A Few Slight Changes

"OMG! Did you see Anati?"

"What happened to Anati?"

"Why did Anati gain so much weight? Isn't she an athlete?"

"She isn't as pretty as she used to be."

Those were the comments I heard as I made my way to the cafeteria for lunch break. What people said about rumours was true after all. They spread like wildfire, burning people away from the truth. People had plenty to say about the tremendous change of Anati's appearance, yet they did no effort in asking her why she changed so much, or even asking if she was okay.

In the cafeteria, I sat at the usual spot with Amara, Juliet and Anati. Our table was deserted from all the other girls in the cafeteria. Not to sound cliché, but the whole 'fitting in' concept was something we all failed at. It wasn't because we were far too different from the other girls, but it was more of a case where we had something that the other girls lacked. One of those things was our awareness of the unfair treatment of the school system. The students were so used to it, they weren't even aware of the inhumanity it held. All they knew was that if they did something wrong, they deserved punishment. Even if it meant getting a black eye.

"Poor Jojo!" Anati said, "Did you see her come out of the principal's office. She came out crying with a bruised eye."

"She should be happy that she still has both eyes." I said, picking at the mushy stuff on my tray with the rusted fork

"I heard a lot of girls say that she deserved the punishment." Amara said

"Girls will always say stuff like that just to make themselves feel better. I wonder if girls do that as a coping mechanism for the horrid system in this school."

Amara laughed, "Thando, you say that as if you're anything but a girl."

"Shh! Careful with your word choice." Anati said while chewing her food.

"Oh! My bad."

Just when I realized how quiet Juliet was, I looked to her direction and found her staring at us, disgust clearly shown on her face.

"Is something wrong, Juliet?" I asked

"You're joking right?" She scoffed, "Are any of you even concerned about the health of Anati? And why do you keep avoiding my question, Anati?"

"I'm not avoiding your question, babe. We're just talking. By the way, did you taste today's menu? Never have I tasted food that is soooo delicious!" Anati shoved a fork full of food into her mouth, taking us all by surprise

"I thought you never like the cafeteria food, Anati. Plus, what food is that anyway?" Amara said, a worried expression on her face

"I have no idea what this green stuff is, but food is food I guess. We should all be grateful for the food we eat."

"Even if it gives us food poisoning?" I asked jokingly, even though the event once caused me to almost be in a near death experience.

"Yes, even if it gives you food poisoning."

"Anati, hello? You're still ignoring me." Juliet waved her hand over Anati's face

"Oh yeah. What were you saying again?"

"I was asking you why you're wearing oversized uniform, why you look so... different. What's going on? Talk to me."

A grim expression appeared on Anati's face, "Did you seriously have to bring that up? Why do you always have to be so negative?"

"I'm not being negative. I'm just looking out for you." Juliet said, defensively

"No you're not. You're being annoying. Can we just end this conversation please?"

"...fine."

The awkward atmosphere was thicker than the mush on my plate. The silence made it even harder to breathe in. Luckily, Amara managed to break it.

"Out of curiosity, Anati, what is it with the oversized clothes anyway? I mean, it's okay if you don't want to answer me."

Anati let a long sigh out, took her tray and left the table without saying a word. She has never done that to us before. Whenever we had arguments like that during lunch break, we always made sure that we sorted them out before heading back to class. Anati was always the problem solver in such situations. It was strange how she just left the table like that.

Something really wasn't right.

"Guys, don't worry. We'll sort this situation out soon enough. She's probably just having a bad day." I assured Juliet and Amara

"I guess you're right." Juliet sighed sadly

"We should probably give her space, right? At least under the end of the school day." Amara said

"Exactly. Hopefully she will feel better by then." I said

"I just hope that the horrible comments of people don't make her feel worse. I don't want her to cry." Juliet said, biting her nails

"Anati is strong at heart. She won't be bothered by anything that anyone has to say." Amara said

"I hope you're right. I'm really worried about her. It's her birthday today for crying out loud!"

"Which is why we're going to gang up on her after school and sing for her." I suggested

"Sing? I can't sing. Do we have to sing?" Amara questioned

"Yes. Whether you sing like Madonna or like a chicken choking on a marble, you are going to sing for Anati."

"Aw man. But I'm only doing this for Anati. Don't laugh if my voice cracks a window or two." Amara said

"I apologize in advance, just in case I doo laugh." Juliet giggled. Amara playfully rolled her eyes.

"So it's settled then. We'll meet by her locker after school." I said

"I won't be late." Juliet said

"I can't promise that I won't be late, but I'll definitely be there." Amara joked, earning a smile from Juliet and I.