2. orange juice

“Orange juice,” Justin took an attractively noisy slurp out of his juice popper and elbowed me, causing me to create an unsightly scrawl on my work, “I love orange juice.”
“We know,” Carol sighed, “and that’s already on our shopping list for this oh-so-exciting birthday party for you so, please, for a minute, shut up about the orange juice.”
“Hey, easy on the birthday boy, Carol,” Justin said, raising his hands in surrender.
“You’re not the birthday boy yet, kawaii girl,” Tommy pointed out innocently. I stifled a snigger. Tommy always called people names with adjectives from his own language. I guess it was kind of payback after being harshly picked on in junior high for being just about the only half-Asian in the school, and it had become a habit obviously, because Justin was one of the few that didn’t bully him.

“Jealous are we, Hayford? Someone’s birthday isn’t until all the way at the end of the year,” Justin sneered.
“Now now, children,” Christian coaxed, casting a glance at Justin, “If we can’t play nicely, then we can’t play together.”

Carol blew raspberry with her cherry chapsticked lips.

“Yes, mother,” Justin and Tommy said solemnly in unison.
“I’m a dude, fags. I have a dick.” Christian rolled his eyes. Justin coughed.
“Really?” Carol quirked an eyebrow, “How big is it?”
“Carol!” I hissed, “You don’t just ask guys how big... it is!”
“What about hot dogs? I love hot dogs too!” Justin squealed, like a girl, out of the blue.

I had already lost interest, and so had Carol. While they were discussing their male sex organs and body parts, Carol and I were trying to make sense of all the x’s and f’s in my polynomials (I had a test tomorrow and was so screwed). Christian had been silenced by Carol’s question and was absent-mindedly poking his lunch, some of the peas rolling off. Tommy was also occupied with his lunch, except most of it was going into his mouth rather than off the table.

“Son of a bitch!” Justin shrieked. We all turned to see what had caused Justin’s humorously high-pitched outburst of anger. People sitting around us in the lunch room, who had been peacefully eating their food, also turned around. There were a few laughs and snickers, some amused smiles, but mostly an entertained silence.

Justin had managed to squirt his orange juice all over his school shirt, “I fucking ironed this shirt yesterday, man!” he whined, desperately fumbling for a napkin or tissue to clean his shirt.
“You iron?” Tommy quirked an eyebrow questioningly. Justin glared at him.

When he realised that just about the whole school was on the verge of laughing at his stupidity, he just grinned peevishly and yelled, “Come to my party this Saturday, at Tommy’s house. There’s gonna be heaps of food and... well, just come!” With an extra emphasis on the last two words.

That was Justin.

They laughed. There were excited murmurs, along the lines of ‘Tommy’s house? That’s hot!’ Soon, people, one by one, returned to their own small, quiet conversations. It took a while for Justin to notice that we were all still staring at him.

He arched an eyebrow, “What?”
“Smooth.” Tommy stated.
“Sexual innuendo much?” I laughed.
“You just have dirty minds,” he retorted defensively.
“And you don’t?” I challenged.
“Of course not,” he said indignantly.
“That would be why you put such an obvious stress on the last two words. Just come, eh? Not horny at all,” Christian snickered, gently placing a hand on his thigh.
“Dude,” Justin jumped up, looking at Christian with a shocked look on his face, “What the fuck are you doing?”
“Leave the poor guy alone, Just. It’s not his fault you’re such an irresistible casanova,” Tommy drawled, barely amused and not looking anywhere but at his food, which he was still carefully putting into his mouth.
Justin grinned, obviously pleased, but seriously said, “Just because I’m an irresistible casanova doesn’t mean that dudes,” he shot a glance at Christian, whose ears went pink, “Can just go around groping around my crotch!”
“’Fuck’s sake,” Tommy said, taking in a grateful mouthful of peas, “Get over yourself.”

Justin opened his mouth to shoot out a cleverly thought-out retort but Carol got to it before him, “How can you eat that?” she shivered, “I hate peas. I mean, I know they’ve, like, zero fat in them and everything, but they taste like shit.”
“Honey, I’m a vegetarian,” Tommy said with his mouth full of healthy greens and throwing a triumphant look at Justin, “I actually think they taste pretty good.”
“No shit, bony ass.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, genius, if you’re so smart—”
“I never said, or implied that I was smart.”
I stared at him for a moment, feeling stupid, “Whatever. Help me with these polynomials. They’re giving me a migraine,” I groaned, massaging my temples with two fingers.
“Can’t be bothered,” he yawned.
“Meanie.”
“Slut.”
“Oi. Do I always have to be the father—” Christian started, nervously shifting away from Justin.
“Mother,” Justin interjected.
Christian fumed, “You want more orange juice on your precious shirt, pretty boy?”

Justin raised his hands in surrender for the second time in five minutes.

“Oh, mumma,” his said, attention abruptly swerved, whistling at a busty girl in a denim micro skirt, “I gotta invite her to my party. I’ll be right back,” he hastily got out of his chair, “Hey, girlie!”
“I thought he just invited the whole school?” Carol shook her head, “I don’t get that kid sometimes.”
“You know the fucker he is,” Tommy shrugged, taking in a mouthful of carrots. Carol cringed.
Justin bounced back happily after a few minutes, “I got a girl, and her number. Score!”
“Man whore,” Christian commented with a cough. Justin raised a fist.
“Hey...” I warned.
“Hey, if you wanna use my place for your party you’ll put that fist down,” Tommy said calmly, “Unless you want to hold your party where your parents are home. Also, you’re going to be the one who fills up the pool because I’m not going anywhere near that shithole.”

