Cafeteria Wars
At Ridgewood High, the cafeteria wasn’t just a place to eat.
It was a battlefield.
The jocks claimed the corner tables near the vending machines. The drama club spread themselves across the middle, loudly rehearsing lines between bites of pizza. The goth kids lurked by the windows like vampires with trays of fries. And the marching band occupied the table closest to the trash cans, where they banged forks rhythmically until someone yelled at them to stop.
For Ethan Park, an average junior with above-average clumsiness, the cafeteria was a daily nightmare. Not because of the food—although the “mystery meat surprise” often looked like roadkill—but because of Sophie Ramirez.
Sophie wasn’t just pretty. She was radiant. She laughed too loudly, always smelled faintly of strawberries, and somehow made Ridgewood’s ugly cafeteria tray look like a fashion accessory. Ethan had liked her since freshman year, but his version of “liking” involved tripping, spilling, or choking whenever she was within a ten-foot radius.
So when Maya (yes, the same Maya, unofficial chaos agent of Ridgewood High) dared him to actually sit with Sophie at lunch, Ethan’s stomach dropped harder than the cafeteria’s mashed potatoes.
“Absolutely not,” he whispered.
Maya smirked. “Absolutely yes. Unless you want to chicken out forever.”
“I don’t chicken out,” Ethan protested.
“Really? Last week you chickened out of borrowing a pencil from her.”
“That was… strategy.”
Maya rolled her eyes. “Fine. Then you won’t mind if I tell Sophie you’re into her?”
Ethan nearly dropped his chocolate milk. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, I would,” Maya said sweetly. “Now march.”
12:15 p.m.
The cafeteria buzzed like a beehive. Ethan clutched his tray—a slice of pizza that looked suspiciously like cardboard and a pudding cup—and approached Sophie’s table.
She was sitting with her best friend, Kara, giggling over something on her phone.
Ethan swallowed hard. “Hey. Uh. Hi.”
Sophie looked up, smiling politely. “Oh, hey, Ethan.”
Ethan’s brain promptly forgot how words worked. “I—uh—can I—sit?”
“Sure,” Sophie said, scooting over.
Victory! Ethan sat down… and immediately knocked over his milk.
It spilled across the table, dripping dangerously close to Sophie’s phone.
“Oh no!” Ethan scrambled for napkins, accidentally knocking his pudding cup into Kara’s lap.
Kara shrieked. Sophie laughed. Ethan wanted to melt into a puddle under the table.
“Rough day?” Sophie teased, handing him more napkins.
“Always,” Ethan muttered. “Sorry. I have a… coordination problem.”
“That’s okay,” Sophie said warmly. “It’s kinda cute.”
Ethan’s heart nearly exploded. Cute?! Did she just—
But before he could process, a loud shout cut through the cafeteria.
“FOOD FIGHT!”
Chaos erupted.
A slice of pizza flew past Ethan’s head like a frisbee. Mashed potatoes splattered across the jocks’ table. Someone launched a chicken nugget with the accuracy of a professional baseball player.
Ethan ducked. Sophie squealed, grabbing his arm.
“Oh my God, duck!” she laughed.
Suddenly, Kara was standing on the bench, brandishing Ethan’s pudding spoon like a sword. “TO WAR!” she yelled, flinging peas at the marching band.
The cafeteria exploded into screams and laughter.
Ethan and Sophie crouched under the table as chaos rained down around them.
“This is insane,” Ethan muttered, shielding her from a flying breadstick.
Sophie grinned. “This is high school.”
For a moment, time slowed. Her hand was still on his arm, her smile wide and fearless. She looked like she was having the time of her life.
Ethan thought: This is it. This is my chance.
He leaned in, opening his mouth to say something—anything—when suddenly… SPLAT.
A meatball nailed him square in the face.
Sophie burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. “Oh my God, Ethan! You look like spaghetti night threw up on you!”
Ethan wiped sauce from his cheek, groaning. “This is not how I pictured my big romantic moment.”
Sophie tilted her head. “Wait—romantic?”
Ethan froze. Did he say that out loud?!
“Yes,” Kara shouted from above, still hurling peas. “He’s in loooove with you!”
Sophie’s eyes widened. Ethan wished the floor would swallow him whole.
And then—she smiled.
“You know,” she said softly, “I was kinda hoping you’d say that.”
Ethan blinked. “You… what?”
But before she could answer, a custodian blew a whistle. “FOOD FIGHT’S OVER! EVERYONE DETENTION!”
The entire cafeteria groaned.
That afternoon, Ethan found himself scrubbing mashed potatoes off the walls during detention. Sophie was beside him, sponge in hand, still smiling.
“You’re really bad at food fights,” she teased.
“I’m bad at everything,” Ethan said. “Except, maybe, liking you.”
Sophie paused. Then she leaned closer, brushing a smear of pudding off his nose with her thumb.
“Good,” she whispered. “Because I like you too.”
Ethan’s jaw nearly dropped. “Wait—you—seriously?”
Sophie laughed. “Seriously.”
Maya appeared in the doorway, smirking. “Called it.”
Ethan glared. “Maya!”
Sophie just laughed again, her strawberry-scented hair falling into her face. “Don’t worry, Ethan. I think clumsy is cute.”
And just like that, detention didn’t feel like punishment at all.
