I was the first to arrive at the cafeteria so I grabbed a lunch tray and, after selecting my meal from the gurls’ menu, I went to find an empty table. I had just about started digging into my burger and fries when Nathen joined me. Shi looked a little down.
“What’s up?” I asked through a mouthful of burger.
“It’s my next class, I have home economics next.”
I nearly choked on my food. I had forgotten that Nathen’s dad had insisted that shi take this lesson so that shi could help around the house while hei was at work. I had to admit… The thought of Nathen running around the house in a pink apron was amusing.
“Well, it’s only for this term,” I said, trying to look on the bright side. “I guess you’ll just have to woman up and go through with it.”
Nathen nodded gloomily as shi looked at hir burger. “I suppose.” Suddenly, shi looked up as shi had an idea.
“Hey, how about I make a wish so that I don’t have to attend the class?”
I pondered on it for a moment before shaking my head.
“It’s too risky,” Nathen pouted as I continued. “What if the stone makes so that you’re no longer a gurl named Nathen but a boi named Natheena or something?”
Nathen looked puzzled for a moment. “That’s a very specific side effect, but I suppose you’re right… We don’t know how the wish interprets things yet.”
Nathen looked up as we spotted our friends coming over and shi leaned in, adding, “Just promise me that we can try to wish for something this afternoon.”
I nodded.
“I can do that.”
“You can do what?” May asked as shi put hir tray down on the table and nudged me so that I would move over for hir. Julianna had noted this exchange with a hint of disgust and politely asked Nathen if shi could move over. Nathen quickly obliged.
“See, May? That’s how you do it. You don’t just barge someone into the next seat.”
“Whatever,” May replied as shi rolled hir eyes. Bois, Shi mouthed at me as shi dug into hir food. I smiled as May returned to hir original question.
“So what were you and Nathen discussing?”
“Oh, we were just thinking about hanging out at my place this afternoon.” I hated to lie to my friends but I wasn’t ready to share my inheritance with them just yet. Nathen was my best friend, and I’d known hir all my life... The others? Not as long.
“But don’t you have soccer practice this afternoon?” Dez queried through a mouthful of food, again to Julianna’s disgust.
“Goddess, do gurls have to be so disgusting?” hei asked as hei shuck hys head. We all laughed as Nathen and I shared a look.
“Oh, um. Yeah, I guess I do,” Nathen stammered. I shrugged my shoulders. There wasn’t anything that we could do at this point. “Sorry, Zane.”
“That’s okay. We’ll make plans another time.”
We chatted for a little bit as we ate our lunch. It was a fairly typical order: burgers for the gurls, while Julianna had a salad. Hei was a boi, after all.
There was one amusing exchange when Nathen spilled a drop of ketchup on the table. Without thinking, Julianna reached for one of hys napkins and leaned over to clean it up. Nathen smiled at hym as shi leaned back so that hei could clean the table. Julianna blushed but smiled back before quickly returning to hys salad.
May, Dez and I shared a glance as we tried to keep ourselves from laughing.
“What?” Nathen asked once shi had noticed us.
“Nothing.” I replied. Nathen shrugged hir shoulders and finished hir burger. I couldn’t help but notice Julianna sigh sadly as hei looked longingly at Nathen. When was that gurl going to take a hint? I wondered.
