Even Angels Fall (C. Stewart) ✔️

-4-

There are so many choices in the cafeteria that Natalie can't really comprehend it all. Her old school in Tulsa was nothing like this. There are so many different food stations to choose from. Her eyes follow Chris's figure as he heads for the Pizza Hut station, this school has their own Pizza Hut?! That's just crazy pants.

Natalie's eyes skim the different areas one more time before she heads to the salad bar area.  Getting to compose a lunch salad at school of all places with such choice ingredients is a wondrous thing.  Before long her tray is holding a concoction of kale, salmon, chickpeas and various other healthy yet deceivingly tasty ingredients.  After paying for her lunch once again she stops to look around the room, seeking out the one person she kind of knows here so far.

The pause of the strawberry blonde catches the attention of one of her classmates in particular.   And before long their slick voice hits her ears.  "Hey beautiful, you look lost.  Want to come sit with me??" Natalie turns, coming face to face with blonde haired teenage boy, hair slightly spiked up with a cigarette behind one of his ears. The collar on his polo shirt is popped. She groans to herself, guys with popped collars are like one million percent annoying.

Eyes scanning the room again she spots Chris sitting with two other boys at a small round table, those must be the friends he talked about.  She wracks her brain for their names, she knows he mentioned them, as her feet carry her closer to them.  But this other guy is persistent.  He comes to stand directly in front of Natalie, blocking her forward progress.  "Princess, I'm Jake.  You look new and lost, come sit with me."

Natalie is biting her lip, trying to come up with a response.  Chris's eyes raise from where he is sitting with Cam and Matt, noticing her across the room.  He smiles at her, which she is quick to return.  This small action gives her the confidence to brush aside Jake's advances.  "The name is Natalie.  As much as I appreciate your offer, I can't.  I'm having lunch with a friend."

She side steps him, continuing on her way to Chris's table.  He and his two friends appear to be watching her approach.  A blush burns on his cheeks as his friends whisper to him, eyes darting between the two of them.  Jake watches her leave, taking quick notice of exactly where she is heading.

He hurries along to catch up with her, doing so just before she reaches the table.  Calling forth his comment as she sets her tray down in front of the empty chair beside Chris.  "Oh I see...  Well I'd watch out for Stewart there, Princess.  He's got a bad history with girls.  Unless you like unwanted touching and assault."

Natalie turns to level an icy gaze Jake's way before she drops down into her seat.  "No offense, but I can formulate my own opinions on people.  And the name is NATALIE, not whatever pet name you feel like conjuring up from your pea sized brain.  Now run along, don't you have a douchebag convention to attend??"

Jake stares slack jawed as Cam and Matt start to laugh. He gives a quick shake of his head, spinning on his heel and walking back across the cafeteria. Natalie smiles to herself as she twists open the lid of her water bottle.

"Chris, dude, this girl is bad ass."

"I've never seen anyone, guy or girl, stand up to Jake O'Donovan like that.  Honestly Chris, where did you find this girl??"

Natalie giggles as she sets back down her water bottle. Chris is smiling slightly at her side, although he's still stewing inside about the comments Jake made.

There was never any unwanted touching. At least never on his part. And he never assaulted anyone. Those were all rumors Vanessa perpetuated. If anything he was the victim of sexual assault not her.

Solemnly picking a mushroom off his pizza, popping it into his mouth as he gives a sideways glance at the girl sitting beside him before he addresses Cam and Matt's line of questioning. "Um.... we have Chemistry together." Natalie laughs a little more as the boys across from them react to his words. Expressions ranging from confused to intrigued flicker on their faces.

Finally she comes to his rescue since he seems unable to elaborate. "Since Chris seems a little discombobulated, I'll start. Hi, Natalie Morales, call me Nat. Please. Just moved here from Tulsa. My dad's the new sports reporter for WKZB. So here I am, and this morning I was COMPLETELY turned around trying to find my class. But luckily my locker neighbor pointed me in the right direction."

Her pause isn't for drama, but to take another bite of her salad. The concoction she came up with is honestly quite tasty.  Chris feels the gentle nudge on his arm and turns to her with concern in his expression.  Natalie nods, small smile and he lets out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in.  Slowly he picks us her story for her.

"So, um.... yea, our lockers are right next to each other and she asked me how to get to Mr Hamilton's class. And um, we're kind of chemistry lab partners...." The tail end of his sentence is barely breathed out in a whisper, although not as silently as he planned since his two friends hear. Small gasps of shock and arched eyebrows.

Natalie is completely oblivious to the reason behind their reactions. She just shrugs, sipping her water again. "He was the only person I kind of knew when I can into the classroom. And there was an open seat at the table. I didn't realize that was how Ms. Gerber assigned partners."

Cam and Matt share a glance, nodding slightly to each other. Then Matt speaks. "Pretty sure they have those awesome cookie ice cream sandwiches up there. Hey Chris, want to come get one??" Chris looks down at his now empty tray, ice cream would sound nice about now. And he could leave the awkwardness he's feeling behind momentarily.

"Sure, I guess."

Both boys rise from their seats, leaving Cam and Natalie still sitting at the table. Chris thinks before turning away, "Either if you want anything while we're up??" Cam shakes his head in response while Natalie bites her lip, thinking quickly. She pulls some money out of her purse attempting to hand it to him, "Can you get me one too??"

The smile he gives in return is bright, reminding his friends of the old Chris. The pre-Vanessa Chris, happy and without a care. "Sure thing Nat." Spinning on his heel without taking the money from her hand.

Once they are far enough away Matt whispers to him, "Dude, does she know? Are you sure you should be like, talking to the new girl again?" Chris chances a small glance over his shoulder, back to the table. Natalie and Cam seem to be having an intense conversation, both occasionally bursting into fits of laughter.

Chris smiles as he turns back to his friend as they wait in line at the ice cream cart. "She doesn't. But I'll tell her. I have good feelings about this one...."