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There’s pizza for lunch today!
The best thing about the pizza at Edenbury High is that it’s super cheesy with a sauce that’s a little spicy and a little sweet. It’s delicious. Unlike how it was in the past when it was greasy and mushy and had no taste.
After placing two slices and a drink on my tray, I make my way to what my friends and I call the invisible table. It’s a table in the back corner of the cafeteria that our parents also sat at when they were my age. It’s weird to think that my mom and her friends would sit there like us and chat and laugh and talk about their problems and contemplate life, just like my Musketeers and I do.
My friends and the guys are already there, happily chewing on their yummy pizzas. When I drop down next to Chloe, she playfully pokes my shoulder. “How is Willow late to lunch when there’spizza?”
“I know. My teacher confiscated my phone during class and I had to beg her to give it back.”
Ava gasps dramatically. “Did you say your phone was taken by a teacher? Willow Park’s precious phone that holds her life? If her phone is lost, it’s like her life is lost.”
“Very funny. I might have been checking my phone during class to see if anyone else downloaded my app.”
“Did they?” Liam asks.
“I don’t know. My teacher turned it off. I didn’t have a chance to check.” I pull my phone from my jeans pocket and turn it on.
“Let’s take bets,” Xavier says. “I bet you have fifty downloads.”
“That’s aiming low,” Aidan says. “I bet one hundred and two.”
“A hundred and two?” Liam raises a brow. “Why not a hundred and three? Or a hundred and four?”
“I’m feeling one hundred and two.”
“Well, I think it’s higher,” Lily chimes in. “Two hundred.”
“Two hundred? That’s like almost half of the students here.”
“What about the faculty?” Chloe asks. “I mean, it would be weird if they used it. What if they got matched with…?” Her eyes widen in horror.
I chuckle. “Don’t worry. People only get matched with people who are around their age. And the app is smart enough to detect when someone is lying. That’s part of the safety protocols I put in. Besides, Rivera told me it’s off-limits to faculty while the students are beta testing it.”
My phone has booted up and I check the downloads. My heart drops again. “Eleven.”
“Eleven?” Ava’s eyes get huge. She and the others exchange confused and shocked glances. “But that’s only three more since your presentation.”
“Is it broken? You guys downloaded it with no problems, right? And it’s working?”
They slip out their phones and check the app. “Yep,” Lily says. “It knows which of my classes just ended and that I’m currently eating pizza because I told it. But I haven’t been matched with anyone yet.”
“I think it needs more time to get to know you,” Liam says.
“But only eleven people?” I wonder. “Not counting you guys, that means only four people are using it.” I glance around the cafeteria at the students to see if any of them are actually using it—maybe there’s a delay in the system?—but no one seems to be on it. They’re either chatting or on social media.
Lily rests her hand on my arm. “Maybe they just need more time. Maybe they’re embarrassed to use it at school with their friends around. I’m sure they’ll download it as soon as they go home.”
“I hope,” I say.
Putting my phone away, I bite into my pizza and sigh happily. All my troubles fade away.
***
I’m really curious about today’s book club meeting because we’re discussing a pirate romance book Chloe suggested. It’s full of so many twists and turns and adventures, and it’s packed into onelongbook. I think we’ll need to dedicate at least two or three meetings to hit all the points I want to discuss.
No one else is in room 1B yet. As soon as I sit down in my seat, I grab my phone to check my downloads. Still at eleven. I’ve double and triple checked to make sure everything is functioning perfectly. Maybe it’s the darn school app? But I learn that it’s working properly. Then why isn’t anyone downloading it?
“Oh, come on!” Ava is in the middle of saying as she and Aidan walk in, hand in hand. “It’s full of action. I promise you’ll like it.”
