Freshman Year by Annameekee Hesik Page B

“Hey, isn’t that the guitar class helper chick?”
    Marisol and Sarah crane their necks like giraffes to look over at Keeta, who is now pounding lemons with the lemonade-making contraption.
    â€œShouldn’t we get going?” I pick up my backpack and stand up. “Those thongs aren’t going to buy themselves, ladies.”
    But Kate grabs my backpack and yanks me back down. “I’m not done eating yet. Park it, sister.”
    â€œOh yeah, I’ve seen her around Gila,” Sarah says.
    â€œYour point?” I know I sound defensive, but I don’t like that they’re looking at my secret crush. They have this way of ruining things for me and I don’t want them to ruin this.
    â€œWhat’s her name?” Marisol asks.
    â€œKeeta,” Kate says, like she and Keeta are longtime friends or something.
    I stay quiet and fidget with my backpack straps. I need to think of a way to get them to quietly exit the food court.
    â€œOmigod.” Sarah squints at Keeta to get a better look because she’s supposed to wear glasses or contacts but can’t remember to wear either. “She’s one of those dykes on the basketball team,” she says way too loudly.
    I slap Sarah’s arm. “God, you don’t have to scream it.” I quickly glance over at Keeta again.
    She’s taking an order from a mom with a bunch of kids and I pray she can’t hear us. I regret choosing a table so close to her.
    â€œAnd she doesn’t play basketball,” I say, ignoring the other part of Sarah’s comment because it’s too much for me to handle. “She plays guitar.”
    â€œWell, I don’t know what rock you’ve been living under,” Sarah says, “but she definitely plays basketball. She’s on the varsity team. She practices when my brother practices. He told me about her and the others. Wait, she’s in your guitar class?”
    â€œYeah, so?” I look over at Keeta again and she looks right back at me. No smile this time.
    Then Sarah remembers more details about Keeta. “I think she’s with that one girl with the blond ’fro.”
    â€œIsn’t that the girl you have Spanish with, Abbey?” Then Kate turns to The All Knowing Sarah, “Her name’s Stef, right?”
    â€œThat’s the one,” Sarah says then whispers something to Marisol and they both laugh.
    â€œWhat’s your point?” I yell, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. Keeta and Stef? That can’t be right.
    â€œDamn, Abbey. You’re like a lezzie magnet!” Marisol says, and they all bust up laughing. “And you’re going to play basketball with them? Ha. Before you know it, you’ll be hanging on the arm of some girl at prom.” Marisol bumps knuckles with Sarah, and they crack up some more about my future lesbian life. Even Kate’s laughing.
    I don’t know how this happened, but I know I have to stop it. If I overreact, though, they might get suspicious. So I do what I do best when I’m around my friends: follow their lead.
    â€œOh my God, Mari, you’re right.” I force myself to laugh really loud. “They are totally after me. I should get some Extra Strength Gayoff. Does Walgreens carry that?”
    It works. They laugh even harder and fall in each other’s laps.
    â€œMaybe I can buy it in bulk at Costco.”
    â€œStop!” Kate gasps “I’m going to pee my pants!”
    With the fake smile still on my face, I accidentally look over at Keeta one more time. The screaming kids are long gone, and she’s just standing there, looking hard over at our table. Then she shakes her head and turns away. She must have heard everything. My fake smile melts faster than a snow cone in July.
    I panic inside, but what can I do? If I go over to Keeta, my friends will know something weird is going on. Plus, I’ve just gotten them off my back about the whole