Perfectly Imperfect

Cuarenta y uno: It's Okay

The only problem with getting lunch is that it requires A: USING your hands and B: SHOWING your hands.

Both are problematic because, A causes pain, and B causes questions, suspicions, worry, alarm, and problematic problems galore.

BUT, it's lunch. Free lunch. How am I supposed to pass it up?

  ALSO, how am I supposed to deny this unlikely knight in shining armor of preforming this act of kindness? That would just be cruel of me.

  It may even burn bridges even more than they already are. The ashes will just spontaneously combust into flames if I act ungratefully

  AND. . .

  Okay, let's admit it, I'm just making up BS excuses to make this okay.

  I'm hungry! That's more important than raising eyebrows right?

  I finally got to the front of the line and balanced my tray on my hands, sense I couldn't really grip the sides.

  I casually sat the tray down on the table and started trying to pick up a chicken strip, attempting to be inconspicuous.

I failed miserably.

  I watched the people at my table look up at me and their gazes freeze on my wrapped hands. I stayed staring down at my plate, avoiding eye contact, trying to act natural.

  Finally managing to get a grip on the chicken strip, I brought it to my mouth. Only for it to fall back onto the plate before I could get a bite. A frown sketched onto my face, and I went to try again, Ignoring everyone's confused stares.

"Carmen," Sam said calmly.

"Yes?" I responded, still fiddling with my food.

"What happened to your hands?" She proceeded in the same manner.

"I slammed them in a door," I told her truthfully with a small half shrug.

"Oh," was all she responded.

"May we ask why you slammed them in a door?" Corey followed.

"Well it wasn't on purpose," I said with an eye roll like it was obvious.

"Okay then, may we ask how?" He pressed.

"Sure you can."

"Okay, how?"

I stayed silent.

"Carmen?" Joey raised an eyebrow after a few seconds.

I looked up. "Hm?"

They all looked at me expectantly with raised eyebrows. I chuckled at them. "I said you could ask, not that you'd get an answer."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Well thanks for trolling us."

  "No problem," I responded cheekily.

  Corey put his fork down while shaking his head. "seriously Carmen, what happened?"

  I scrunched up my eyebrows in false confusion. "What'd you mean? What do you guys think happened?" I looked around the table.

Why am I even doing this? I'm just making a fool of myself.

They gave me 'that' look. That 'is-she-really-trying-to-pull-that-crap-on-us?' look.

They CAN'T know!

They already do.

Well then! What happens now?! They haven't mentioned it, so maybe they forgot.