Justin’s face scrunched up, and then he sat down.

“You could at least be happy for me,” he wailed.
“I thought that with age comes maturity,” I said.
“No, it’s ‘with great power comes great responsibility’,” Christian corrected me. I nudged him.
“I was conjugating it,” I hissed at him, “So it fit the context.” He gave me a weird look.
“How many chicks have you slept with in this past month, anyway?” Carol asked like an interrogator, and it was funny of her to ask that because being the sexy blonde she is, she was quite the hooker as well.
“I wouldn’t know,” he answered, pretending to think.
“You’re such a pimp,” Christian sighed, “how did we become friends again?”
“You pissed your pants in third grade and I took you down to get new shorts.”
“Right.”
“Seriously, Christian?” Tommy choked on his food, “Third grade. Who still pisses their pants in third grade?”
Christian went red in the face.

“What do you think happened to that girl who fell off her balcony?” I butted in, changing the subject and darting my eyes at Tommy to see his reaction to my interest in the topic. He stopped eating and gave me an amused look.
“You mean that hot girl?” Justin piped, “I heard she went a bit woozy in the head ‘cause this hot guy visited her and she couldn’t think straight.”
“She didn’t fall, she jumped,” Tommy said.
“Oh? You know that because?” Christian asked casually.
“Did anyone actually listen to what I just said?” Justin asked, waving his hands around.
“She was on hallucinogens. The police found LSD in her.”

We all turned to Justin.

“Whoa,” he raised his hands, and lowered his voice, “Just because I—my brother has some doesn’t mean I gave some to some random chick, even if she was hot. It could’ve been my brother anyway.”
“I still think you should give up on it,” I mumbled anxiously, restraining myself from going on a rant and slightly afraid that he would lash out on me. He was pretty sensitive about it.

We sat in an awkward silence. Either we all felt uncomfortable about Justin’s addiction to drugs or we didn’t want to talk about such a grim topic. I immediately felt guilty about bringing it up and made a mental note never to do it again.

“Well, I’m wagging school tomorrow to go food shopping,” Tommy said, changing the topic. I telepathically said thank you to him.
Justin grasped his shoulders and shook them, pretending to cry emotionally, “Thank you!”
“Off,” Tommy brushed him off as if he were a bug, “By the way, Ash, you’re coming with me tomorrow.”
“What?” I asked, looking up, “I have a polynomials test tomorrow!”
“Obviously you aren’t ready for it, so just come,” he rolled his eyes.
“Listen to your good daddy,” Christian said with a great, big cheesy smile.
“Fuck you. I’m not married to you,” Tommy said, disgusted.
“I’m cut, Tommy!” Christian raised a hand to his forehead, “Say you love me beyond the seven seas, say you can’t live without me, and I shall live!”

Tommy slowly raised an eyebrow.

“You’re supposed to comply,” Christian sighed, “Never mind.”
“That was stupid.”
“Shut up.”
“So Ash, you coming?”

I hated being pushed into things, but I couldn’t find the energy or will to deny Tommy. “Fine, I’ll come... but you’re paying for everything.”
“Don’t worry, Ashley,” Carol patted me on the back and winked at Tommy, “Tommy’s loaded.”
“Exactly why I’m friends with him,” Justin grinned, earning him a hard slap on the back of his head, “Ow.”

Tommy shook his head, “Come on, Ashley, let’s go,” he ordered, standing up.
“Where?” I groaned, “You’re ruining my education!”
“My place,” he said, ignoring my comment.
“I wanna go to your place,” Carol whined.
“Me too,” Justin said with the same tone. Tommy glared at both of them.
“You’re turning me into a truant,” I cried, “If heaven doesn’t forgive me for this, I will personally start a war against you!”
“Man, Ashley you’re one weird chick,” Justin said, “Most girls would kill to go to a house as posh as Tommy’s, with a guy as sexy as him.”

Tommy shot him a menacing look, obviously not flattered by Justin’s unnecessary... compliment.

“Consequence for befriending me,” Tommy said, ignoring my feeble threat and not bothering to respond to everyone’s comments, “Now, come on.”
“Didn’t you not want me to be over the other day?” I said, stubbornly staying in my seat.
“Yeah, but I’m bored and I don’t want Justin, Carol or Christian over at the moment.”
“Gee, thanks. Nice to know you love me,” Carol said, turning her nose up, “You do realise you’re leaving me with Christian and Justin, right? I mean, that’s like, leaving me to be completely consumed by the flames of hell!”

Tommy flinched.

“Nice to know you love us too, Carol,” Justin piped.
“Don’t worry, Christian,” she said sweetly, “I love you.”
“Oi...”
“Coming, Ash?” Tommy said again, getting a little impatient.

Again, I couldn’t find it in me to refuse Tommy’s request. I reluctantly got up and put my books in my bag, “I’ll see you guys later then,” I said apologetically.
Carol shrugged, “Have fun.”
“Get. It. On.” Justin said, making unethical movements with his hips and arms.

Tommy had already gotten bored and begun his beeline to the exit. He didn’t look back to see whether I was following him or not; not that I was expecting him to. He just briskly walked out, drawing many eyes to himself as he easily glided past several tables. I hurriedly swung my packed bag over my shoulder and scurried after him.

“Wait!” Justin’s voice echoed across the cafeteria. Many heads turned at the familiar voice of the guy with the juice on his ironed shirt. Tommy turned around; a bored and indifferent look on his face. I turned around as well, definitely not expecting something important.

“Don’t forget the orange juice!”