Chapter 22
When I reached the canteen, I walked in and sat down at the table I usually ate at. I had to sit on my own every day now, because of Mica and I pretending that we didn't like each other. I could see him queueing up to buy lunch, and when I looked over at him, he gave me a small smile.I sighed as I took my lunchbag out of my checked school bag, and I began to eat my tuna and sweetcorn sandwich. I wished that Mica could still sit with me, because I was lonely sitting on my own, and I felt as if everyone was staring at me. But I knew that it was better if we didn't sit together, because it would only create more rumours, and people would just make fun of us more.
As I was swallowing the last mouthful of my sandwich, I heard someone shout my name. I turned to see who it was, and I felt as if I was going to be sick when I saw that it was Jade. Emily was sat next to her, and I was afraid they were going to ask me about Mica.
"Victoria, are you having a good day?" Jade asked me, her voice full of sarcasm.
Today wasn't a good day. I was already feeling awful because of Lewis, and now Jade and Emily were going to do something to make me feel even worse. I felt terrible about myself, and I had been thinking about how much I hated myself while I had made my way to the canteen. But I wasn't going to tell them that. That was none of their business, and it's not like I could tell them anyway. So I just nodded.
Emily dissolved into hysterical laughter, and I could see Jade trying not to laugh. I felt that same awful feeling in my stomach again, and I wondered what they found so funny. But then I realised. They were laughing at me trying to answer them. I felt my throat begin to tighten, and I just wanted to turn back around and try to ignore them. So I did.
But then Emily called my name. I forced myself to turn back around to her, and she asked me exactly the same question that Jade had asked me.
"Are you having a good day?" Emily asked me.
Her voice had the same hint of sarcasm as Jade's when she had asked me the question, and they both spoke in the same patronising tone. I nodded again, and Jade shrieked with laughter, just as Emily had done. I felt as if I was going to cry, or even panic again, so I turned back to my lunch and carried on eating.
I could hear them behind me, still yelling my name and asking me if I'd had a good day. I didn't turn around again, because I knew what they were going to say and do. A tear fell from my eye and rolled down my cheek, and I tried to carry on eating to distract myself from what had just happened. But my throat felt dry, and my tuna and sweetcorn sandwich became hard to swallow.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mica walk across the canteen with his lunch. I looked at him helplessly, almost wishing that he would come and help me. But he just looked at me, mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry', and went to sit at a table on the other side of the room.
I tried my best to hold back the rest of my tears, and I made myself eat the rest of my lunch, even though I didn't really feel like it. I waited for the bell to go for the fourth lesson of the day, and I counted to sixty several times in my head, wishing for the minutes to go by so that I could get away from the canteen.
When it finally went, I put my lunchbag in my school bag, and I put it on my back. Then I started to walk to my next lesson, which was PSHE.
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