I set my spoon down, watching Alia doodle little smiley faces on her napkin with ketchup. My chest tightened. "Hey, baby, can I ask you something?"
She blinked up at me. "Mhm?"
She looked up, blinking, a noodle dangling from her fork. "Yeah?"
"Your teacher, Mrs. Torres… she said you've been quiet in class. Putting your head down on your desk. Not talking much. Is something wrong?" I softened my eyes, trying not to sound like I was interrogating her. "Please talk to me."
Alia groaned dramatically, flopping against her chair. "Ughhh, that only happened one time! I was tired after P.E. and I slept off. You make it sound like I'm depressed or something."
I leaned forward. "Are you sure? You'd tell me if someone was bothering you, right? Like, if someone was bullying you or saying mean things…."
"Is it Violet?" I pushed, my chest was already burning with anger.
"Ash, calm down." Dominic's voice cut in. He rested his hand on mine under the table. "She's okay."
