"Elford?"
Chessa glanced up from her drink. "Gentlemen."
"Afternoon," Rin added, nodding politely to the girls.
"Hey," Miri greeted with a wave. Madeleine offered a grin. Isabelle dipped her head, only slightly. They all knew each other—same class, same shared lectures, same ridiculous P.E. rotations. The familiarity wasn't strange.
But the sight of Damien sitting at the table with them?
That was.
Aaron placed his hands on the back of Damien's chair. "You don't usually come to the cafeteria."
"Let alone sit here," Lionel added. "With them."
Madeleine raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Aaron held up both palms in mock innocence. "I'm just saying, Elford usually ghosts us when we ask him to grab food."
"You always reject our invites," Rin said, eyes narrowing theatrically. "And now we find you here, basking in filtered garden light with the most elite girls in the class?"
He shook his head. "You betrayed the code, man."
