Tolerating The Player

Maths class ended shortly after, we only got to treat two questions on Matrix because the whole fucking time had been wasted on the famous kid.

It was time for our lunch break so I walked straight to the cafeteria and met Maya engrossed with whatever she was doing on her phone.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

She didn’t seem to notice me walking towards her so I snatched her phone and I could swear that I would have received a straight up slap on my face if I was someone else.

“Hey! Give that back dummy!” She protested and dragged her phone from my hands. I chuckled as I settled my butt on the cold aluminum bench.

“What are you eating?” She asked as she tucked her phone into her pocket.

“Well I gave Joe my lunch money to buy a textbook he needed-” she cut me off of my sentence by raising a finger up.

“I asked what you were going to eat, didn’t I?” She said and I couldn’t stop myself from giving her a tight hug.

Sometimes when I totally go broke Maya would pay for my lunch or take me out shopping, she had a rich stepdad who she really liked and he also showed her affection by showering her with gifts and money.

On the other hand, my mum had left me and my family when we were much younger and my Dad hasn’t gotten over the trauma yet so it led him to being an alcoholic who struggles to even feed himself and talk more of Joe and I.

I’m just eighteen but I have taken upon myself the role of a mother taking care of the household all by myself.

“I don’t really like any of the cafeteria food, they taste like my mother’s food.. yuck!” Maya complained as she scrunched her nose and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Maya wasn’t wrong at all, anytime I would visit her family I would give Grace excuses on why I couldn’t eat her food.

She brought out her phone and ordered pizzas and two bottles of coke even though it was against the school rules to order food but she somewhat found a way to do it.

Shortly after the food was delivered and my tummy made an awful noise, I hadn’t eaten anything but a slice of bread and coffee today.

Girls started rushing into the cafeteria and I wondered what they were up to not until I saw Zach coming in too.

He passed my table and Maya didn’t even glance at him but continued to bite on her pizza till he walked to an empty seat and made himself comfortable, shortly after some other guys joined him and circled the table.

Now I get why no one dared to sit on that table since I’ve been in this school.

I suddenly remembered my encounter with Zach and decided to tell Maya about how he had helped me.

“Uhm.. you know the footballer.. Zach?”

“Yeah?” She replied telling me to continue.

“We had math class today and well-”

“Don’t tell me he ridiculed you” she said, getting ready to go over and fight him.

“No no just shush!” I calmed her down when I noticed some eyes were already on us.

“He helped me today” I said and narrated how a girl tried to bully me but he helped me.

“Aww that’s sweet” she said while jolting me with her elbow.

“Should I thank him?” I asked.

On a normal day I wouldn’t even care or dare to speak to one of these famous guys but I felt like I needed to thank him.

“If you want to,” she replied. I finished the slice of pizza I had with me and gulped it down with the coke.

I took deep breaths and made my way to the forbidden table.

They didn’t seem to notice my presence as they kept on chatting about a topic they were all interested in, well Zach didn’t seem to be interested.

I was feeling nervous standing here and I could already feel different eyes on me damn it!

“Uhm hey!” I said but my voice came out cracked.

They all seemed to stop their discussion immediately when they noticed me and I started to wonder if I had made the wrong choice of coming here.

“Who are you?” One of the boys asked and the rest burst In laughter staring at me from my head to toe. I knew I hadn’t dressed well and my hair was messy, my face was plain and without makeup and I was wearing one of the most stupid necklace on a shirt.

I felt so embarrassed to the point that my mouth turned heavy and I couldn’t utter any more words.

“She’s probably an attention seeker” a girl walked over to the table and stood close to Zach placing her hands on his shoulder.

Aurora Brooks the infamous cheerleader, also every girl’s nightmare.

She had that tall slender body with literally no curves but then with a pretty face that she uses to oppress everyone. Everyone had talked about how her face was plastic but she didn’t seem to mind flaunting it.

If there was one person I was trying to avoid till I graduated it was Aurora Brooks. Silly of me to think today would be a good day and thanking him would be the polite thing to do.

“Oh I love that necklace, where did you get it from, the trash?” She said touching the necklace like it was shit.

Everyone suddenly burst into laughter and I had never been more humiliated.

I looked at Zach’s face but he didn’t seem to be interested in whatever I had to say as a smirk appeared on his face after Aurora embarrassed me.

“Never mind” I said and left the cafeteria immediately tears started to run down my cheeks. Maya wasn’t in the cafeteria at the moment everything happened, she left earlier when I was going to meet Zach. If she had been in the cafeteria she would have helped me.

I ran to the ladies bathroom and cried my eyes out, I checked my reflection in the mirror and suddenly I didn’t blame them for mocking me.

I am literally thrash, a 5’5ft ugly low budget Shrek that only finds baggy wears comfortable.

I stared at the reflection of the necklace on my neck. My grandma had given it to me on the day she was dying and I vowed to keep it and pass it on to my daughter. It wasn’t expensive but it was priceless to me.

“What the hell happened to you, I was gone for just 5 minutes” Maya yelled immediately she opened the bathroom door and saw me crying.

“Nothing much, nevermind” I lied but she noticed immediately and stormed out of the bathroom.

I knew what she was up to but then it wasn’t Zach that humiliated me so I ran to catch up with her.

“It wasn’t Zach, let’s just forget it” I plead and she gave me a glaring look before she dragged my hands away to our next class. We had English together.

******

It was time to leave school but I would be going to the mall for my after school job instead. I was lucky to have found a good paying job that permits me to attend work only 3 times in a week and today was my day.

“Let’s go watch a movie to cheer you up” Maya said as we walked out of the building.

“It’s Thursday Maya, I’m going to work” I replied with a lack of energy feeling drained from what had happened earlier.

“Oh! alright then, I’ll drop you off” she said and we got into her expensive Rolls Royles car. Zach and his crew came out of the building immediately we drove away from the parking lot and I could still see Aurora clinging onto him like a tattoo or rather a scar.

The drive from Sapphire high school wasn’t far to the mall and we got there in less than twenty minutes.

“I love you Maya” I said as I got down from her car.

“I love you too Isabella, see you tomorrow morning” she said and zoomed off after throwing me a wind kiss.

I work in a boutique that was mainly the most attractive jewelry store in the mall. Different celebrities and rich kids would come here shopping for expensive jewelry and I had found out of the job vacancy when I had followed Maya for shopping. She ended up buying a lot because she couldn’t choose.

Work was less busy today as we had lesser and fewer customers but I was secretly glad because I would have the time to do my homework from school.

I was engrossed and focussed on my math assignment that I didn’t notice when a boy walked in. His face was familiar and I was sure I knew him from a place, my suspicions were confirmed when I saw the School’s football bracelet on his hand.

I should have known he was one of the footballers with his great appearance and perfectly styled hair that was gelled on his hair, his sharp jaw made him look intimidating and his piercings fitted him perfectly.

“Welcome to J&K, how may I help you?” I said and he smiled at me. He seemed to have recognized me from what happened earlier today and I suddenly felt embarrassed.

He didn’t say any more words as he picked a pair of silver earrings that was by the side of the store and paid for the price that was tagged on it.

“The boys could get silly sometimes, sorry for what happened earlier today” he said and walked out of the store. Did a member of the Green lands just say sorry?