Zoe and her friends walked towards the cafeteria, and just like on Tuesday (the first day of their switch) people let them cut ahead in line. But unlike Tuesday, Zoe and her friends liked it and didn't feel weird taking advantage of the students who were now their "fans".
When they got up to the lunch choices, Zoe was about to choose the meatloaf. That's the type of food she usually got. Something greasy, but tasty. But suddenly, she got a change of heart and looked in the direction of the salad bar. It was strange, but she actually wanted salad. For the first time since the switch started, she cared about her figure. The meatloaf might add too many pounds. And she didn't want that.
So Zoe and all of her friends (except for Athena, who wasn't there for some reason) got food from the salad bar.
At the end of the lunch line, just like on Tuesday, was Sarah and her friends. Unlike on Tuesday, though, they didn't mind it. It gave them some privacy to talk among themselves, and no one bothered them.
"He threatened you?" Sarah asked. They were talking about Amber's trip to the office.
"Yeah," Amber answered. "Listen, Sarah. I don't think I can take much more of this fucking situation. I mean, soon I'll become just like Sabrina, with no way back."
"You should see Sabrina now," Tiffany said. "She's like a totally different person." She looked at Amber. "She's like you, before we switched, I mean."
"So it looks like it's happening to Zoe and her friends too," Sarah observed.
When they finally got up to order, Sarah headed towards the salad bar, as she usually did. But then she stopped. Salad didn't really sound all that good and her stomach was growling for something more. So, she turned back to look at the hot meals and picked the meatloaf. It was greasy and all smothered with gravy and was certainly not something she would go out of her way to eat, as it would probably destroy her figure. But suddenly she didn't care. If she gained 10 or 15 pounds, so be it. She didn't want to eat healthy foods when she could eat something more satisfying.
Melissa, Amber, and Jessica ordered the same, while Tiffany still went with the salad. But it had nothing to do with being healthy. For some reason she had a problem with eating meat.
As they walked to their table, which was now the one back in the corner with the flickering overhead light, the one that Trevor Blake was already sitting at (how did he get there so fast?), they saw Zoe and her friends eating at the popular crowd table, laughing it up with the rest of the popular girls and the jocks. Unlike Tuesday, Zoe and her friends didn't look uncomfortable. They were fully engaged in all the conversations and laughed along with the rest of the table.
Sarah felt a little jealous, but not as much as before. There were certain things about being Goth that now appealed to her that she couldn't have as a popular girl. One of those things was privacy. And another thing was being able to eat whatever she wanted, despite the consequences.
"You have no idea how glad I am that you're back to normal," Trevor said, as they sat down. "You were really freaking me out, probably more than everyone else."
Sarah and her friends dug in, eating greasy french fries, drinking cola, and scooping meatloaf, dripping with gravy, into their mouths.
"Is the 'fat tub' look in this year for freaks?" Allison asked, walking by their table.
"Shut the fuck up, Allison," Amber said.
"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" she asked, as if she were talking to a baby.
Amber was gonna get up, but Melissa stopped her.
"Just leave us alone," Sarah said.
"Now why would I do that?"
Suddenly, Tiffany angrily pointed at her and whispered "Exsisto silens."
Allison tried to talk, but nothing came out. Panicking, she grabbed at her throat. Her mouth moved, but there was no sound. Her eyes went wide, then she ran away.
"Did you just do that?" Sarah asked, looking around at Tiffany.
"I think so. I did it earlier today in one of my classes when I put someone to sleep."
"How did you do it?"
"I don't know. I just ... did."
Amber looked over at Allison, who was running in a panic out of the cafeteria. "That bitch deserves it," she said. It was weird hearing those words coming out of her mouth, since Allison used to be best friends with all of them, but it was now how they all felt.
"Why are you surprised that Tiffany can cast spells?" Trevor asked Sarah.
She had forgotten that Trevor was at the table. To him, Tiffany had always been a witch. It was all normal for him. Sarah considered telling him the truth of what was going on, but then decided against it. It might make things worse for them.
