Good Maid

“Sarah? You invited her to the table?” She glared at me one second and managed a pout for Sarah the next second. 




If I didn’t know better, I would have said that Celyn was harbouring a crush. Actually, I don’t think I know better. I didn’t know any of these people at all. For all I knew, Sarah was the mayor’s daughter or something and her secret girlfriend was Celyn.




“Yes I did.” Sarah replied simply and took a seat. 




I mirrored her and took the seat next to her before raising my eyes to the chest of the person directly across from me. “Hi everyone.” I mumbled to the table at large. 




“Hey.”

“Waddup.” Two masculine voices replied almost immediately.




“Everyone, meet Kiera. Kiera, meet everyone.”




“Hey! We all have identities y’know? How can you lump me in with these meatheads?” The girl whose name I was yet to know protested laughingly.




“Athlete. We are athletes not dumbos. You shouldn’t subscribe to silly stereotypes.” The American boy next door objected primly. 




He took his fork and knife and delicately cut into his dish, some kind of seafood.




“And I resent being called a meathead.” Nerdy boy joined in just as he pushed a ceramic bowl of soup towards him. 

Where the heck had he gotten the bowl?




“Bruh, you look nothing like a meathead. You are a nerd dude. It’s an honor to even refer to you as a meathead.” Jared called loudly as he dragged a chair behind him. 

He turned the chair backwards and sat facing us.

He was a stereotypical meathead. Loud, rude and annoying. I was pretty damn certain he was a jock.




The boy with glasses frowned at him before sniffing scornfully. “I resent that label as well.”




“Don’t mean it ain’t true though. How are you ever going to get a girlfriend looking like you do?” Jared taunted loudly, his words encumbered by his loud chewing. 

I definitely don’t like Jared.




“He looks just fine to me.” I announced before I thought better of it.




“Ya hear that? Even fatso over there wouldn’t date you.”




“Jared!” Sarah yelled loudly. Mystery girl reached over and thwacked him over the head for good measure.




“Manners. I’m certain you have them or would you like me to report you to Colin?” Jared's superior smile vanished in an instant.




“I’m sure Jared wasn’t trying to be rude, he was simply stating a fact,” Celyn piped up. She threw a small smile Jared’s way and patted Sarah's hand briefly. 

The meathead grinned back at her widely, his missing incisor on full display.

“So Bryne, I thought the whole team ate here at the lounge?”




“Yes?” American boy next door replied quizzically.




“Why isn’t King here yet? Isn’t he having lunch with us?”




“I don’t know Celyn, I’m not King’s keeper.” 




“Yes I know that but as his team mate…”




“Tell the truth Kiera, do you really think any girl will want to date Rhemir?” Colin spoke loudly and turned his megawatt smile on me. 




It was clear as day that he was trying to shut Celyn up but in doing that, he has put me on the spotlight. “Why not? Some girls like an intelligent boy.” Rhemir preened at my remark.




“Do you come on to every boy you come across?” A gruff voice queried even as a chair was plopped next to me and jerkface sat down in much the same manner Jared did.




“Jerkface! It's you!” I yelled in shock. “Why are you here?” Sarah chuckled.




“Jerkface?” Mystery girl and Rhemir repeated. 




I turned my attention back to their frowning faces. “Yes, because he's a jerk. And he’s got the face of one.” 




“And you're a locker thief, you forgot to add that.” 




“I didn't steal your locker.” 




“No, you just tried to break into it.” He reached out and stole a french file from my tray. The nerve of that jerk!




“Did you really try to break into his locker Kiera?” Rhemir stared at me wide eyed.




“Of course not!” I refuted. “I’ve been here all of one day. Why would I have done that?”




“Oh, you’re new here? That’s nice. We haven’t had outsiders in Llanwrtyd in a while. When did you move into town? Where do you live? Who are your parents? Do you have siblings?”




“Do you want to get her blood type while you’re at it?” Jerkface snorted as he pilfered another of my fries.




“Hey! Those are mine. Go get your own.” I smacked his hand away and pushed my tray farther on the table.




“If Kiera won’t let you have her lunch, you can take mine instead.” Celyn carried her tray and offered them to Jerkface.




“Nah, I’m good.” He didn’t so much as look at her. 

 

I felt a weird twinge at the crushed look on her face. But then she rallied again and put on the brightest smile I’ve seen on anyone all day.




“If you really want french fries, I can go get some for you right now.” Yeesh. Desperate much?




“Jared, Colin, you still up for the hunt?” Jerkface asked casually as he lifted my tray and held it with one hand and ate with the other!




“That’s mine you weirdo! Give it back.” I scooched my chair to face him as much as I could and packed as much food as I could into my mouth. I wasn’t hungry initially but I will be damned if I let this jerk snatch my lunch just because he wants to. He didn’t even ask my permission!




“Hey heathens, there’s more food just a few feet away, there’s no need to squabble.” Mystery girl stated drolly. I saw her in my periphery gawping at us incredulously. 

She probably thought I was crazy to be dragging food with one of their school's elite but he just doesn’t strike me as an elte, more like a spoiled brat who needed to be taught a few manners and I refused to let him one up me.




“Yeah, go get more food biblegirl. This paltry offering is not enough for me.” Jerkface ordered around a mouthful.




“What? No! I am not your maid. Go get your own.”




“Not with that attitude you are not.”




“No.” “Don’t push me.” “You’ll spill it.” “You’re the one poking me with your pointy elbow.” “I do not have a pointy elbow!”




“Here’s some more lunch for you Mason.” Celyn huffed out just as my soda was tipped to the side and fell over. 




Jerkface and I stopped shoving and bickering and watched in horror as the can tipped over and drenched the bottom half of Celyn’s gown and her white flats in black beverage. She gave a banshee a run for its money as she exercised the full range of her lungs.




“My shoes! Those were my favorite pair you doofus!” She scowled at me even as she did a weird sort of dancing… er shaking? 




You know when a tiny insect is in your clothes at a party and you are trying to act cool by not reaching and yanking that sucker out, but you just keep shimmying like someone who’s having a seizure? Now imagine a tall brunette holding a tray laden with food hopping on one foot in a circle going “Oh my Gosh” over and over again while the black stain only spread across her dress?

Myself and a few others did our best not to laugh at her but Jared? Not so much. The idiot broke into loud guffaws at the poor girl’s expense. “What are you? A monkey?”




Jerkface got up, ditched my now empty tray on the table before reliving Celyn of hers. He sat back down and said to me, “That is a good maid.”