𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐔𝐗𝐔𝐑𝐘

𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐔𝐗𝐀𝐑𝐘, 𝟑

"What ended up happening with EJ?" Montero asked while putting some salad on his plate from the salad bar.

All eyes were on Normani as her three friends awaited her response. They had noticed that she didn't mention him at all since last Friday.

"Honestly," Normani sighed, "a whole lot of nothing. He's dead to me."

As if on cue, all three of Normani's friends gasped. Normani could've sworn that she saw Montero's eyes get watery, as if he was going to cry. Not appreciating their dramatics, Normani rolled her eyes and walked over to the cash register. They were doing way too much too early in the day.

"What happened? You both looked so cute," Ryan cooed. Meanwhile, Normani paid for her chicken Caesar wrap and Snapple iced tea.

"Chile, a lot. I'll explain once we sit down. I don't want anyone else listening in."

It was Montero's turn to go through the checkout now. He was third in line, in front of Justine. "Damn, it was that bad?"

"Yes. I'm going to find us a table."

In typical Normani fashion, she used finding a table as a cop-out because she didn't feel like engaging in a conversation in front of other students about the horror story that was last Friday. It was the first time in a while she felt betrayed, especially by someone she thought she could somewhat trust. In reality, she was hurt, a little sad, even. EJ had so much potential: he was the first man of means she encountered with no hangups and Normani actually enjoyed spending time with him, until he betrayed her.

Since there were a bunch of free tables, Normani found one with ease. She opted for one in the back of the room, closest to a large window that gave a view of some nearby buildings. Feeling the need for some reflection, Normani sat in one of the seats facing the large window.

There were many ways she could re-tell the story of  what happened to her last Friday. She preferred to disclose the version that made her appear less stupid, naive, and hurt; the story that portrayed her in a better light. More so, a story devoid of emotions.

"Can you spill the tea, now?" Montero asked, sitting across from Normani. Justine sat next to him, while Ryan sat on the other side of Normani.

"Let the girl breathe a little, damn," Justine lightly shoved Montero's shoulder with a shake of her head. "Not everything is for shits and giggles, this is real life."

"And real life sucks sometimes." Ryan chimed in, taking a bite of her sandwich.

Montero was surprised that Justine was being so protective over Normani. Justine and Normani had a love-hate type of relationship: one second they'd be joking and laughing, then the next, they'd be arguing, typically over a shady comment Justine had said. It was odd to witness at times due to the bipolar nature of it, but both Montero and Ryan got used to it.

"It's fine, J. I'll speak on it because I was the one who introduced him to y'all anyways. It's crazy how we couldn't even last one day," Normani bitterly chuckled and took a hard bite out of her wrap.

Ryan watched her best friend with sad eyes. Being Normani's friend for three years already, Ryan could clearly tell whatever happened with EJ was bothering her. However, Ryan also knew of the harsh reality that Normani would likely downplay her emotions, it was something Normani did quite often.

"So clearly, it's fuck EJ."

"Yeah, it's giving that," Justine sighed, agreeing with Montero. Even though she didn't like EJ at first, she did hope that he was the one for Normani for two reasons: one, she believed her friend deserved to be happy and well-taken care of and two, it meant she could get into The Vault for free every weekend. It seemed as though the latter won't happen ever again, which was disappointing.