While it was generally agreed that the happiest time of the day was the final bell and the end of the school day, the second happiest was probably the start of lunch break. You could tell that by the sound of the crowd gathered in the cafe, what with all the laughter and shrieks and shouts and running around and other signs of chaos barely kept under control by the few unlucky hall monitors who had to try to uphold the law.
Onion and I got in line to get some grub one day just as lunch began. She was in an excellent mood, having just come from gym class where she had totally destroyed her opponent in badminton. Dave was nowhere to be seen, but as hungry as we were we decided not to wait for him.
“Where can he be?” I asked, scanning the crowd once more. “It’s not like Dave to be late for lunch.”
“Or any meal,” Onion added. She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe Olga finally strangled him after all. We’ll find out.”
The line moved forward at a steady pace. In front of us was a tall, skinny nerd whose name I could never remember. He tried to flirt a bit with Onion. Fortunately for him, fresh off her victory in gym class, she was willing to go along with his lame banter if only for her own amusement.
He pointed at me and snorted a little.
“Say, is he your boyfriend?” His voice was nasal and kind of grating.
Onion laughed. “No, just a friend.”
“Oh, good,” he said. “Then maybe I’ve got a chance.”
Onion nudged me as if to let me know she was going to play dumb. “A chance for what?”
“You know, maybe ask you out and show you a good time.” He snorted a little again.
Onion laughed again. “So what’s your idea of a good time? Plotting graphs on your calculator?”
I tried not to laugh.
The nerd seemed puzzled, as if he didn’t quite understand what was so amusing. “Well, that can be fun, of course—unless you’re mocking me. But that wasn’t what I had in mind at all, if you know what I mean.” He tried to sound suave and debonair, which only made him seem even more of a nerd.
“No, I don’t,” Onion said, still toying with him as the line moved forward. “What did you have in mind?”
The nerd actual blushed a little. “Well, what I thought was—”
“Excuse me. Mind if I cut in front of you? I’m in kind of a hurry.”
So focused on their conversation, I hadn’t even seen her approach. She was one of the school’s “Society Girls,” as we called them, tall and shapely and fashionably dressed, with near perfect hair and complexion like a runway model.
The nerd stared at her with his mouth open, as if stunned that she would actually speak to him.
“Do I mind? Of course not! For you, anything!”
He motioned her in front of him.
She gave him one of those great big plastic smiles that mean nothing.
“Great!” She stepped in line.
Onion frowned.
“No problem at all! Not for you! Say, what’s your name? I’m Freddie, by the way.”
Her plastic smile faltered a bit. “Hello, Freddie. I’m Veronica. Thanks again for the cut in line. Bye now.”
She made a point of turning her back.
“Veronica,” he repeated in a voice filled with admiration, oblivious to having just been snubbed. “That’s a beautiful name.”
She didn’t answer.
Even though she had no real interest in him at all, I saw Onion kind of fuming that Freddie had turned all his attention to the Society Girl.
Onion cleared her throat.
“Anyway, as you were saying before we were so rudely interrupted.”
“Huh?” He looked at Onion as if seeing her for the first time. “Oh. Nothing. Just forget it.”
He turned to stare at the back of Veronica’s head as if newly in love.
I could tell from Onion’s dour expression that she wasn’t going to let it go.
“You were starting to tell me how you were going to show me a good time.”
Freddie looked back at her as if annoyed now. “That was before Veronica showed up. Frankly, she’s hot and you’re . . . kind of not.” He snorted once more.
An odd look crossed his face then, as if he just remembered something.
“Wait a minute. Your nickname is Onion, isn’t it? Yeah, I think it is! Onions are smelly, you know.” He sniffed the air in front of her. “Hey, did you just come from gym class? Well, guess what? I think you’re living up to your name!” He both laughed and snorted at the same time. “Isn’t that right, Veronica?”
Veronica raised her head and turned around slightly, just enough to look Onion up and down.
“Whatever you say, Freddie,” Veronica said with a little smirk.
Freddie snorted again, as if pleased with himself and happy that Veronica agreed.
To my surprise, Onion said nothing, her face pale. All I could think was that words failed her, which was a first for Onion. I would have spoken up in her defense but knew she was the type who insisted on fighting her own fights.
