The cafeteria was its usual chaos. Plastic trays clattering, chairs screeching, conversations overlapping until it all blurred into one noisy hum. Adrian sat at his usual table, half-slouched, trying to tune it all out. Or at least he tried, until Eliana slid into the seat beside him like she owned the space and immediately latched onto his arm.
Her perfume was too sweet, her nails pressing into his sleeve, her head tilted like she was staging some cheesy magazine cover. It wasn't endearing. It was suffocating.
Adrian's jaw tightened, though outwardly he kept the same careless face he always wore.
Across the table, Ethan sat poking at his lunch with the kind of energy that screamed don't talk to me. Usually the guy would be off with his girlfriend, ditching the group without a second thought. But here he was, sulking into his food like a kicked puppy.
I'm guessing they broke up. No way he'd be here otherwise. Adrian thought, smirking to himself.
Leon must've had the same thought because he set down his fork with a grin that was too sharp to be innocent. "So," he drawled, raising a brow, "what happened to your girlfriend?" he asked casually, like it was small talk.
Ethan's head snapped up. The death glare he shot across the table could have melted steel. "You looking for a fight?" His tone was sharp enough to cut glass. Like he'd been waiting for someone to test him.
Adrian hid his grin. Leon definitely was looking for a fight. He only smirked wider, pretending to be oblivious. "Just curious."
Adrian didn't even bother stepping in. Those two fought with words the way stray dogs fought over scraps, loud and pointless.
"Babe."
Eliana's syrupy voice cut through the noise. Adrian stiffened as she lifted a spoon toward his mouth, clearly intent on feeding him like a toddler. Her wavy brunette hair fell perfectly into place as she tilted her head, looking every bit the picture-perfect girlfriend.
Adrian blinked at the spoon, his mind flatlining. Does she think I'm three?Why the hell does she want to feed me in public like this? The urge to roll his eyes almost won, but he forced his face blank. With a sigh, he opened his mouth, let her feed him, and chewed slowly with all the enthusiasm of someone biting cardboard. If he shoved her away right now, she'd make a scene and the last thing he needed was more cafeteria gossip.
Meanwhile, Ethan and Leon were still snapping at each other, voices rising like dogs barking on a street corner.
The only sane one at the table, Marcus, was focused on his tray like it was sacred. Today's menu was actually decent, and he wasn't about to waste time getting involved in the drama. His silence was almost admirable.
Adrian, however, wasn't feeling quite as zen. Adrian pushed Eliana's hand away lightly, pretending it was casual, but inside his patience was running thin. I'm breaking up with her sooner or later. Should've done it weeks ago. The only thing stopping me is her daddy's money.
His gaze drifted, anything to distract himself, and landed on Avery. She sat a couple seats down, holding up a fashion magazine in front of her face like a shield. The problem? The book was upside down.
He almost snorted.
"You good, Ava?" Adrian called, eyebrow raised.
The magazine lowered just enough to reveal her wide, nervous eyes flicking left, right, then finally settling on him. "Nope. I'm dead meat," she muttered, shaking her head so hard her orange pigtails bounced like springs.
Adrian tilted his head. "And why's that?" he asked, right as Eliana shoved another bite of food toward him. He took it reluctantly, chewing in slow annoyance.
Avery leaned in, covering the side of her mouth with her hand like she was passing state secrets. "Remember that date I told you about?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Yeah, well, turns out my date goes here. And it's already doomed. Like...completely doomed."
Adrian tilted his head. And that's bad because…? Isn't that a good thing? More chances to see each other.
Before Adrian could even process that, she exhaled sharply, dropped the magazine onto the table, and stood up so fast her chair scraped against the floor. "Shit. I gotta go." She bolted toward the cafeteria exit, moving so fast she nearly knocked into a passing student.
Adrian's head instinctively turned, following her retreat, and that's when he saw who she'd spotted.
Scarlet. The school president, impossible to miss with her long beige hair swaying against her blazer and those sharp black glasses framing her face. Strict and definitely intimidating. Scarlet walked through the cafeteria with her usual purposeful stride. From Adrian's perspective, it looked like she was heading straight toward Avery.
Ethan and Leon's argument cut off mid-snarl as both of them turned to watch. The air at the table shifted instantly.
"Oh," Adrian muttered under his breath, connecting the dots.
"To answer your question," Marcus said suddenly, his voice casual as ever, "her date's a girl. So… you know how that is." He punctuated the statement by shoving another forkful into his mouth, chewing with zero concern.
Adrian blinked. Oh. He bit back a laugh, pressing his knuckle to his mouth, but Eliana froze, her spoon clattering against the tray.
Ethan's jaw nearly hit the table. "Wait...Avery swings that way?" His voice was low but loud enough for them to hear. A beat later, he burst into hysterical laughter, clutching his stomach. "Holy shit. No wonder she went on that crazy diet just to impress someone. Damn."
Leon shook his head, smirking but not quite laughing. "I thought she was bi, though."
"Doesn't matter," Marcus said around another bite. "It's her life, anyway."
"Where do you even get that from?" Adrian cut in, chuckling. "Come to think of it, she's never said anything about her sexuality." He chuckled, though there was an odd weight in the air now. But Adrian couldn't stop the grin tugging at his lips. That was… unexpected.