Chapter 14: Diane

Diane scanned the lunchroom and spotted Larry, seated at a table in the far corner. She brought her tray to the table and sat opposite him.

“Hello, Larry, I’m Diane Moore. I’m going to be having lunch with you and Barry today. Is that alright?”

Larry was taken aback; this was a first! He had been approached by a beautiful blonde girl. This NEVER happened before.

“Um, sure, OK. You know Barry?”

“Barry and I were late to school this morning; together we were helping an injured middle school girl get to the office at Emerson. That’s not important, really, the thing was that I asked Barry why you have been here, then gone, and now back.

“He said, quote, ‘that’s a long and unbelievable story,’ unquote. Oh, here he is. Barry, please sit across from me next to your friend, so I can watch and listen to you both.”

Silently, Diane thought, “These guys are so cute, I want to look at them even if this long story is boring.”

“This is a bad idea, Barry. I’m sorry, Diane, I don’t think I can talk about it, especially to a pretty girl, oh, sorry.”

“What? Wait, you’re sorry you said I was pretty? Barry, why do you hang around with this guy? I just met him five minutes ago and he’s insulting me! Sorry I bothered you, goodbye.”

Diane got off the bench and reached to take away her tray and leave.

“Please, Diane, stay! Larry has his words all backwards. Larry, try again, explain what you mean.”

“What I meant, Diane, was I was sorry about being inappropriate, for sounding like I was trying to pick you up or something. The truth is, I think you’re the most attractive girl in this lunchroom, maybe in this whole damn high school. And, unless my friend Barry has suddenly gone blind or something, he feels the same way.”

“Yes, Diane, he’s right. The whole. damn. school.”

“Diane, forgive me, PLEASE sit down.”

“You’re forgiven, Larry. Jeez, you talk pretty but tone it down. I’m an ordinary girl, I put my panties on one leg at a time. So, what is it about your story that pretty girls shouldn’t hear?”

“Can I just say, Diane, that I am ashamed about some very private things that happened to me just after the school year started. I’m very embarrassed about them and describing them to a pretty girl would be hardest of all.”

He slumped and fixed his eyes on his tray, so his friend spoke up to fill the silence.

“We just started high school, and Larry’s rightfully concerned that any stories about him would follow him all the way to graduation. Diane, my friend was ABUSED. Can we just leave it there and not ask him to divulge painful details to a girl he just met five minutes ago?”

Need to Know

“Guys let’s take a breath. Relax, please. Larry, I didn’t know your time away was such a sore subject. How could I? Barry said it was ‘a long and unbelievable’ story. That made me think your story was interesting, not agonizing.

“I was thinking it was a tale like this guy I read about. He wanted to fly to Oakland, California, and instead was sent to Auckland, New Zealand. It’s a true story, you can look it up.