When lunchtime finally rolled around, Sarah got to the cafeteria a bit late. She had stopped by Karyn's locker again to check the wish's progress. As before, a few more things were missing.
By the time she got in line for her food, her friends were already well into their meal. While waiting, Sarah gazed at the table where her two enemies used to sit together. The spot had been taken by Leonard Drullers, who now ate by himself.
He used to eat with them, Sarah recalled. It was nice that he could hang out with some people who wouldn't judge him for his computer obsession.
Then, the cheerleader blinked in confusion. Since when did she care about Leonard?
Gathering her food, she made her way to her usual table. One of the other cheerleaders, Andrea, scooted over to make room. Taking the space offered, Sarah thanked her, only to notice that the girl's attention lay elsewhere. She seemed to be staring at her tray.
"Sarah? Weren't you, like, on a diet or something?" Tiffany asked from across the table.
Looking down at her tray, Sarah gasped at the how much food she had gathered. Aside from her personal choices, there were quite a few things she normally avoided. It almost looked like a guy's meal rather than her own. Now that she thought about it, she had gone through the lunch-line on autopilot, lost in her own contemplation.
"I guess I wasn't paying attention," Sarah reasoned, partially to herself.
Some of the others shared a look. "Are you feeling okay?"
"Honestly, I didn't get much sleep last night. That must be it."
"Well, I hope you wake up in time for practice today. The game's next week, and we need to get our routines down."
"I know, I know. Don't worry about it. I'll be fine," Sarah assured her squad-mates.
Inside, she added, I hope.
