Twenty-Two
Trudy
Miss Spencer scooted over a little so Trudy could sit in the chair beside her. Coach Meechum sat across from them. “Missed you Friday,” he said, then slurped a spaghetti noodle.
Trudy had no ready response. Had he missed her as in personally or did he mean in his capacity as football coach missing the cheerleader sponsor?“What are you doing here?” she managed, pulling a sandwich from her paper bag. “Coaches don’t have lunchroom duty.”
“Spaghetti Day,” Shug said. “Every other Monday. Never miss it.”
He didn’t seem upset. Shug sopped sauce with a knob of garlic bread, popped it in his mouth, closed his eyes, and savored his chew. He opened his eyes and caught Trudy staring. “What?”
“Oh!” She started. “Nothing! I um . . . need a napkin.”
“You mean like the one in your lap?” Shug pointed. “And here’s an extra.” He handed her one he hadn’t used.
“Oh, thanks. But I like pulling them from the dispenser myself. Because they’re fresher.
” She stood too quickly, as if trying to escape, and caught her toe on the chair leg, then stumbled backward, the chair’s metal screeching loudly on the lunchroom tile.
She had to plop back down in her seat to keep from falling.
Everyone around stopped eating and looked over.
“You okay?” Shug asked.
“Fine.” Trudy stood, successfully, made sure to push her chair under the table, then scurried to the condiment counter.
Because they’re fresher? Really, Trudy? Why was she so flustered?
She took a breath and blew it out. She grabbed a few napkins while Dee Dee and Vangie stopped next to her, their attention lasered in across the lunchroom.
“Look,” Vangie said under her breath. “He’s right on the end.”
“I see him,” Dee Dee said. “June Bug’s saving us seats. It’s perfect. Come on.”
Trudy recalled silly moments from her own day, assessing which lunch tables were worthy of the head cheerleader and her best friend.
Back at the teacher’s table, though, Shug had left and Trudy tried to hide her disappointment. “Where’d he go?” she asked, tilting her voice up so that it seemed like an innocent question.
“Who?” Miss Spencer feigned ignorance, smiling wryly.
Trudy opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, a lunch tray and silverware crashed to the floor across the lunchroom.
“Hey! Watch it!” a girl cried out. Trudy spun around. Dee Dee’s tray of spaghetti wasn’t in her hands anymore; she held only a fork. Vangie stood next to her trying not to laugh.
The whole cafeteria had gone from boisterous to silent in a millisecond, the way a needle scratches off a record in a movie.
A rogue fork fell to the floor, momentarily breaking the silence before coming to a rest after a few clanging bounces.
Scattered whispers skipped through the air.
Sounds of pots and pans and dishes being washed resonated from the kitchen.
Carter sat next to where Dee Dee stood, covered; spaghetti slithered from his shoulders and down his back like dead worms, falling to the floor at his feet next to a carton of milk which glug-glug-glugged out the last of its contents.
“He tripped me!” Dee Dee cried out, pointing at Carter. “And he got spaghetti sauce on my brand-new Candies!”
Rejoice sprung from her seat and pointed at Dee Dee. “You did that on purpose!”
“You’re crazy.” Dee Dee put her arm up in front of her face and turned her head away. “And you smell like my maid!”
“I saw it.” Rejoice moved in nose-to-nose. “You and Vangie planned it. Y’all were laughing the whole time.”
Zach and Gregory, one table over, stood. “You starting shit, Sissy Sissoms?” said Zach.
Greg said, “D’you see that JB?” He turned to look at June Bug. “Sissy’s messing with Dee Dee.”
Carter’s chest caved. He directed a burning stare at his plate.
June Bug stood slowly and cleared his throat. “There a problem?” he asked coolly.
Greg likely practiced his smug little smirk in the mirror of his Camaro. “You always this clumsy, Sissy? Or just desperate for attention?”
“Enough!” Trudy hollered; she and Gina had already zipped across the cafeteria.
“All of you,” Trudy said. “Quiet right this minute.” The last thing Trudy needed was to break up a fistfight.
Dee Dee scowled. Vangie smiled. Rejoice drew in a deep breath and pinned Dee Dee with a glare that could curdle milk.
“Dee Dee and Vangie, Mr. Hendon’s office now,” Trudy ordered.
“For what?” Dee Dee whined.
Trudy squared up to Dee Dee and spoke softly. “I advise you not to make any more of a scene than you already have, young lady. I’d hate to see what happens if you keep going.”
“I hope you know ...” Vangie set her tray on the table. “We’ll need a note so we can eat our lunch during fourth period.”
Trudy ignored Vangie and pointed at the tough guys. “Sit down and finish eating, right now.” The boys, June Bug, Zach, and Greg maintained eye contact with Trudy, but sat reluctantly.
To Rejoice, Trudy whispered, “You okay?”
She nodded.
“Everybody!” Miss Spencer ordered the entire lunchroom. “Back to your lunch.”
Trudy knelt next to Carter, who was still sitting with his chin tucked, noodles everywhere, his white polo soaked in red sauce.
“Okay, Carter. You’re going to go with Miss Spencer,” Trudy whispered. She took the boy by the arm and held on as he stood. “Y’all can wash most of this off in the teacher’s lounge restroom.”
Carter whispered, “I was just minding my own business.”
“I know it, baby. I know,” Miss Spencer kept saying. Her hands had no place to go to console him since the sauce was everywhere. Carter and Miss Spencer walked out the door.
Trudy stayed behind to maintain order, but as soon as the lunch period ended, she beelined to Mr. Hendon’s office where, she hoped, Dee Dee and Vangie were being served a Spaghetti Day–sized helping of justice. When she arrived, however, nothing was further from the truth.
“Miss Abernathy?” Mr. Hendon asked. “Did that Sissoms boy and that Johnson girl try to start a food fight in the cafeteria?”
“I’m sorry?” Trudy said, then barked a laugh at the absurdity. “Is that what they told you?”
Vangie grinned, her arms folded across her chest. Dee Dee pretended to cry. “Look what he did to my brand-new Candies!”