“Ya know,” I drawl, motioning to her with one of my chips, “you could just finally get a cat, Lor. Didn’t your mom say that you could?”
“Correction, she said I could get a cat if I get my history grades up,” Lora says with a slight frown, “and we both know that history is my worst subject.”
If I was going to get in the middle of her relationship drama with Holt, then this is where I’d mention Holt’s straight A’s in history. But I’m not getting in the middle of it. So, I’m not mentioning it.
“I know what you’re thinking.” She raises an eyebrow at me before using her fork to carelessly push her mac and cheese around. “I’m not that desperate though.”
“Hmm?” I play crazy, eating another one of my chips. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I’m not asking Holt for help with history.”
“I didn’t say that you should.”
“But you were thinking it.”
“So were you.”
Her lips purse at that. “Touché.”
“There’s other people that could tutor you,” I offer with a shrug. “Not me, of course, since I’m barely doing better than you in history. But someone else could.”
“Back to my original question,” she drawls, stabbing some pasta with her fork. “What was with the look?”
“Brayden,” I mutter, pretending to study my light purple painted nails.
“He’s in here?” she asks, looking around the cafeteria. “Well, you did say that he looks really different now. Like, how different though?”
“I don’t know if he’s in here,” I reply in a dry tone, “and I really don’t care.”
“Ooooh,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows at me. “Are you sure you don’t care? ’cause it sounds like you might.”
“Lora, stop,” I tell her with a scowl. “He’s been nothing but a pain, and I wish he’d just move back to Flemingsburg, Michigan.”
“Flemingsburg?” she echoes, making a face. “That’s seriously where he’s been living for the past six years?”
I snort. “Fitting, right?”
“Bitter,” she singsongs, eating her forkful of mac and cheese. “Why did he and his family move from here in the first place anyway?” She proceeds to smirk at me. “Do you think it was because of your breakup note?”
“Do you think it was because of your breakup note?” I mimic her with squinted eyes. “No, Lora. I’m pretty sure they moved to Michigan because of his mom’s job.”
“So, is that why they’re back here in Sierra Heights?” she asks, taking a sip of her strawberry tea. “Because of his mom’s job again?”
I let my gaze go to the ceiling. “I don’t know, Lora. I’ve been trying to avoid him, remember?”
“I still don’t get that, by the way. Why avoid him? This could be fate.”
“This is not fate,” I say, tilting my head down to glare at her, “this is—” I don’t finish though, because I suddenly catch a glimpse of him. And that’s when I duck underneath the table as much as possible.
“What the crap are you doing?”
“I’m not here!” I hiss, cringing at the sight of chewed-up gum stuck to the table. “Stop talking to me!”
“Wait, did you see him? Is that why you’re hiding under there? You know that you’re still really visible, right?”
Shut. Up.
I try to hunch down even more.
“Meg. Megan! What does he look like now? ’cause there is a very hot guy coming this way, and I think he just heard me say your name. Girl, if that’s him, then he had the glow-up of the century.”
Don’t remind me…
“First, she sends me down the wrong hallway, and now she’s trying to hide from me? Should I be worried?”
I mentally curse at the sound of his voice. Ugh, I just can’t catch a break.
Lora responds with an awkward laugh. “Hey, Brayden. What’s up?”
“Nothing much…Lara, right?”
“Lora, actually,” she corrects him with another laugh. “And I don’t know anything about a wrong hallway, but Megan here is just looking for her earring. Did you find it, Meg?”
Everyone needs to have a friend that tries their best to make you look just a little less pathetic. I honestly don’t deserve Lora.
I quickly pluck one of my small hoop earrings out, and then manage to sit up straight without banging my head. “Got it!”
“Oh, good,” Lora says as I put the stupid thing back into my earlobe. “I’m glad you found it. Look who’s here, Meg.”
She gives me a discreet eyebrow raise, and I hold back an eye-roll before turning my attention to Brayden. “Hi.”
“Hey,” he replies in that annoying laidback voice of his. “I just wanted to come over here and tell you thanks for sharing your tablet with me in Mrs. Flynn’s class.”
“It’s Mrs. Flint,” I all-but-mutter, wishing that he’d just go away. “And you’re welcome…I guess.”
Maybe he’ll get the message that I don’t want him around me.
At. All.
“Flint,” he says, almost to himself. “Right. It’ll probably take me a little bit to get used to all the different names.” He offers a rather weak chuckle, and I freely roll my eyes.
Shocker, he’s not getting the message. That, or he’s just choosing to ignore the cold vibes I’m giving him.
“Totally understandable,” Lora tells him with a nod, “I’m sure it’s not easy transferring so far into the school year.”
You know what’s not easy? Having to breathe the same air as him.
“Did you want to sit with us, Brayden?”
My head snaps in Lora’s direction, and I don’t bother hiding a glare. “Lora, I’m sure that he—”
“If you guys are okay with it,” Brayden says with a shrug, “then yeah.”
“Of course, we’re okay with it,” Lora replies before I can say anything. “Absolutely. Have a seat.”
And here I was thinking that she was my friend.
To my surprise, Brayden sits next to Lora, but she is
