Chiara Rose

due

tw - mention of self harm, rape, death of a parent and eating disorders

Chiara's POV

"C'mon, just tell us what it was about. We promise we won't make fun of you." Chase whines as we wait in line for the canteen. They've been nagging me about what my meeting with Mr White was ever since we met at our lockers at recess, and I managed to distract them then. But now it's lunch and they're back at it.

"You know, people are saying it's because you're getting shipped off to a school for smarty pants. You're apparently too smart for us here." Arabella adds, and the three of us shuffle forwards as the line moves. Kids are creative these days, and I'm nowhere near smart enough to be shipped off to a smarty pants school.

"It was nothing, just something about a uni offer for next year. They want me to enrol in a few classes or some shit." I say, finally folding and telling them why. I don't really know why I held off so much in the first place. I suppose I just don't think it's that important, plus I know a few kids around school who'll give me shit for it.

"Gross, I thought it was going to be more exciting than that." Chase scoffs, whilst Arabella's face lights up in excitement.

"Ooh, so I was close! What courses do they want you to do, that's exciting!" Arabella says, her voice a little more high-pitched than usual. It seems like she's more excited about this than I am, all I can see is how much money it'll be. Money that I don't have, and money that Mum won't give me.

I go to respond to her, but suddenly we're at the front of the line and the teacher on duty is saying we can go in.

"I'm gonna go around the back, I'll meet you guys back there." I say, taking a step back thinking I'm going to go around to the exit and wait for them there. I don't have any money, and I don't need to get any food so there's no point in me going through there. But Chase quickly grabs onto my arm and stops me from going anywhere.

"No, you haven't eaten, come in and I'll buy you something." Chase says, tugging on my arm and drawing my body closer to the canteen door. No, I can't let him pay for my own lunch. He's done it too much.

"No, it's okay. I'll meet you guys around the back." I say, tugging on my arm and trying to get Chase to loosen his grip a little. But he doesn't budge, and he just starts to glare at me more aggressively.

"It's fine Ki, and you know that. Plus, it's either you come in and pick something to eat, or you go around the back and I'll pick something for you to eat." Chase says, knowing that this will make me want to come in. And it does, I quickly follow in behind them. I do this because if I left Chase alone to choose for me, he'd get the most disgustingly expensive thing this canteen sells.

"Fine, fuckface." I huff, showing how unimpressed I am through my tone. He manages to tug me into the canteen, and I quickly head over to the chip stand. He never specified what I had to get, so I'm just grabbing the cheapest thing I can think of.

"Ha, very funny Ki. Go find some proper food or I'll tell Mumma Renee on you." Chase says, a sour look on his face when I walk up to him with my honey soy chicken chips. And at the mention of his mum, Renee, the woman who practically raised me, I throw the chips back on the stand and join Bella and Chase in the hot food section.

"Chase, you can't keep pulling the Renee card on me. It's unfair." I huff, looking over all the shitty food the canteen ladies have whipped up for us today.

"Yeah, but it works." Chase scoffs, grabbing a hotdog. He then looks at me expectantly, so I just grab the next best-looking thing. Which happens to be some type of pasta, oh well, it's better than nothing.