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Fight Or Flight Or Food

8/9/2020

1 Comment

 
​I had at least thirty minutes until my first class started, I always arrived this early to school and I took the opportunity to eat breakfast during this time. When I entered the doors, I was starving! I was usually starving but today was worse for some reason. My plan was to make a b-line to my first class, drop my book bag off, and then stuff my face in the cafeteria.
When I turned down the hallway, I noticed a friend of mine walking towards me with a group of people. I would say, around 12 people or so. I didn’t know most of them, but she waved me over.

“We’re going to the lunchroom, you wanna go?”

Say no more. I’m hungry. My book bag will be fine sitting in the classroom floor or cafeteria floor. It doesn’t matter.  

Looking back on it now, I guess I should have picked up on everyone’s body language. A chicken biscuit was the last thing on these people’s minds.

When we entered the cafeteria, the entire group stopped just short of the doors to the main kitchen area where you ordered your food.

What. Are. We. Doing.

I looked at my friend, who was now watching the ‘leader’ of our so-called little group. I followed the leader’s eyes across the table to a girl who was sitting there eating her breakfast. She was doing exactly what I wanted to do. She also had about the same size group with her, all eating. Why wasn’t I in that group?

“What—”

Before I could finish my question, our leader exploded into a fit of rage. Yelling, screaming, and cussing at the girl sitting at the table.

Oh dear.

All I picked up out of the sudden out lash was that the girl at the table had offender her honor at some point, maybe called her a name?

So, about the chicken biscuit.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t fight. Don’t ever expect me to back you up if something goes down. That would be a poor decision on your part.

I glanced around the cafeteria to see everyone was now staring at us. This was going well.

“I didn’t say anything about you.”

I turned back to the table when I heard the other girl speak. She said it calmly, in fact, she didn’t really seem THAT upset about being yelled at. Finally, someone with some sense around here. Let’s just deescalated this situation and go eat--

“BUT IF YOU WANNA FIGHT ME—”

The girl at the table went from zero to sixty in less than half a second. She stood up, throwing her hands in the air, motioning the other girl to come at her. The language that spewed forth out of her mouth was something I wasn’t prepared for.

Wait a minute now.

I took a step back, bumping into the people that had gathered behind me to watch the blood bath. I looked behind me to find a quick exit when I noticed the school resource officer walking into the cafeteria.

More good news.

Both girls were now screaming at each other, standing on either side of the table, leaning over to yell in each other’s faces. For whatever reason, my group took a step forward towards the table. That prompted everyone at the table to bounce up out of their seats in a threatening manner. Now everyone was cussing and yelling and being all defensive.

Can’t we all just get along—and eat our breakfast?

I took another step backward. This was not what I signed up for. When someone says, “Hey, we’re going to the cafeteria,” the last thing on my mind is to FIGHT. Am I the only one?

“Alright, break it up now!”

The school resource officer did not seem amused. I wasn’t either.

Don’t mind me, I’m just going to slip out the back of this crowd.

As if things weren’t out of hand anyway, a guy I had never seen before from our group, turned on the officer, butting his chest against his. He started screaming and cussing in his face. My heart stopped.

I don’t ask for much. All I wanted was my chicken biscuit but now, we’re all going to jail.

The officer pushed him back and warned him not to do it again. I slipped out the back of the crowd, right past everyone into the doorway of the main kitchen. The smell of food assaulted my nose, but in a good way. Not like the way everyone’s screams assaulted my ears.

There was no way I was sticking around for that, even if I had already eaten breakfast. No thank you. By the time I had made it through the line, the shouting had stopped, the crowds were gone, and the officer had taken a few people with him. My friend met me at the door.

“Where did you go,” she seemed surprised I had disappeared.

“What do you mean, where did I go? I went and got breakfast! I thought that’s what we were doing!”

“I thought you would have stayed,” she said entering the line to get her own breakfast.

How long have we been friends? At what point, did ANYTHING about me, say to you, I’d stay?

​I should have been home schooled.
1 Comment
Jania Wilson
8/9/2020 12:24:40 pm


I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t fight. Don’t ever expect me to back you up if something goes down. That would be a poor decision on your part.
U am so glad I am not the only one that feels this way, I had always thought and still do think there is something wrong with me. I have always went the other direction, never been in a fight. Never wanted to. Its not that I am trying to be a coward I just really don't know where to start, I kinda freeze its like I can't handle the fight or flight response its overwhelming. So I dont really respond injust want to retreat anywhere but where the confrontation is whether it be with me or someone else.

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