Drive-thru soap operas, part 7 - Backup (Lisa)

Lisa was outside, lounging against a brick wall, and watching as the students filed out of school after the dismissal bell. She sighed, flipping her hair over her shoulder impatiently. She adjusted her tube top, and looked back at the doors, just in time to see Felicia darting out. Lisa lifted her chin, made eye contact, shrunk back into her hiding place.

In less than a minute she was accompanied by Felicia, who was panting slightly, and smiling. "She's coming," she said, a thrill of excitement in her voice. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, her eyes flitting around anxiously.

"Good," Lisa said. "After I get her over here, you leave."

"But, Lisa-" Felicia started.

"No buts," she said, holding up a halting hand. "I need to do this alone. She ruined my life by herself, I can scare her away from one little day by myself. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it...." she murmured, like a beaten dog.

"Here she comes," Lisa said, peeking around the corner. "Call her over here. Put on a good face."

Felicia took a breath, and stepped out into view, waving, and calling, "Sharon! Over here!" She was grinning, as if nothing had happened - as if nothing was going to happen. "Okay," she said, drawing back out of sight. "She's on her way."

"Good job," she said curtly, as if it were a difficult thing to praise her friend. "Now go." She pointed down a back way, and Felicia was gone in a flash.

Sharon stepped around the corner hesitantly, her books cradled in the crook of her arm.

"Hey, Sharon," Lisa said, a shadow hovering over her voice.

Sharon jumped, and, upon seeing Lisa frowning at her, felt her heart beat a little faster. "Oh! Hey, Lisa," she said, ignoring her last name, because it sounded heavy in her mind. She pursed her lips, then said, "Did you see Felicia come down this way? She waved to me, and disappeared." She laughed nervously, an awkward blush heating up her face.

"No, I guess you missed her." Lisa crossed her arms, approaching her. "I heard about you and Brandon. Interesting that he should ask you out the very night I dumped him."

"You dumped him?" she asked. "He just said you two broke up. He didn't say who...." she faded off, a feeling of shame sweeping over her. If Brandon had lied about that, then everything else....

"Yeah. I bet he didn't tell you that. He would be embarrassed. So, let me make things perfectly clear for you." She was so close that Sharon could see the brush strokes of foundation on her face. "Either you break the date with Brandon or I break you."

A loud, mocking laugh erupted from behind them. Lisa's head whirled around to the source of the sound, a tall, dark-haired girl in a strapless, red-checked dress. She was striding down the outside hall, her red, converse high tops clapping against the pavement. This girl was a stranger to Sharon, but Lisa seemed to recognize her, for she spat, "Raven! What are you doing here, you little freak?"

"Just heading out," Raven said, smiling. "But, then I heard something really funny."

"And what might that be?" Lisa snarled.

"Oh, just you saying that you could beat someone up. Really, hilarious. You should do stand-up. You, know, just in case your career as Drama Queen falls through."

Lisa's glare could have levelled New York, but it didn't even faze Raven. She just walked past her, slung an arm around Sharon's shoulders, and said, "Now, get lost, before I show you what a beating really feels like."

Lisa tossed her one more venomous look, then fled to her car.

"Thanks," Sharon said, looking at Raven with admiration.

"No problem. I'm Raven Stills. And you must be Sharon Brooks, the new girl. Good to meet you." She shook Sharon's hand, and then began walking away. But, before she vanished, she called, "And I wouldn't worry about Lisa! If she gives you any grief, you just let me know! Later!"

"Goodbye," Sharon said half-heatedly, smiling. She loosened her grip on her things, having not even noticed that she had been squeezing them until her knuckles had whitened.