The Kings of Kentworth

100.

The next day at school, Stephanie, Lenny, Tess and Keith were having lunch together.

Everyone watched in confusion as Keith reached into a paper bag and pulled out a small covered lunch bowl.  He opened it and poured in some milk before stirring it in with a spoon.

“What the hell is that?” Tessa frowned at his food.

Keith scooped up a spoon and paused, before he turned and scowled at Tess. “It’s called Oat-meal, Duh?”

“So you would rather have that…,” Lenny grimaced as he pointed to Keith’s food and then he pointed to his own plate of French fries, bacon and eggs. “…compared to this?”

Keith raised his chin and gave a proud smug. “I’m going on a diet. So my Mum says I need to eat less carbs and sugar and more proteins and fibre.”

Tessa coughed out a laugh and glances at Lenny and Stephanie, checking to see if they had heard the same thing she had heard.

“A diet, huh?” Lenny raised his brows.

“Yep.” Keith still had the smug on his face.

“Are you serious right now?” Tessa looked at him with disbelief.

“What?” Keith deadpanned at her. “Guys don’t go on diets?”

“Keith, look at you,” Tessa gestured to him. “You cannot go on a diet.”

“Why not?” He scowled at her.

“Keith..,” Stephanie sighed as she threw a sliced tomato from her burger into her mouth and chewed. “Diets are for fat people.”

“In other words, in your current state..,” Tessa started to explain. “If you go on a diet, you will disappear.”

Everyone at the table laughed.

Keith just shook his head and rolled his eyes. He took his attention back to his Oat-meal put a spoonful in his mouth.

“Eww,” Stephanie grimaced at him, before she turned away and threw her eyes to the entrance of the cafeteria in time to see Lance walking through.

She watched him move over to the counter to get his food and then comeback out with a tray in his arms; moving around and looking for a place to seat.

With the exams around the corner, the cafeteria was crazy these days. If you didn’t make it out of class on time, you most likely wouldn’t get a place to sit and eat.

Stephanie watched Lance as his eyes glided through the hall. He dropped his shoulder when he realized he may have to settle for eating in class, or waiting for an empty table.

As she watched him, she couldn’t help but notice something eerily different about him. It was as if he had changed somehow. There was this strange glow.

A strange warmth.

Something she had never seen in him before. Even though he was still in his trade mark dark clothes; a black t-shirt, black jeans and sneakers, with his black curls peeking out of his gray beanie, there was still something different.

While searching, Lance suddenly looked her way and she swiftly turned away.

“Oooh shit,” Stephanie heard Lenny groan.

She looked up and saw him frown with his right hand squeezing on his belly.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“I really don’t know.” He replied with a groan. “Ever since dinner yesterday, I’ve been feeling kinda sick. I feel as if I’m going to puke.”

Tessa then turned to Keith after sipping on her Coke. “See?” she shrugged. “Your food is making peopled sick.”

Keith exhaled, dropped his spoon and turned to her with a glare. “Speak ill of my food again and I will hit you.”

Tessa threw her head back in laughter while Lenny and Stephanie just ignored the both of them.

Stephanie placed her hand on Lenny back and kept rubbing; watching his features with concern. “Sure you don’t want to see the nurse?”

Lenny shook his head quickly. “Naah, I’m fine.”

“Can I sit here?” A very familiar voice asked.

Everyone turned and saw Lance standing there with his tray in his hands, looking exhausted from searching for a place to sit.

Lenny slowly took his wide eyes away from Lance to face an equally surprised Stephanie.

The table was quiet with shock, but Stephanie could hear the questions screaming through the table.

“Did Lance Tiffin just ask to sit with us?”

“No,” Keith spat. “No space. Sorry.”

Everyone turned to Keith after his reply.

Lance exhaled and dropped his shoulders, before he nodded to the empty seat beside Lenny. “And what about that seat?”

“It’s taken,” Keith lied as he turned away before putting another spoon of Oat-meal in his mouth.

“Oh God, Keith, shut up,” Stephanie hissed.

“What?” Keith shrugged.

Stephanie shook her head and faced Lance with a polite smile. “It’s okay Lance,” she uttered gestured to the empty seat. “You can sit.”

Lance moved over to the chair and dropped to a sit. He completely ignored the stares of everyone on the table; probably wondering what he was doing here.

They all watched him settle down and draw his seat close to the table, popping his small carton of milk open and taking a sip.

“You could say thank you,” Keith shrugged.

Lance looked up at him with a glare, but when his eyes fell to the bowl infront of him, his face contorted into a mild grimace. “What the fuck is that?”

“Vomit,” Tessa spat before anyone could answer.

Keith slowly turned and narrowed his eyes at her as she squeeze her mouth shut, trying to laugh out loud.

“So Lance,” Stephanie started as she faced Lance while sucking on her juice through a straw. “Exam is going to be a breeze, right?”

Lance looked at her, and then turned away, looking around the hall, as if searching for something……or someone.

After a few seconds of searching, his eyes settled on something in the distance and a smirk tugged up on the side of his thin lips.

Stephanie instinctively followed his line of sight and her eyes landed on Trevor Bowman in the distance; sitting at his normal table surrounded by his pack; smiling at jokes that were obviously being passed around his table. It took a while before he himself looked over in Lance’s direction and gave a knowing smirk.

Lance then looked away and Trevor followed suit.

Stephanie knitted her brows in confusion before looking around the table, checking to see if anyone else had noticed, but no one did.

She looked down at Lance with narrowed eyes of perplexity and suspicion as he bit into his burger and sipped on his juice. He caught her eyes on him before he raised a brow.

“What?”

Stephanie quickly shook her head and looked away. “Nothing.”