"Go away, Connie," Annie told the redhead sullenly at lunch time, during her walk to the cafeteria with her lunch box in hand, her pink handbag slung over a shoulder and a sour expression on her face.
"Oh, come on, let's have lunch together." Connie was strutting beside the little girl with only her red handbag in her hand.
"After what you said earlier? I don't think I want to be near you."
Connie simply laughed as they stepped through the entrance into the cafeteria.
"Don't you have some guy waiting to eat with you?" Annie asked tartly as she bought her usual juice box from the vending machine.
"As a matter of fact, I do. You and I are having lunch with him."
"But Connie..." Annie tried to protest as Connie nudged her deeper into the cafeteria.
"You haven't been speaking to boys much," Connie pointed out, "you'll never get a boyfriend this way."
"I'm just fourteen. It's too early for me."
"Never too early to start." Connie pulled her to an empty seat, opposite their classmate Billy. "Here we are."
"Connie, I thought we were eating together today," protested Billy. He sounded a little disappointed.
"Oh, we are," Connie confirmed flippantly, "Just let me get something to eat. Keep Annie company till then, okay?" She left without waiting for a reply.
Annie and Billy glanced at each other. "Hi, Billy," the girl greeted casually as she opened her lunch box and pierced her juice box with a straw.
"Hi, Annie," Billy replied with an equal lack of enthusiasm. He started to unwrap his burger.
Billy had always chatted with all the girls. All the girls, even the shy Sabine and the loner Saki, all except for Annie. Not once could she remember ever speaking to the brown-haired boy other than talking about schoolwork or exchanging perfunctory greetings.
The boy was not particularly attractive. A little round, not so much to be considered fat. The right height for his weight. The most endearing part about him was probably his gentlemanly behavior - the extravagant manner in which he held the door open for girls, the gracefulness of his words. Not that Annie ever experienced any of those. All that she knew of him, she had gleaned from observation and gossip.
Maybe she should get a membership in the Freshman Girls' Gossip Network.
"What?" Billy asked suddenly, "Is there something on my face?"
"Huh?" Annie realized that she had stopped eating.
"You've been staring at me."
"Oh, sorry." Annie hurriedly started on her lunch again.
Billy looked around the crowded cafeteria. "Shouldn't Connie be back by now?"
"She joined the queue late, so the line's probably long." After a few mouthfuls, Annie stopped again. "Say, Billy... why don't we ever talk?"
Billy shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because there isn't anything to say."
"You're not usually this quiet when you're with a girl," Annie pointed out.
"Yeah, you're right," he admitted. He took another bite of his shrinking burger.
"Could it... could it possibly be that you... don't see me as a girl?"
Billy swallowed hurriedly. "Whatever gave you that idea? You're definitely a girl."
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