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axesladeNext ficlet. Table is here.
1991
“Hi.” Jess said, cheerfully, as she plopped down next to Andy.
“Mmph!” Andy coughed back, trying not to choke on the ham sandwich she'd been eating. She held up a hand, taking a quick gulp of milk, swallowed and sighed. “Hi.”
Jess giggled. “Oh I'm sorry! Did I scare you?”
Andy felt her face turn red. “A little.”
Jess giggled again. “Sorry.”
“So, um, what did you want?” Andy asked, trying to pretend that she was staring at her fingernails instead of Jess' sweater.
“Just saw that you were alone and thought you might want someone to talk to.”
“I'm always alone.” Andy mumbled.
Jess screwed up her lips and huffed. “Geez, I was just trying to be nice, but if you-”
“No!” Andy yelped as Jess started to stand up. She felt her face get hotter, and cleared her throat. “I'm sorry, I was being a jerk. I'm just not used to people hanging out with me much.”
“I hang out with you.” Jess said sweetly.
“Yeah, but you're one of...” Andy bit her lip, then waved her hand in the direction of the 'popular girls' table. “'Them'”
Jess snorted. “Yeah, I guess so. But they're no fun. You know, all they talk about is shopping and boys.”
Andy's throat suddenly got dry. “And you don't like talking about shopping and...” she couldn't make the next word come out.
Jess shrugged. “Not all the time. And-oh, this is going to sound horribly mean...but you don't like that stuff, do you?”
Andy laughed, shaking her head. “Not a bit.”
Jess started twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “What do you like, then?”
Andy nervously crumpled up her brown paper bag. “Um. Math. I like math a lot. And I like to draw. And, uh...music.”
Jess leaned forward, making Andy's palms sweat. “What kind of music?”
Andy tapped her fingers nervously against her jeans. “Uh. I don't know. All kinds. Old stuff, like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, David Bowie. And, uh, Nirvana's okay. Whatever, really.”
“Sounds like you have a lot better taste than them,” Jess said, jerking a thumb back towards the table of bleach-blonde hair and mini-skirts.
Andy grinned. “Yeah? You think so?”
Jess nodded. “Yeah. Oh shoot, lunch is almost over. Hey, I was wondering....you wanna hang out some time?”
Andy gulped, worrying for a second that her vocal chords had frozen, but then managed to choke out what must have been a 'Yes' or 'Okay', because in the next second, Jess was scribbling on a piece of paper.
“Here's my phone number. Call me, okay?”
Andy just nodded. Jess rolled her eyes.
“You really are weird. But that's a lot better than an air-head. See ya!” she said, standing as the bell rang.
It took Andy another five minutes to stand up.
1991
“Hi.” Jess said, cheerfully, as she plopped down next to Andy.
“Mmph!” Andy coughed back, trying not to choke on the ham sandwich she'd been eating. She held up a hand, taking a quick gulp of milk, swallowed and sighed. “Hi.”
Jess giggled. “Oh I'm sorry! Did I scare you?”
Andy felt her face turn red. “A little.”
Jess giggled again. “Sorry.”
“So, um, what did you want?” Andy asked, trying to pretend that she was staring at her fingernails instead of Jess' sweater.
“Just saw that you were alone and thought you might want someone to talk to.”
“I'm always alone.” Andy mumbled.
Jess screwed up her lips and huffed. “Geez, I was just trying to be nice, but if you-”
“No!” Andy yelped as Jess started to stand up. She felt her face get hotter, and cleared her throat. “I'm sorry, I was being a jerk. I'm just not used to people hanging out with me much.”
“I hang out with you.” Jess said sweetly.
“Yeah, but you're one of...” Andy bit her lip, then waved her hand in the direction of the 'popular girls' table. “'Them'”
Jess snorted. “Yeah, I guess so. But they're no fun. You know, all they talk about is shopping and boys.”
Andy's throat suddenly got dry. “And you don't like talking about shopping and...” she couldn't make the next word come out.
Jess shrugged. “Not all the time. And-oh, this is going to sound horribly mean...but you don't like that stuff, do you?”
Andy laughed, shaking her head. “Not a bit.”
Jess started twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “What do you like, then?”
Andy nervously crumpled up her brown paper bag. “Um. Math. I like math a lot. And I like to draw. And, uh...music.”
Jess leaned forward, making Andy's palms sweat. “What kind of music?”
Andy tapped her fingers nervously against her jeans. “Uh. I don't know. All kinds. Old stuff, like The Beatles, Pink Floyd, David Bowie. And, uh, Nirvana's okay. Whatever, really.”
“Sounds like you have a lot better taste than them,” Jess said, jerking a thumb back towards the table of bleach-blonde hair and mini-skirts.
Andy grinned. “Yeah? You think so?”
Jess nodded. “Yeah. Oh shoot, lunch is almost over. Hey, I was wondering....you wanna hang out some time?”
Andy gulped, worrying for a second that her vocal chords had frozen, but then managed to choke out what must have been a 'Yes' or 'Okay', because in the next second, Jess was scribbling on a piece of paper.
“Here's my phone number. Call me, okay?”
Andy just nodded. Jess rolled her eyes.
“You really are weird. But that's a lot better than an air-head. See ya!” she said, standing as the bell rang.
It took Andy another five minutes to stand up.
