The Outcast - Chapter Six

Jordan continues toward me, smiling briefly. I smile back. McAllen grabs his shoulder and halts him in his walking, pulling him back slightly. Jordan gets this puzzled expression on his face and jerks away. "What are you doing?" McAllen asks in that snooty voice of his, his nose turned up. "He's the Outcast. No one likes him."

"Why?" Jordan asks.

"Because he's the Outcast."

"Why's he the Outcast?" Jordan's voice gives a hint that he's getting rather annoyed.

McAllen smiles. "Because no one likes him."

Jordan says something inaudible and turns back toward me. McAllen has this expression on his face that makes me wish I have a camera. He's turning red around the gills, if you know what I mean. In fact, I think there's steam coming from his ears. Jordan continues toward me as Mrs. Parkins returns to he front of the class to continue her lecture. Everyone returns to their seats.

Jordan sits next to me.

He's attentive at first, listening to the teacher as she goes on and on about the makings of plants, but after a few moments his eyes are dull and bored. It's so easy to become bored in this class.

Since the town of Hara is so small, there's only two schools. The Grade School, which has grades K-6, and then the High School, which has grades 7-12. They're both quite small. Jordan appears to be older than me, but that doesn't really matter at this school. Everyone learns the same damn things for twelve years. No wonder the people of Hara are a dying breed.

But since he's older than I, he might get moved to a different class. I have the same teacher for five periods, and then sixth and seventh I go to different teachers. There's not much switching of classes in this school.

If Jordan gets switched to a different class, then they'll probably get to him and make him hate me like everyone else. I hope that doesn't happen, I at least want one friend.

At the end of fourth period, it's lunch time. I grab a plate and head to my usual table. My table is at the very back of the lunch room, in the shadows. They say that Outcasts can't be seen at lunch for they might upset someone. I sit at my table, facing the interior of the lunch room, and Jordan sits across from me, his back to everyone.

People are watching us. It doesn't really bother me, I get those horrified looks all of the time, but it might bother Jordan. He might change his mind.

He seems to read the questions on my face. I swear, he reads me like an open book. "Don't worry," he says, poking experimentally at his food with his plastic fork, "they're not bothering me."

I nod.

"Just ignore them."

I sigh at this. I've been trying to ignore them for years, but somehow ignorance has been rather elusive.

"So, why are you the Outcast?" he asks. He frowns at his food and pokes it again. "Did my food just move?"

I shrug. "Hard to say. Maybe." I poke at my food as well. Today's special looks like mac and cheese, but then one can never be too careful. Looks can very deceiving in this lunch room.

He sighs and nods his head. "So?" he prompts.

Sighing, I say, "I don't know. I guess the old Outcast split town, and they needed someone to fill in the spot. I was elected to take the position."

"Ah. Well, we'll have to change that, now won't we?"

"...What do you mean?" I ask, raising a brow.

He smiles. "Well, it's obvious you don't like being the Outcast, so we'll have to get you fired from that position, now won't we?"

I nod, smiling back. "Thanks," I say softly.

He shrugs. "No problem....did it just blink?" he asks, eying his plate of food.

I smile. "Maybe." I look down at my own food and prod it tentively. "I think it just winked at me."

He laughs quietly. He gets this strange look on his face that makes me laugh, and then he stabs at his food with his fork. The plastic utensil snaps in two, and he grabs both halves. "Well, that was convenient."

I laugh. "Yeah."

He doesn't hate me.

I have a friend.

My first one.