We got our food from the cafeteria ladies and headed to our table without another word. Only when we sat down at our table did I notice her eyes were misty.
“Everything okay?”
She shook her head.
“Turn around,” she commanded. “Don’t look at me.”
“What? Why?”
Her moist eyes turned angry. “Just turn your chair around and face the other way. Now!”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I grabbed my coffee off my tray and did as I was told.
“And stay that way until I tell you.”
“You got it.”
Neither of us spoke. I listened but didn’t hear her crying, probably because she didn’t want me to hear. That was both reassuring and unnerving at the same time. I had never known Onion to cry about anything, but I guess everyone has their limits.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about what’s—”
“No, I do not.” Her voice was firm, which at least told me she wasn’t too terribly choked up.
As I drank my coffee, still concerned about Onion behind me, I looked around the cafe to see who might notice I was facing the wrong way and give me a puzzled look. No one did. Instead, everyone seemed involved in whatever drama or conversation was going on at their own table. The perspective I had was interesting if nothing else; it was like I hadn’t really noticed what went on at lunchtime before. As I scanned the room I saw hugs and shoves, jeers and jests, tears and tirades. It was like being at the zoo and watching all the animals in their fake natural habitats.
Then I saw Dave trotting toward us from the other side, shaking his head as if disappointed, a couple of books tucked under his arm.
He came up to us a bit out of breath.
“Wow. Sorry I’m so late. I got in this big philosophical argument with Goodman after class and lost track of time. The good news is, I think I won!” Dave gave us one of his exaggerated smiles.
He said nothing about me facing away from the table, as if that’s how I usually sat. I waited for him to notice and say something, anything.
Dave shrugged when neither of us responded, his expression pretty much blank.
He looked down at Onion. “So, like, what’s cookin’, good-lookin’?”
I stared up at Dave in disbelief, his blank expression still there. I had never heard him call Onion “good-lookin’” before, even if the saying was just a cliché—and as far as I know, he never called her that again—but if there ever was a time Onion needed to hear something like that, it was right now.
I risked a glance behind me to see Onion’s reaction. She was staring up at him in even greater disbelief than me.
“Burgers and pizza,” she finally answered. “Why don’t you get some? The line is nearly gone now.”
Dave looked over at the serving area and smiled. “Hey, great! Be right back.” He dropped his books on the table and hurried off.
Onion turned her attention to me.
“What are you looking at?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Can I turn around now? I’m kinda hungry and my food’s getting cold.”
She sniffed once and wiped her nose with a napkin. “Yeah, go ahead.”
As I turned my chair back around, I noticed a bunch of crumpled napkins on her tray. I thought it best not to mention them.
We ate in uncomfortable silence a while as I struggled to think of something to say.
“At least you didn’t kill them,” I finally offered. “That was good of you.”
She shrugged, as if they weren’t worth the effort that would have taken.
“You know better than to let things like that bother you,” I said, taking a chance on what I was about to say next. “Don’t forget, you’re . . . a tough broad.”
About to take another bite of her pizza, she paused and set it back down.
“That’s the wisest thing I’ve ever heard you say about me.”
I wavered a bit. “Well, actually, I didn’t say it. You did.”
Onion’s face brightened as she sat back. “Oh yeah! I did say that, didn’t I? No wonder it sounded so wise!”
And with that, we both laughed.
Dave came back with a tray heaping with food and plopped it on the table. We looked up at him.
“Hey,” he said sheepishly. “I’m eating late, so I’m extra hungry.”
Onion grinned up at him, her face nearly glowing.
“That’s okay. Your gluttony is forgiven. This time, anyway.”
Onion pushed his chair out for him so he could sit down, something I had never seen her do before.
“Well, thanks,” Dave said, rubbing his hands as he sat. “So, did I miss anything?”
Onion and I glanced at each other.
“Not a thing.” She patted his shoulder.
“Good,” he said as he stuffed his mouth. He looked from me to Onion and back again. “Well, eat up, will you?” he said. “Times a-wastin’. I didn’t rush here to eat by myself.”
As hungry as I was, nobody had to tell me twice. And for the rest of lunch, Onion listened intently to Dave’s usual boasts and complaints without ridiculing him at all.