We Were Strangers| Completed

part 17

The usual honking from Nico's car greeted me the next morning. I had gathered my belongings and an apple from the fruit basket and was about to leave the house.

After yesterday's events, I was unsure if we were actually going to school as I approached the car and buckled up. But once we arrived on campus, I knew we'd make it to class on time.

I rushed out of the car, away from Nico, and into the building, where I found a trash can and tossed away my apple before making it to my first class.

The school day had been normal, and I hadn't missed much in one day. I was able to catch up quickly because all I had to do in English was read the assigned chapter. I had already read it by lunchtime, so completing the worksheet for it was a breeze.

I kept reading the chapter for today until the bell rang, which excused us all. As I walked out of class, I gathered my belongings and picked up my backpack from the floor, pulling it over my arms. I was walking through the crowded hallways when I noticed Enzo walking in the opposite direction and stopping in front of me so we could walk side by side.

"How was your date?" He asked, raising his voice a few octaves when he said the word "date."

"What are you on about?" I was curious as to where he got this idea. We both stopped walking and moved to the corner as he pulled his phone from his pocket and typed something quickly before turning the phone around to face me.

When I saw the photo of myself, my eyes widened. Nico had taken a photo of me at the diner. I wore a smile as I held a fry in my hand.

The caption read:

@Nicovalore: nobody else :)

At the very least, he knew how to be a fake boyfriend. I thought to myself.

"How was your date?" Enzo asked again. This time, he stuffed his phone into his pocket and crossed his arms, waiting for me to respond.

"Not a date." "We were just hanging out." I explained, looking back at him. I began to start walking as I made my way to the cafeteria.

"Can we hang out then?" "Because I feel like we haven't had any one-on-one time," Enzo began saying.

The last time we had some alone time was that night when I dozed off while we watched television, but other than that, I can't really remember.

"Yeah, I'm free," I said as we both approached the table. We took our seats and were greeted by Mason and Tory.

"Great, then it's settled." "Today after school."

Okay, I looked around and saw the lunch for today, which was tomato soup, and decided to eat an old granola bar I had saved in my backpack for breakfast. I took it out and had it for lunch.

I was about to take my second bite when I noticed the shadow cast above and realized it was Arlo and Jade walking in our direction. I hadn't seen them in a long time; I had missed them at the pool party, and this was the first time I had seen them since then. The two sat at the far end of the table, and even though they were out of sight, I could feel eyes on me. Jade's green eyes connected with mine when I looked up. She kept her eyes fixed on me; her eyes were filled with hatred.

She didn't look away until I felt a hand on my shoulder. I cocked my neck to see who it was. I watched as Nico appeared next to me and sat down. He returned my small smile, knowing that my every move was being scrutinized.

His eyes were examining the table and the people around him until they fell on Jade, and his brow furrowed as he realized she was also here.

He parted his lips as he got close to me, ready to whisper something, when a loud screeching sound echoed throughout the entire cafeteria.