Love in the Cafeteria

Raj had never eaten a school cafeteria burrito this slowly before.

Mostly because Isla Cunningham was sitting across from him — legs crossed, perfect hair catching the sun like a shampoo commercial, smiling at him.

And not the "I pity the nerd who lent me a pencil" kind of smile.

The "I'm your girlfriend and I find your jokes funny" kind.

He was still adjusting.

It would take a while.

Nick sat beside him, looking equally dazed, holding hands under the table with Taylor Vasquez, who was doing that thing where she leaned into him every time she laughed. Which, for the record, was a lot.

Raj had spent his entire adolescence imagining what it would feel like to sit at a lunch table with girls like them. He'd never imagined it would feel this... terrifying. And yet he didn't feel himself drowning in the terror, like he thought it would.

"So," Taylor said, stabbing a piece of lettuce like it had wronged her. "Has anyone heard from Joey?"

The name broke through Raj's daydream haze.

Nick shook his head, frowning. "Nothing. He didn't answer any of my texts, and I swung by his house last night. Lights were off. His mom's car wasn't there."

Isla chewed her straw thoughtfully. "That's weird, right? He threw that amazing party on Saturday — and now, poof, gone? I mean, we don't really know him, but he's not like that, is he?"

Raj tried to sound casual. "Yeah, he's not crazy about school, but he doesn't usually skip. He's probably just... decompressing. From the whole being suddenly interesting to the entire female population thing."

That got a laugh from Taylor, but not from Isla, who looked genuinely concerned.

"I texted Aynsley this morning," Isla said. "And Madison. You know, the Joey Fan Club presidents? Neither of them replied. That's not normal. Madison usually answers in, like, negative time."

Taylor snorted. "Maybe they're all together somewhere. You know... together together."

Nick nearly choked on his chocolate milk. "Taylor!"

She grinned and shrugged. "What? It's Joey. You've seen how Madison and Aynsley look at him. He's, like, got them under a spell, or he's using a love potion or something. I mean, he's hot, but not like you, baby."

Raj swallowed hard and felt his ears burn. He'd never been a boyfriend before, so he had nothing to compare the experience to, but he was finding it very intense. His whole life, Raj had been a second class citizen in school, invisible and unnoticed. Now, suddenly, he was holding the hand of a gorgeous blonde and being pulled centre stage.

It was a lot.

"Yeah," he said finally, far more clumsily than he should have with the length of time he spent in silence thinking of what to say. "Love potion. Sure."

There was a longer silence after that. The cafeteria buzzed with the sound of normal people doing normal lunch things, and Raj couldn't shake the feeling that their table had slipped sideways out of reality.

Saturday night already felt like a dream. The music, the lights, Isla kissing him like he wasn't the guy who once got a nosebleed during dodgeball.

He still didn't know why she'd picked him.

He wasn't complaining — God no — but every time she looked at him, he felt like he was impersonating someone cooler. Her piercing blue eyes seemed to cut through him. Under her gaze Raj was unable to wield his tongue like a weapon. Instead he found himself stumbling over words.

"So, uh," he said, trying hard to get his wit back online, "if Joey doesn't show up tomorrow, do we... like... call the cops? Or a priest?"

Isla laughed — the bright kind that hit him like caffeine. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm thorough."

Nick looked down at his phone again. "It's just not like him to disappear. He always answers."

Taylor leaned her chin on her hand. "You two have known him forever, right?"

"Since middle school," Raj said. "Back when our biggest life goal was beating the Dark Souls tutorial."

Nick nodded. "Joey was always the quiet one, anxious, shy. He didn't like a lot of attention. That part of why it's so surprising to see him hanging out with those girls. They're so flashy."

"Flashy?" Taylor giggled, "Oh, you want flashy? You just wait to see me tonight. I'll make you see stars!"

Raj glanced at Isla, who was watching him with this expression — soft, curious, like she saw through his jokes and noticed he was actually worried. It made something twist in his chest. He didn't know what to do with that.

"Well," Isla said finally, brightening, "maybe we just give him another day. He'll turn up."

"Yeah," Taylor agreed. "He's probably fine. Remember when Bill Crampton didn't come to school for a week, and then it turned out his parents forgot to let the school know that they were going on a vacation? It's probably like that. And, like, we owe him a thank-you text when he does. That party changed everything."

Her eyes flicked toward Nick, and he turned the color of a ripe tomato.

Raj grinned. At least he wasn't the only one bushing. "I'm texting him as soon as he's back online: Dear Joseph, thank you for single-handedly rewriting the social hierarchy of South Point High. Regards, The Formerly Invisible."

Isla giggled and reached across the table to flick his wrist. "Stop making me laugh, I'm trying to eat!"

"Multitask," Raj said. "Laugh between chewing. It's good cardio."

Isla's hand found his under the table, warm and certain.

Maybe I can live with the extra attention, Raj thought, Maybe some parts of the new life were here to stay. I hope they are.

Taylor raised her soda cup. "To Joey, the mysterious matchmaker."

Nick clinked his carton of chocolate milk against it. "Wherever he is."

Raj smiled. "Probably inventing a new social order somewhere else. Classic Joey move."

They all laughed — even if no one quite believed it.