Killjoy (A Lesbian Story)

5: Max

The loud bell indicating lunch time rang loudly throughout the halls. Students filed through doors to run about the halls, meeting friends and going to lockers. I walked out of my calculus class to join the cattle herd of students. Breaking off, I went to my locker to put my bag up. As soon as I was able to shove the pack inside, a crowd of idiotic football players stampeded down the halls. With all the hype for the pep rally, they acted like complete animals on the way to the mating grounds.

Men.

"Yo Maxie!" Steve appeared at my shoulder. He was grinning like an idiot, "Ready for some cake?"

"Is that all you care about when it comes to pep rally lunch?" I snorted as I pulled my leather jacket out of my locker and shrugged it on, "You do realize they have spaghetti, right?"

Shutting the locker, I looked to his grinning face. Over his shoulder, I saw a group of cheerleaders head towards the cafeteria. Towards the front, I caught a glimpse of dark hair and a high pony before she disappeared. A chill ran down my spine as the back of my scalp tickled slightly. I knew exactly who that ponytail belonged to, but something else felt different.

Steve looked over his shoulder then back to me with a raised eyebrow, "You look like you saw a ghost. Let's go get food, bro."

The lunchroom was crazier than the hallways, full of people ready to cheer and scream and watch a football game. It was packed, full of kids that were healthy. It wasn't slightly empty. There was a flu going around yet everyone was here.

"Wait," I stopped, looking at all the kids in the lunch room. It wasn't right. There were too many people, "What the fuck..."

"Watch you language, Max." Steve warned me and jerked his head towards a teacher rushing to the football table of mayhem. "Craft will bust you for your potty mouth."

Coach Craft was standing in the middle of the lunchroom, watching the idiot students and ready to yell at them through her bullhorn. She looked healthy. As healthy as a fifty year old athlete. The image of her with translucent skin and black blood on her track suit made me stop dead in my tracks. She was supposed to be sick. Turning. Ready to bust in to a sophomore's throat. But there she was, ready to give me detention like the last four years.

"Max!" A voice called out. I turned just in time to see a girl wrap her arms around my neck and connect her lips with mine. Pulling away, I saw that it was Ashley. She grinned at me and let her hands rest on my neck, "How was class?"

All I could do was stare at her. Behind her was her table of cheerleaders. They all looked at us with smiles and rolling eyes as if we did this all the time. As if they knew we were a thing. I looked around the cafeteria to see other people just going about their business. No one cared. No one freaked out. Not even Ashley had a waiver of fear. She only smiled at me and let her fingers play with my hair.

"Helloooo?" Ashley laughed slightly, waving a hand in front of my face, "Earth to Max? Is the gayness keeping you from talking?"

"This isn't right." I mumbled, taking her hands in mine and looking around. Things seemed to move in slow motion. Students yells echoed and Craft moved to different tables. Every voice blended together making some kind of hyped up hormone smoothie.

Ashley furrowed her eyebrows, taking a step back, "What?"

"Ash, I wish this was real." I pulled her closer and let my hand go up to her cheek. Slowly, I leaned in to kiss her. Her lips were soft and warm. It felt just like when I kissed her in the hotel room. I caught a flash of the two of us laying in the bed, kissing for the first time in the dark. Opening my eyes, I saw her in the cafeteria as I pulled away. She looked dazed, unfocused as I continued to speak, "But it's not."