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“I’m fine,” I said, frowning at my friends. “Will you all please stop staring at me like I have the plague? It’s just a little cold and it’s perfectly normal for some people to have a lower body temperature than others.” Of course I had never been one of those people before, but I didn’t feel the need to admit that now. “Also,” I continued with more energy than I had shown all week, “I’m not hungry because I drank so much water today. For some reason I’ve just been really thirsty.”
“You’re thirsty all the time?” Megan frowned. “That can be a sign of diabetes, you know.” She looked at Griffin. “Do you think Kaitlyn could be diabetic?”
Griffin looked at me, his pale eyes assessing and worried.
“I do not know,” he said at last. “But I do feel that something must be wrong.”
“You guys, I’m right here,” I protested. “Could you please not talk about me right to my face? At least go behind my back like…” I cast a glance in the direction of the Drake table and finished in a lower voice. “Like other people I could mention.”
“We’re just worried about you, that’s all,” Emma protested. She had finished my portion of the BBQ shepherds pie and was looking longingly at the three empty plastic trays in front of her, as though wishing for even more of it. “You know, I think I’m going to get another serving,” she said, standing up and grabbing one of the trays.
“Don’t worry about me—worry about yourself,” I told her. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to be eating that much of anything made in this cafeteria?”
“Kaitlyn’s right, Emma,” Avery said. “You’re going to make yourself sick. Aren’t you full yet?”
Emma frowned. “Well…kind of. But I just…” She waved one hand in the air expressively. “I just want more, you know? I don’t know why but I do.”
She left us all staring after her as she went back to the Cafeteria line for more of the BBQ mixture.
“Do you think she’ll be okay, eating so much of that stuff?” Megan said worriedly. “You don’t think Nancy and the Weird Sisters put something in it that might hurt her, do you?” she asked Avery.
“Well, she’s not laughing hysterically or anything like that,” I pointed out, glad to have the focus off of me.
“I know she’s not but I still don’t like it,” Megan said. “That stuff better not make her sick or give her a stomachache or anything like that or I’m going straight to Headmistress Nightworthy!”
“I don’t see how she can avoid getting a stomachache if she’s going to eat all that—look at her tray!” Avery exclaimed as Emma came back. It looked like whoever had served her had given her a triple helping—her green plastic tray was piled high with the BBQ-mashed potato-green beans-corn-and cheese mixture and there was a generous sprinkling of the bright red paprika on top.
“Emma, you’re not actually going to eat all that, are you?” Megan asked anxiously as our Coven-mate sat down with us again.
“I mean, think of the carbs!” Avery protested.
Emma shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable.
“I’m just going to have a few bites,” she said unconvincingly and then dug in.
We watched in silence as she demolished two thirds of the heaping mound of food and then Avery stepped in.
“Look, you have to stop, Emma—you’re going to be sick,” he said, pulling the tray firmly away from her. “And far be it from me to body-shame anyone but your uniform skirt is going to pop if you eat another bite!”
Emma looked at the tray longingly.
“I know you’re right but it’s just so good, you know? It’s like I can’t stop.”
She reached for the tray again but Avery pulled it out of reach.
“I don’t think so,” he said firmly. “Friends don’t let friends carbo-load. You’re eating like you’re a Sumo wrestler trying to make the next weight class!”
Emma opened her mouth to protest and belched instead.
“Oh, excuse me!” She put a hand to her mouth, her cheeks crimson with embarrassment. “Maybe you’re right, Avery,” she admitted. “But could you please take it away? If I keep looking at it I’m going to want to eat some more.” She frowned. “In fact, even though I’m really full, I wish I could have a whole ‘nother tray of it!”
“You’re like Edmund with the Turkish delight in The Chronicles of Narnia!” Megan exclaimed. “Now I know Nancy and her crew must have done something to the Norm food—they made it so you’re never satisfied and always want more for some reason.”
“Do you really think so?” Emma turned pale. “But…I don’t feel any different. Well, other than being really, really full,” she added, and politely smothered another burp in her napkin.
“We’ll have to watch and see, I guess,” Megan said, frowning. “Let us know if you start feeling funny in any way. Okay?”
