Surviving High School

table.
    To understand the center table meant viewing Twin Branches High as a solar system. The nerds inhabited the icy asteroids on the farthest reaches. Then, as you got closer to the middle, the planets became larger, warmer, and more desirable—until finally you reached the sun, the bright center, the spot where only the most popular kids dared to sit: the center table.
    The center table stood in the middle of the cafeteria beneath a massive skylight that bathed it in intense sunbeams, even on cloudy days. Unlike the long picnic-style tables that made up most of the cafeteria’s furniture, the center table was circular and surrounded by an elegant, curved bench. Seating was limited, and upperclassmen tended to take up most of the space, but Dominique and Lindsay sat there flashing their perfect smiles at the cute boys who surrounded them. Emily tried not to look.
    “Let me guess, a dark elf thief and a human cleric?” asked a small, plump, dark-skinned boy from the table to their right. “I can always spot fellow gamers.”
    “I don’t—um, steal things,” said Emily, slightly confused.
    “Forgive Amir,” said a tall, lanky guy with a serious computer tan and wearing a Batman T-shirt. “He’s not used to conversations with actual females. We were just curious if you want to sit with us—since we’re stuck together here in theouter reaches, you know? I’m Kevin, by the way. Kevin Delucca.”
    “Uh, sure—” Emily started, before Kimi cut her off.
    “Actually, we have some private matters to discuss,” she said.
    As the boys returned to their game, Emily leaned over and whispered to Kimi, “What’s up with you? They seemed like nice guys.”
    “Emily, Emily, Emily. Don’t be so naïve. Right now, as fresh men, we’re a fresh commodity here. Sure, we’re not popular yet , but I’d like to think that one day we could be. If we start hanging out with guys like that, it’s never going to happen. We’ll be branded nerd girls for life.”
    “Okay,” said Emily, though she didn’t quite buy the logic. “I’m too hungry to talk much anyway.”
    While Kimi sat beside her nibbling on half a bagel and some cottage cheese, Emily pulled out her lunch: yogurt, a whey protein shake, orange juice, half a loaf of whole-wheat bread smeared with almond butter, Muscle Milk, a tin of almonds, a sack of vitamins, raisins, two bananas, and a package of thin-sliced turkey. Laid out in front of her, the food took up almost a third of their cafeteria table. Luckily, no one else was sitting with them.
    “You sure you don’t want a couple of pizzas to go with that?” asked Kimi, her eyes big.
    “I guess I’m not that hungry,” said Emily, smiling. “I had a big breakfast.”
    “I bet you did,” said Kimi, savoring half a spoonful of cottage cheese. “How many calories a day are you up to now?”
    “Eight thousand. But you should see the guy swimmers eat. I mean, most people don’t regulate their percentages of carbs, proteins, and fats correctly. You’d be surprised how even at the Olympic level a lot of the guys are just eating deep-fried turkeys and cheese sandwiches. Some of them eat, like, twelve thousand or thirteen thousand calories a day, which is probably on the high end of what they should be—”
    “Oh yeah,” interrupted Kimi. “ That would be a lot. I mean, eight thousand calories is barely anything—for a polar bear . It’s so unfair. If I even eat, like, two extra cookies, my jeans don’t fit anymore. My mom says our family has slow metab—”
    “Eat! Eat! Eat! Eat!”
    At the center table, a group of junior and senior guys had formed a circle around Dominique and were shouting encouragement as she ate. She actually was wolfing down two pizzas. As she got to the last couple of slices, the guys continued chanting: “Dominique! Dominique!”
    Emily rolled her eyes. Show-off. Dominique had been hanging out with older kids—especially guys—ever since she’d come to town. Her older half brother, Cameron, swam for the guys’ team, providing Dominique with an easy introduction to many of his teammates, who were among the most popular guys at school.
    Cameron himself was more of a loner, a strong swimmer with a near-perfect body that left girls tripping over their own tongues. Even Emily, who heard barely any gossip, knew he’d dated half of the popular girls and hooked up with the rest.Today, he sat watching Dominique’s performance with a wry smile, even as his friends