Suzie’s House 308 : Food, Fibs, and Friends

“Why is the cafeteria food always so putrid?” Alisha dropped her fork to the tray, making Emma flinch.

“I know. Right? I crave real food. Like Chinese or something.” Katy picked at her food with a disgusted look on her face.

“They had that Chow Mein stuff last week.” Kate shoveled in whatever the lunch ladies wanted to call the glop they were supposed to eat today like it was no problem.

“That’s not real food and you know it.” Katy shuddered dramatically.

Emma finished shredding her napkin and dropped the strips in a heap on her tray. It looked about as appetizing as the canned fruit oozing syrup around the edges. She wasn’t at all sure she should eat anything.

Then again, she wasn’t so nervous lately. Maybe it would stay down. She put a fork load full into her mouth just as Tracy came along and slapped her shoulder and almost choked on it.

“Kate. Emma. Band meeting.” Tracy didn’t wait for an answer, just went ahead to where Bruce was eating with his friends.

“O-oh. Okay.” Emma dropped her fork and stood up.

“Wait. Why are you going?” Alisha said. “You’re just backstage crew, aren’t you?”

“No she’s…”

“Y-yes.” Emma interrupted Kate before she could give away the secret.

She gave Kate a warning look, afraid she’d say something anyway, but amazingly enough Kate actually nodded and shut up. Kate stood up and collected her stuff.

“I’m sure they don’t need you now,” Katy said. Her eyes were narrowed and she played with her fork like she wouldn’t mind stabbing something with it.

“I.. I.. I have to go.”

“Yeah. They’re probably going to talk about the school talent show. It’s coming up fast. No wait. Tracy said something about money for a place to practice. Well, it’ll be something like that,” Kate said with authority.

“Why would a stage hand need to know that,” Katy asked.

Kate didn’t wait for Emma. She walked off like Katy hadn’t said anything. But Emma was afraid to be rude. Rude people got hit when no one was looking. But if she didn’t hurry up, wouldn’t she be rude to the band? She had to hurry.

She collected her tray. As she lifted it, Alisha grabbed her wrist.

“You should stay here with us. Bad enough that Kate is leaving us behind. There’s no reason for you to go too.”

Emma yearned to tell her that there was more than enough reason. She was the lead singer, after all. But she was a singer in a mask. If either of them found out it was really her on stage, there was no way she could still do it. But the band needed her. Look, they were all at the big table right now, looking her way. She had to go.

“If you go now, don’t expect to come back,” Katy said.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Just what she said,” Alisha said. “Us or them. Choose.”

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