"Sorry what was that?... Actually, I gotta go, it's getting really loud in here and I can't hear a thing."
"Do you have to? There's this creepy girl staring at me from across the cafeteria." She glanced again toward a girl sitting at a high stool in front of a table right smack in the middle of the cafe. Students walked past the open entrance to the hallway connecting the cafe with the rest of the building, a college library. Chatting with friends or walking quickly forward, eyes to the ground, they made their way to their next class. Windows along the hallway framed the outside world; a circular courtyard and a grey, cloudy day.
"...What? Sorry, I didn't catch that, I've really got to go, but we can text until I have to go to class, at 2:30. Bye Laura."
" 'Kay, bye Chelsea."
Laura took a bite of chocolate cupcake and slid her phone open to the tiny keyboard. Across the room The Girl on the high stool smiled at a boy sitting down at a booth against the wall. She turned her attention back to her sandwich for a minute, trying her hardest not to let all of the lettuce and meat slide from between the two pieces of pita bread. After reflectively chewing for a minute, her gaze rested once again on Laura sitting at a table against the far wall.
"Chels, theres this creepy girl staring at me from across the cafeteria." Laura rapidly texted.
"Eww, hav you seen her around befor?"
"No"
"Not a stalker then, eh Laura?"
"LOL, no, just that I keep catching her staring at me
..."& she chose this realy high chair almost right in the midddle of the room." Laura added.
The Girl took another bite out of her sandwich and the chicken in the middle oozed out onto her plate. She chewed a mouthful of lettuce and dry, garlicky pita bread. Unsure what to do about the chicken, She seemed to briefly consider getting a fork. A quick glance at the counter behind her confirmed that all of the forks were gone, so She gave an almost imperceptible shrug, opened up her sandwich on her plate, and placed the chicken back inside with the tips of her fingers.
"Ew, she's totally playing with her food now"
"Sounds lik a headcase..." Chelsea replied after a couple of minutes.
Students came, ordered, ate, and went. The Girl watched them all, occasionally glancing at her phone, set on the table to the side of her plate. Soon nothing was left of her sandwich save for a few scraps of lettuce and bits of chicken. She contemplated them for a few seconds before just using her fingers to scrape them together and pop them into her mouth.
"has she ever heard of a fork?!" The absence of forks in the cafe was lost on Laura.
"hUH?" Chelsea replied.
"SHE PRACTICALlY LICKED HER PLATE cLEAN!"
"Ew" Chelsea simply texted back,
"Listen, I gotta go to class now, ttyl laurs"
"oh. Ok, cya chels"
Laura looked up from her phone, at a loss for what to do now. She didn't have her next class until 3:00 and she'd finished her lunch, and her dessert. She watched as The Girl across the room finished her cranberry juice, and glanced Laura's way one more time before gathering up her plate, phone, and juice bottle. The Girl threw her plate away, stuffed the empty bottle into her bag, and walked out of the cafeteria.
At least Laura wouldn't have to worry about any more creepy staring for her remaining half hour of time to kill.
"Do you have to? There's this creepy girl staring at me from across the cafeteria." She glanced again toward a girl sitting at a high stool in front of a table right smack in the middle of the cafe. Students walked past the open entrance to the hallway connecting the cafe with the rest of the building, a college library. Chatting with friends or walking quickly forward, eyes to the ground, they made their way to their next class. Windows along the hallway framed the outside world; a circular courtyard and a grey, cloudy day.
"...What? Sorry, I didn't catch that, I've really got to go, but we can text until I have to go to class, at 2:30. Bye Laura."
" 'Kay, bye Chelsea."
Laura took a bite of chocolate cupcake and slid her phone open to the tiny keyboard. Across the room The Girl on the high stool smiled at a boy sitting down at a booth against the wall. She turned her attention back to her sandwich for a minute, trying her hardest not to let all of the lettuce and meat slide from between the two pieces of pita bread. After reflectively chewing for a minute, her gaze rested once again on Laura sitting at a table against the far wall.
"Chels, theres this creepy girl staring at me from across the cafeteria." Laura rapidly texted.
"Eww, hav you seen her around befor?"
"No"
"Not a stalker then, eh Laura?"
"LOL, no, just that I keep catching her staring at me
..."& she chose this realy high chair almost right in the midddle of the room." Laura added.
The Girl took another bite out of her sandwich and the chicken in the middle oozed out onto her plate. She chewed a mouthful of lettuce and dry, garlicky pita bread. Unsure what to do about the chicken, She seemed to briefly consider getting a fork. A quick glance at the counter behind her confirmed that all of the forks were gone, so She gave an almost imperceptible shrug, opened up her sandwich on her plate, and placed the chicken back inside with the tips of her fingers.
"Ew, she's totally playing with her food now"
"Sounds lik a headcase..." Chelsea replied after a couple of minutes.
Students came, ordered, ate, and went. The Girl watched them all, occasionally glancing at her phone, set on the table to the side of her plate. Soon nothing was left of her sandwich save for a few scraps of lettuce and bits of chicken. She contemplated them for a few seconds before just using her fingers to scrape them together and pop them into her mouth.
"has she ever heard of a fork?!" The absence of forks in the cafe was lost on Laura.
"hUH?" Chelsea replied.
"SHE PRACTICALlY LICKED HER PLATE cLEAN!"
"Ew" Chelsea simply texted back,
"Listen, I gotta go to class now, ttyl laurs"
"oh. Ok, cya chels"
Laura looked up from her phone, at a loss for what to do now. She didn't have her next class until 3:00 and she'd finished her lunch, and her dessert. She watched as The Girl across the room finished her cranberry juice, and glanced Laura's way one more time before gathering up her plate, phone, and juice bottle. The Girl threw her plate away, stuffed the empty bottle into her bag, and walked out of the cafeteria.
At least Laura wouldn't have to worry about any more creepy staring for her remaining half hour of time to kill.
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