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24: Popping Pills

My mouth watered at the sight in front of me. MBPA hands down has the best food I've ever had. Today they were serving mine and seemed to be everyone else favorite, buffalo chicken salad. Cleo and I were sitting at our usual table in the corner of the room. Our cute little corner was away from the hustle and bustle of MBPA's cafeteria. We had two large windows on either side of us that looked out towards the football field and tennis courts.

Sometimes Marlee and Bailey would join us, but they mainly sat with the boys at the football team table. Most of the time they got tired of the boys or the boys' new fans half-way through lunch and would migrate to our little corner. Since they football, team has been doing well, girls have been swarming around Luca, Blake and Thomas.

I shoved a mouthful of the food into my mouth and turned my attention towards the new school celebrities. All three of them had a girl on either side of them, begging for their attention looking like a desperate puppy. However, none of the boys would give them the time of day. Bailey had her head rested on Thomas's shoulder and Marlee casually scrolled through her phone, bored with her soundings. According to Marlee, the football coach wanted all of his players to sit together so the team could 'bond'. He claimed he would make it easier to play as a team in the next upcoming games.

The school had gotten rid of a lot of the small round tables, bringing in three long tables so the team and their own friends could be together. Most of the players didn't seem to mind since they had already been sitting with boys from their team, but their girlfriends were miserable. Most lasted a couple of days before going to sit with their own friends. Bailey felt bad for Thomas and tried to stick by his side, but it wasn't hard to tell she was about to give up. Marlee on the other found the girls hitting on Luca amusing for the first few weeks but she, just like her brother, has now found them annoying.

So, there they sat, Bailey sitting by Thomas, poking at her food clearly annoyed, Marlee across from her, scrolling mindlessly through her phone, and Blake and Luca examining a playbook, trying to ignore their own teammates.

"They look miserable" I mumbled

Cleo looked up from her own food giving me a raised eyebrow.

"Who?"

"Them" I said nodding my head towards Bailey and Marlee.

She nodded her head in understanding. We both stared at their table in pity. The girls had asked me and Cleo to come and sit with them but unlike them we valued our sanity and declined the offer.

"They chose to sit there." she shrugged "They could always sit with us, well the guys couldn't, but you get what I'm saying. "

I rolled my eyes at her "They could but someone likes to make snarky comments at them"

Cleo giggled at herself and shrugged her shoulders.

I will admit she's been nicer to them; I think she's starting to realize that they are actually good people, but she still holds a grudge towards them, more at Marlee than at Bailey. I'm not sure what happened in the Reid siblings past with Cleo, every time I ask, Cleo dismisses it and changes the subject. I've asked Marlee but she claims she doesn't know.

Cleo and I continued to enjoy our food, not saying much to each other since our mouths were stuffed.

"Ok. I've had enough"

I look up searching for the voice and see Marlee setting her food beside me.

" Are you okay you look-"

"Irritated? Annoyed? Tired? If any of those words are what were you were thinking than you would be correct Sky"

She drops her head and starts to rub her temple. I glance over at Cleo, and she gives me a 'I don't know either look'.