Life Is A Beach

Chapter 2: The Bartender

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The sound of the bell from outside the classroom made me jump up from my chair and collect my books. I was the first to leave the classroom, anxious to get out of hell, also known as math. My worst subject. I have a B in there...a B! I rush to my locker and quickly put away my books.

After waiting in line for at least five minutes, I finally got the chance to order. Scanning the menu, I quickly decided on nachos. It was divine here.

'Nachos please.' I said with a friendly smile which the lunch lady returned.

'That's two dollars fifty please.' she said, and I handed over the cash before stepping to the side. I sighed in relief as she handed me my lunch. For some reason, everything I do today seems to take forever. It's just one of those days where you can't win. By now, my stomach was growling in anticipation, the ravenous scent of my nachos seducing me as I strolled through the cafeteria, weaving in between the tables of students.

That was when my eye caught a lonely boy, at a lonely table. Tucked away in the corner, I spotted Jackson - the new kid - sitting all by himself. He had dark brown hair and adorable face, and from here, I could see the cheerleaders a few tables away giving him flirtatious looks. I frowned. When I showed him around the school, I was positive he would fit right in with the jocks and cheerleaders at our school. He had that body that every guy went to the gym for, and gorgeous brown eyes, and even the guys seemed to approve first period when I showed him the classes where I was to introduce him. It was really hard to believe that he was sitting by himself at a table certainly made for more than just one.

I glanced at my usual table. My seat was vacant - as to be expected. Bailey was sitting next to her boyfriend Chace as usual, and my other friends - Cailleb, Tessa, Perrie and Jeremy - were also sitting chatting. They could do a day without me, I decided, before striding toward the table where Jackson was sitting.

"Hey!" I said smoothly as I plopped onto the red, plastic seat across from him. For such a wealthy school, you'd probably expect the cafeteria to be more fancy than a normal school. It looked a bit out of place compared to the rest of the school with the simple polished concrete and cheap seating arrangements, but I didn't mind. He glanced up from his lunch (which was nachos as well) with a surprised look on his face.

"Oh, hey Charlotte." He looks up from his food and gives me a small smile.

"How's your first day so far?"

"It's been ok." I nod and nibble at a corn chip.

"So you like it here? At Costal Ridge?"

"Yeah, yeah it's nice." He looks back down at his food and then back at me. I grin to myself. He was so shy, yet so cute. He glanced up again. 'Why are you sitting with me?' he asked wearily. His tone wasn't that mean, but it still hurt. I frowned at him.

'You looked lonely, so I decided to give you company!' I said with a bright smile. I usually wasn't this friendly with strangers, but he felt different. Talking to him came naturally, as if you were speaking with a long lost friend.

'Oh.' he said glancing back down at his food. 'You don't have to...' he said in a small voice.

'I want to.' I reassured him with a smile.

The rest of the lunch passed by quickly, mainly consisting of me asking questions, and him answering with dull responses. He wasn't the most talkative person, but I still enjoyed talking to him.

'Alright, I'll see you.' I said, flashing a grin at him.

'Bye Charlotte.' he said softly, waving a little, before grabbing his bag and walking away.