| torn up

~ chapter 46 ☁️

My eyes continue sliding over the table and my gaze soon settles on Haider and Alexander. The latter is busy scrolling on his phone whilst the brunette has a girl tucked into his side as he busily chatters away to Eli about something. 

Taking in the full image of Haider, I'm not at all surprised to see a painful looking cut adorning his cheek. The angry, red streak looks fresh and prominent on his slightly tan skin, something which is evident by the fact that I am able to spot it even from this distance. It looks painful to say the least and I can't help but wince to myself slightly at the sight of it.

None of the boys are strangers to getting into their fair share of scuffles every now and then. No one is surprised nowadays if Haider comes into school sporting a black eye or if Eli arrives with a swollen nose or even if Alexander comes in late with a bruise on his cheek.

However nowadays it's definitely fair to say that out of all of them, it's usually Haider whose the one with such injuries. I guess he just gets into more fights outside of school than the other two. It makes sense too considering his personality, I've seen before with my own two eyes how good he is at provoking people and getting on their nerves if he really feels like it and he definitely knows how to use his tongue as a weapon.

I even remember shyly asking him about it last year when we had been working on a Chemistry assignment in the library one time. The grey eyed boy had come in that day with a particularly bad bruise on his cheek and after asking if he was okay, I couldn't help but to point out how was it that he just always seemed to have one thing up with him or another. He had stilled for a second at my question, probably not having expected it before shrugging and grinning, telling me 'I guess I just have a way of winding up people.' before soon changing the conversation. I didn't ask him about it again.

I'm bought out of my thoughts by a sudden and actually rather obnoxious sounding coughing noise to my right.

'Excuse me, babe. Sorry but you're going to have to leave us for a minute.' Asha loudly states and I look over to see her staring straight at her boyfriend as she pushes her glasses up her nose.

'Huh, why?' Jasper quizzes in confusion as he pouts at her proposition.

I'm a bit lost too, also looking to Asha with a look of uncertainty. Meanwhile Piper looks like she couldn't care less as she slurps loudly on the straw of her milkshake so I can only guess she already knows where this is going.

'We just need to have a bit of a girly chat with Willow.'

Oh. So that's where this is going.

'Me? What do you mean? What do we need to talk about?' I ask, pretending to act clueless and averting my gaze from the three of them as I busy myself with taking a big bite out of my sandwich.

'I think you know what.' Asha tiredly sighs, shaking her head at me and sharing a look of disproval with our other best friend.

'Nope. I don't know what you're on about.' I shrug with wide eyes as I chew on my food, trying my best to play innocent.

'Yeah, well. Anyway will you please give us five, Jas?' Asha mutters, seemingly giving up on me for the time being and redirecting her efforts back towards her boyfriend.

'Babe, really? C'mon now, am I not 'girly' enough to join you in this little chat?' The brunette whines, tightening his arm wrapped around Asha's shoulders and pulling her closer in an attempt to convince her to let him stay.

'I mean-' she begins before getting cut off by Piper's abrupt input.

'You're one of the biggest Chads I know.'