The In List

chapter 3

Charolette.

Monday morning was like any other. I got to school at 7:30 and made my way into the cafeteria. I sat down and waited for my friends to get there. Monica was first. She walked in and was greeted by some popular girls. I did not hear what they were saying but in the end they all giggled, looked at eachother, than walked away. Monica wandered around by herself until she spotted me. That's what we all do. When we get to the cafeteria in the morning, we walk around aimlessly until we see one of the others. Theres always the brave one who comes 5 mintues early that way the others won't be lost. Today, it was me. It usually is. I have a strange protective side for my friends, especially Monica. I feel uncomfortable if I don't know where she is because she could be in danger, and it would be my fault. Monica walked over looking more angry than upset.

"I'm fucking done." Monica's voice wasn't weak on tears but strong on fury.

"What happened? What did they say?" I began getting up to have a word with them. Nobody hurts Monica. "Sit down, Charlotte," Monica sighed. "It's over. Just let them have their fun."

"What did they do?" My voice was getting loud and people in the surrounding tables were beginning to stare at us, which really got Monica upset. She hates when people look at her. She thinks she is ugly, which i think is rediculous. She is beautiful.

"I didn't say anything to them. I just walked in and they attacked me with their forces!" Our group likes to pretend that the popular girls are evil witches. They have powers and cast spells and turn into bats. When they get home they take off their pretty clothes and their perfect faces and let their true selves hang out. They have huge noses, warts, and green skin. They eat frogs on a daily basis. When they make fun of us, they are attacking us with their powers of bitchocity (another thing we made up. It's the culture of being a bitch.)

Now don't get me wrong, we don't hate all the popular girls. We hate most of them, but that's because they are mean. There are some really super nice girls in our grade, and that's why they are popular. We hung out with all the popular girls up until 6th grade when they moved on, and we didn't. Either way, they don't like us now just because we are different. It's not fair. Honestly, we don't even really care about being popular, it's just an experimental thing. If we do become popular will all of our once enemies suddenly accept us?

Looking up at Monica, i probably looked more hurt than she did. Seeing the hurt in my eyes, she knew what was happening. She knew how much i cared for her more than i did. But still, she continued.

"They just said stupid, immature stuff. Stuff a kid would say. Before i came into the cafeteria i was in the bathroom and they were in there too. They told me I better stop looking in the mirror, because I was going to break it. You know, stupid, immature stuff. Stuff a kid would say. Then i guess they were just finishing me off just now."

"Monica, you know your pretty. You are gorgeous!" Thinking this would cheer her up, I looked up and smiled. She was frowning more than she did when it happened. So i got up and went to hug her. I jumped when I heard her scream.

"Get away from me!" Monica's scream wasn't in a scared way which it should have been if those girls were trying to hurt her. I looked up and stepped away, looking for whoever was trying to hurt Monica. My eyes were shocked to see that there was nobody standing around us besides Monica and I. Who was she talking to?

"Monica... who are you talking to?"

"YOU! I'm talking to you!" She screamed this and my chin fell to the floor.

"I, uh, I don't understand...I..."

"okay you are WAY too clingy! I don't mind if you're a lesbian and I don't really mind if you have a girl crush on me but you need to understand that-"

"WHAT!?! I am NOT a lesbian! I never even said that to you! Where did you get that from? Why would you even say something like that?" I cut her off, only to get cut off myself by her.

"Oh, please. The only person you're fooling is yourself. We all know. We've known for a while. Why can't you just come out already. What are you afraid of? That we will leave you and then you will have nobody?" She was right. If they left me I would have nobody. We are all basically on the same level on the popular scale except I'm the lowest. They are my only friends. We are all eachother's best friends but they have other people they talk to and stuff, I have nobody. Taking in everything she said was tough. I looked her once more in the eye and turned around to leave. She took a few paces after me, than i hear a "Charlotte.. " and then it was over. I don't have to admit anything to her. She has no right accussing me of lying about my sexuality... even if it is true.