Savannah Burning

Chapter Six

I wasn’t sure if I would see more of Savannah. The look she gave me over her shoulder replayed in my head almost as often as our encounter on Saturday night. It made paying attention to my classes impossible.

Lunch rolled around and the three of us grabbed our usual table together. There were three lunch periods throughout the day, and Daisy had worked her charm on the guidance counselor to give the three of us lunch together as she did every year. As long as Daisy flashed her dimples at someone, she could achieve anything.

“Whatcha got?” Robbie asked as we unveiled our lunches.

“Leftover garlic quinoa,” Daisy replied.

Robbie scrunched his nose. “When are you going to stop with this hippie s**t?”

“Here we go,” I sighed, bracing myself for the argument that was sure to follow.

“What do you mean by hippie s**t? Quinoa is delicious. You just refuse to try it because it’s actually good for you.”

“But why can’t you just have a sandwich or something?”

“Why do you still feel the need to trade food with me? Aren’t you capable of making your own food?”

I laughed, shaking my head. Despite her Italian roots, Robbie’s mom wasn’t the greatest cook in the world. Robbie didn’t have the heart to tell her, which meant we all had to suffer alongside with him. Being friends with Robbie meant years of trading food and escaping to my house for dinner as often as possible. I blame her bad cooking for Robbie’s crush on my mom.

“I don’t have time,” Robbie whined. “I have practice!” He shot a desperate look at the food I had laid out in front of me. “Are you going to eat your cookie?”

“Dude,” I said, taking a bite out of the said cookie. “Let it go.”

“Is this seat empty?” The voice fell upon us, stopping us in our motions; Daisy froze, her fork halfway to her mouth. Robbie was wide-eyed and open mouthed and I . . . well I apparently forgot how to human because standing at the end of our table, holding a tray of food, was Savannah Skye. Her voice was deeper than I had expected, raspier, but, then again, I was beginning to realize that everything about Savannah was unexpected. She looked at me, blinking those long, dark eyelashes, waiting for an answer but I was too surprised to speak.

The plopping of quinoa falling from her fork and back into her Tupperware was what shook Daisy out of her trance. “Of course!” She exclaimed, a little too loud, a little too high-pitched. “Of course you can sit with us!”

Savannah smiled and pulled a chair out from next to me and sat down. The smell of coconuts settled down around her and I breathed it in, ignoring the hint of rubber cafeteria pizza that wafted in with her perfume. “I’m Savannah,” the girl said, extending her hand to Robbie as if we didn’t already know.

“I’m Robbie,” he said. “This is Daisy and that’s –“

“You’re Tyson, right?” She asked, turning to me.

Robbie’s jaw dropped and I coughed on the food that had now lodged itself in my throat. Daisy stared at me in horror and shoved her water bottle over to me. I took a few sips from it before attempting to speak again. “Sorry,” I began. “Yeah, I’m Tyson.”

“I think you live in the house behind mine.”

“That I do,” I confirmed. She frowned at me, those full, plump lips turning down into a pout. Before I could ask her what was wrong, Heather and Emily marched over to our table, interrupting us.

“Savannah,” Heather said, as exasperated as a tired mother who spent the morning chasing after her toddler. “We eat over there.” She pointed to the table where she and Emily usually sat out with a handful of other girls.

Savannah blinked slowly at them and I marveled at each individual eyelash that brushed against her cheeks. “Okay,” she replied, but made no move to get up.

“Do you want to come with us or . . .” Emily trailed off.

“Nah. I think I’ll eat here. Maybe tomorrow?” Daisy sucked in a gasp and I snorted with laughter. Heather and Emily remained poised and as still as marble. Savannah Skye, everyone; the girl who could turn people to stone with just mere words.

“Fine,” Heather snapped, tossing her strawberry blonde hair over her shoulder. “Come on, Em.” Emily ducked her head and followed Heather over to their table. I watched her go, her dark eyes finding mine as she sat down. She frowned in my direction before averting her attention back to Heather.

“That was awesome,” Robbie laughed. Savannah gave him a weak smile and sighed, looking down at her food.

“I’m actually not that hungry,” she said, standing up. She looked over at me, puzzled. I glanced at Robbie and Daisy. All of them were looking at me like I just sprouted an extra head and I realized that, when Savannah stood, I had also jumped up. “Uh,” I said. Daisy’s eyes grew wider with each passing awkward second. “Me neither?”

“Can you show me where the nurse’s office is?” Savannah asked, shoving her hands into her back pockets.

“Sure,” I responded. “Are you going to eat that?” I asked, nodding towards her food. Daisy dropped her head into her hands, her face turning red.

Savannah continued to stare at me, completely perplexed. “No?” she responded quizzically.

“Cool,” I said, shoving the tray of food towards Robbie. “Eat up, bro.”

“God bless,” he swooned, grabbing the pizza and tearing into it. “Ugh,” he moaned. “This is so much better than Mama’s PB&J.”

I shoved my paper bag in his direction. “There’s a pudding cup in there,” I told him.

Robbie sighed dreamily, staring at the pizza. “You’re my Prince Charming, Tyson. I think I have a boy-crush on you.”

“I know you have a boy-crush on him,” Daisy grumbled. I nodded a goodbye at them as I led Savannah out of the cafeteria and away from prying eyes and hushed conversations.

“Thanks,” Savannah Skye said as soon as we left the cafeteria.

I shrugged. “I’m assuming you don’t really need to go to the nurse.”

“Nope,” she laughed. “You don’t have to walk with me anymore.”

“It’s okay,” I said a little too eagerly.

She stopped to lean against a locker, scuffing her combat boot against the linoleum. “God, does it always smell so f*****g shitty here?”

I had no idea such obscenities could come out of such a pretty mouth. “Sometimes,” I shrugged. She rubbed her bare arms and I noticed goosebumps rising on her flesh. She looked at me. I looked at her.

“You good with secrets?” She asked suddenly.

“What?” I asked, surprised as she spun the code to the locker she was leaning next to.

“Secrets. You know,” she held one finger up to her lips. Ssshh. She c****d an eyebrow at me. Now I was the one with goosebumps.

The locker opened to a stark emptiness with the exception of a leather jacket hanging up inside. Savannah grabbed it and shimmied herself into it.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Sure.”

Savannah straightened her jacket and looked me in the eye. “Cool. Don’t tell anyone that I left, kay?” With that Savannah Skye walked right out of an emergency exit and excused herself from school for the rest of the day, leaving me speechless and frozen yet again.