Free How To Be A Perfect Girl by Mary Williams

continued.
    “Gym—“Val said. She laughed, “Oh yeah,
that’s the one I forgot.”
    “So—who do you have for Italian?” Derrick
asked.
    “Miss Wells.”
    The pair of boys shared a look.
    “What?”
    “Miss Wells is quite the looker,” Porter
shrugged, “That’s all.”
    “Wish I had her,” Derrick said. A man—he
looked to be in his mid-twenties—delivered their food.
    “Large cheesesteak?” the man said. Val
raised her hand; when the man set it down she smiled, “Thanks!” It
looked like a lot of food, and a ridiculous amount of calories, but
she wasn’t going to complain in front of one of the staff
members.
    “And—two more large cheesesteaks,” the man
frowned, “I guess it doesn’t matter who gets what then, since you
all ordered the same thing.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong,” Derrick joked,
“I get the biggest one, cause I paid.”
    The man nodded, but Val thought she saw him
roll his eyes. He started to walk away, but Porter stopped him,
“Hey my man, before you go, I have a quick question.” Porter
grinned at Val, “Wouldn’t you say my friend here needs to eat more?
Get some meat on her bones and all that.”
    “I’d rather not, uh, weigh in on that,” the
man glanced sideways at Val.
    “It’s okay,” she said, “You can feel free to
answer. I promise I won’t be mad.”
    The man’s frown deepened, “She’s—gorgeous. I
don’t think you should worry about how much weight she has. And
besides, it doesn’t look like she’s dangerously thin or
anything.”
    Val grimaced, “Gee, thanks.”
    Porter laughed loudly, “Hey, you said you
wouldn’t get mad. And my man, I didn’t ask about her face, I was
asking about her body. We can all see she’s got looks, but I don’t
see how that factors into the question of whether or not she needs
to gain weight.”
    Val was getting tired of the conversation.
“I’m not anorexic.”
    Derrick smiled. “Denial,” he whispered, loud
enough for them all to hear.
    “I’m not in denial! I eat enough food, I’m
just thin cause I exercise.”
    “Maybe you shouldn’t give her such a hard
time,” the man said.
    “Well we’re just kidding,” Porter said,
“There’s no need to get all—hissy.”
    “I’m not being hissy,” Val protested, “I
just don’t know why we’re still talking about this.”
    “Good point,” Derrick agreed, “Let’s just
dig in.”
    Val looked at the cheesesteak in front of
her; as far as sandwiches went, she wasn’t sure it qualified. The
cheesesteak looked like someone had soaked it in grease and layered
as much cheese as possible on top. It was the kind of food Val
would actively avoid normally, but after the conversation they’d
just had, she didn’t want to hear Porter’s reaction if she were to
forgo lunch. She took a few bites, surprised that it tasted much
better than expected; its bold flavor was a stark contrast to the
bland sandwich Val had thought she was biting into. She ate until
she was full, and then ate even more. When she’d finished half of
the cheesesteak and couldn’t possibly eat more, Val set down her
remaining food.
    Their cheesesteaks had all been served on
top of a bed of fries; Porter had finished his meal, and was busy
stealing fries from Derrick. “You can have mine,” Val offered.
Porter shook his head, his cheeks full of potato-meat. “No, you eat
that,” he said through the mush.
    “Well that’s attractive,” Val replied,
wrinkling her nose.
    “Sorry,” Porter apologized, his mouth still
full of food.
    “It’s alright, just—don’t say anything
else.”
    “Ever? Or until he finishes what’s in his
mouth?” Derrick asked, “You need to clarify the terms of this
silence.”
    “Just until he’s finished eating. Seriously,
didn’t your parents teach you not to talk with your mouth
full?”
    Porter was careful to finish his food before
replying, “I suppose. It just didn’t really sink in. Anyway, I’m
done.” He was right; there