Kate made it through her first two classes, though her mood didn't improve. She was relieved when the bell rang and it was lunchtime and she could be reunited with her friends.
Kate stood in line with her friends in the crowded cafeteria and tried not to look too closely at the selection of food. It was pretty dire. Nicole, as a vegetarian, had the hardest time finding stuff she could eat. Today she was having potato waffles and beans, while Dinah and Amy were faring slightly better with chicken tikka masala and rice. Kate thought the curry looked a bit too fatty but Dinah, slightly bigger than average, didn't care because she was tall and well proportioned. Amy was stick thin and seemed to be able to eat anything she wanted without putting on weight. Nicole seemed to stay trim from her fussiness alone.
In the end, Kate opted for a salad. Though she knew her mom's taunts about her weight were unfounded, she still couldn't help but feel like maybe, if she did just lose those extra couple of pounds, her mom wouldn't be as harsh with her.
"Girl," Dinah said when she saw her plate, "don't tell me that's all you're eating. Dang, it's your birthday! Have a dessert at least!"
Kate lowered down in her seat.
"Actually, Tony said if he saw me at lunch he'd get me a cupcake," she said.
The other three girls all grinned and gave each other looks. Kate felt a little silly to have mentioned it.
"Oh my God," Nicole suddenly said.
Everyone stopped giggling and looked round to see what she was looking at.
A gorgeous boy had just wandered into the cafeteria.
"Oh," Kate said, turning back. "That's Elijah. He's a new senior, started about a month back. I've heard Madison talking about him."
"That heavenly man's been walking around the school for a whole month and this is the first I've ever seen of him?" Nicole said without a slight bitter tone to her voice. She seemed transfixed by him, like she couldn't tear her eyes away.
Dinah seemed to like the look of him, too.
"Oh hell yes. He's got that whole Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic thing going on."
"But brooding," Nicole murmured. "Dark and brooding."
Kate took another look. Elijah was strikingly attractive. But from what she'd heard Madison telling her mom, Elijah was a bit of a loner. He never seemed to have anyone to hang around with. Madison had tried to get him to join her gang when he started a month earlier but he'd been reluctant, something Madison took as a slight. She'd since decided he was a bit of a freak and not worthy of her attention.
He did seem pretty elusive. In fact, this was probably the first time Kate had ever seen him in the cafeteria. San Marcos was a big school but someone like Elijah wasn't the type to get lost in a crowd. She wondered why she hadn't seen him more often.
"You know what we were saying about prom?" Nicole said. "I take it back. I'd ditch you three in a heartbeat if it meant I got to go with him!"
Everyone began to laugh. Except for Kate, that is. She'd been looking at Elijah, studying the way he moved through the crowds of people. He was so light on his feet it almost looked like he was floating. He had a graceful way of moving, like each step was part of a dance routine. It was mesmerizing.
Just then, he turned his head as though sensing someone looking at him. Their eyes met across the busy cafeteria. In that moment, Kate felt a sensation wash through her like nothing she'd felt before. It was like a bolt of electricity striking her, like every nerve ending in her body had been set on fire.
A group of younger kids walked past Kate's table, blocking her view.
By the time they'd passed, Elijah was gone.
She craned her head, trying to see him exiting through the door he'd been headed toward, but she couldn't see him at all. He'd disappeared.
"Guys," Kate said to her laughing friends, "did you just see that?"
They all looked at her, confused.
"See what?"
"Elijah. He was there one minute, and then he completely disappeared."
She kept looking at the spot where he'd been a moment before. There was no way he could have left the cafeteria that quickly.
"Elijah," Nicole laughed, clutching her heart theatrically. Then she looked at Kate with mock aggression. "I will fight you for him, you know. Fists, hair pulling, nail scratching, the whole shebang."
The girls started laughing again, but Kate didn't join in. Her gaze was transfixed on the spot where Elijah had once stood. Her mind was reeling.
What had she just witnessed?
