Jailbird

c h a p t e r XLIII

When she realized he was indeed looking at her she frowned, "I'm sorry?"

He stepped closer, "You know, we could get out of here and..."

Aviva's face held a disgusted expression at the boy's insinuation and she was about to intervene when something in the distance had her smirking.

"Or," Sapphire smiled, "You could get out of here by yourself while I continue eating my sandwich as I was doing, before you interrupted me."

The boy didn't back down and approached even more as if Sapphire's words had fallen on deaf ears, "What do you say I show you what a real man can do?"

And at that moment, Maddox arrived with Enzo.

Maddox's eyes held silent violence, as he took a seat next to her. He put an arm around her shoulders and spoke, "What can a real man do?"

"Yeah," Enzo added as he sat next to Aviva. "I want to know too."

The boy, hearing the hidden threat behind the quiet tones gulped at their words, "I- uh, um, I- I'm going to go uh drink, yeah, water, drink water."

And just as he was pivoting to run away, a shoe collided with his face.

"STILL GOT IT!!" Amaya yelled raising her fists in the air victoriously. She turned to Julian who was next to her, "Pay up babe."

Julian grunted and gave her the twenty dollar bill before yelling at the boy who had received the flying shoe in the nose, "YOU COULDN'T HAVE MOVED?! WHO STANDS STILL WHEN A SHOE COMES THEIR WAY?!?"

And the boy fled away, a red imprint marking his face.

Aviva snorted when he tripped and got up to run again while Sapphire turned to Maddox with an eyebrow raised, "Really?"

He smiled, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to get some food now."

And he left, not before stealing one of her fries.

••••

They had only been halfway through their lunch, in the middle of a conversation when Amaya was about to reply to some comment Julian had made before her gaze landed on someone particular at one of the Hayward tables.

Julian followed her gaze and frowned, "Is that.."

A girl sat there, wearing the red Hayward uniform, her pitch black hair in a perfect ponytail and her lips in a tight line as she examined something on her phone, her perfect nails tapping on the screen when she looked up.

"Oh shit," Amaya mumbled, turning away and pretending to find her plate very interesting.
The girl walked over to them, her gaze the whole time focused on...

Enzo?

Enzo had been oblivious to the silent exchange, his attention instead on Aviva who was laughing at something Maddox had said.

"Enzo? Is that you?" The girl said with a hopeful smile.

Enzo's eyes were focused on Aviva, as he was lost in his thoughts.

"Enzo stop looking at the bitch I'm talking to you," the girl sneered.

Enzo's head snapped up at the comment, his expression changing from surprised when he saw who had spoken to irritated.

"Jinoa don't insult my friends," Enzo sighed, "What do you want?"

Jinoa's lips parted as an offended expression made way to her face, "I don't get a hug?!"

Sapphire scowled, "You just called Avie a bitch, and who even are you?"

The girl opened her mouth, "I am Jinoa the third, h-"

"Heir to the nation of fucktards and rainbows, we know," Amaya waved her off.

"How dare you?!" She shrieked.

Maddox drifted his annoyed gaze on Jinoa, "Didn't you die last year?"

Jinoa gasped, "I'll let you know, I was in a car accident and no I didn't die."

Maddox frowned, "Are you sure? Cause I could swear I got an invitation to your funeral."

The girl gasped again.

"Girl, I don't know you okay, but do you mind, we're trying to enjoy our lunch here and you're making that task very complicated," Aviva said, trying very hard to seem interested in whatever the girl was saying.

Jinoa narrowed her eyes at her, "Don't you even dare speak to me you criminal."

"Honey," Aviva started, her interest getting lower by the second, "I won't start an argument with you, nor engage in one okay? So just go back to your friends like a nice ragazza and let us eat in peace before I start making promises."

The girl huffed, but didn't protest when one of her friends came to bring her back to their table, giving them an apologetic smile.

Enzo looked at Aviva with a worried glance, relaxing only when she gave him a warm smile. Jinoa was an ex-girlfriend of his and he had been worried that brief interruption of hers would've messed up whatever was going on between them, but instead he only seemed to like Aviva even more.

Conversation retook its course as they continued devouring their lunches.