~~~
(Skip to Monday)
Deja's POV
I wake up, sweat free and tear free. It's a miracle. Today is going to be the hardest day of my life. How can I go the whole day with no or minimal social interaction with Cameron? I don't know to be honest, so there's one thing I can do to make this presumed bad day better.
Get Starbucks.
That's the only way I'm going to get through today so, I've woken up a little earlier than I usually do. I want to make it to Starbucks before the teachers and other people who have 9-5 jobs get in there.
Plus, I could probably take the Toyota there and then come back in time to have my mom take me to school or for me to take the bus. My mom is always difficult and never allows me to drive to school.
I wish she could be carefree like that. Well, she is carefree when it comes to my life's events. She's carefree when she shouldn't be.
~~~
I park in the parking lot and walk inside the Starbucks. Barely anyone is in there. It looks like my plan has worked. I walk up to cash register and a familiar face interrupts my mental celebration.
"And we meet again." David says.
"Yeah, can I get a tall soy vanilla latte?"
"Sure. Is that it?"
"Yes."
He turns around to write on my cup, but I realize that he didn't tell me the total.
"Hey, David. You didn't tell me the price."
"Don't worry about it." He smiles.
I don't trust that smile, but oh well. A free drink is a free drink. A few minutes later, my drink is ready. David is the one who brings it out, causing my suspicions to rise.
"Did you spit in this?" I ask.
"No, I didn't."
"I swear if you spit in this."
"Deja, I didn't spit in it."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, I swear on my dad."
Since I know that his dad is dead, I can now drink my coffee with no worries. I slowly turn away from him. I grab some napkins and a green stirrer before heading out the door.
I take a swig of my coffee as I cross the street. As I approach my car, I really taste the coffee to make sure that David didn't do anything to it. Either David is a master barista or he didn't spit in it because this is one of the best damn lattes that I've had from Starbucks, considering their inconsistency.
I hop into the car, turn on Love Galore by SZA and Travis Scott and find my way back home. It's five minutes away from Starbucks if you drive.
I pull into the driveway and walk into the house through the garage. About a quarter through my bomb-ass coffee, I realize what time it is. I have about 15 minutes until I need to leave to make it to the bus stop in time.
I might burn my tongue, but it's worth the risk, considering the possible consequences. I slam the coffee until the last drop. That only took 10 minutes.
Just as I'm about to toss the empty cup in the trash, something tells me to look at the writing inscribed on it.
I'm sorry.
That's what it says in medium sized writing. It's bigger than the other writing telling me what type of drink I have.
I glance at the writing for a quick second before tossing it in the trash. I don't know what type of games David is playing, but I'm not down.
~~~
I get off the bus, which was a painfully awkward ride. The bus was all crowded when I got on so, I had to sit next to someone. That someone just so happened to be Tiara.
We didn't talk, which was something I knew was going to happen. It's just too soon.
While walking towards the entrance, I have a flashback from when Tiara was practically tugging my arm trying to get me to listen to her. I ignored her because I saw Cameron.
Now, Cameron is also walking towards the entrance and I'm freaking out. I don't want him to see me. If he sees me, I'll feel obligated to have a conversation with him.
Since Ms. Johnson moved me to a seat away from both David and Cameron last class, I should be fine in English Literature.
5 minutes later
I walk into the class and neither of them have made it there yet so, I'm safe. There's a huge sigh of relief until I look at my seat and see someone sitting in it.
I try to calm down and go over to the boy. I haven't seen him before so, I figure that he's new.
"I sit here," I tell him.
"Ms. Johnson told me to sit here."
I groan in my head and walk over to Ms. Johnson's desk.
"Deja, do you think that you can go back to your old seat?" She asks me as soon as I get in front of her desk. "He's new so, I just put him in Nathan's old seat."
After a good mental yelling session, I say, "Sure, I don't mind."
I walk over to my old seat and sit at my desk, practically sinking in my chair. I open a notebook and start mindlessly scribbling the phrases "you'll be okay" and "everything will be okay."
I feel like I'm on the brink of a mental breakdown, which frightens me. What frightens me some more is David when he sits down next to me.
"What are you drawing there?" He asks, leaning over to look at my notebook.
I instantly close it and say, "nothing, it's nothing."
"Okay, so did you see what I wrote on your cup?" He asks.
I thought that he'd still be badgering me for more than a nothing response, but I'll take this over that any day.
"What, your two words that you put so much effort and emotion into writing?"
"C'mon, Deja, I'm serious."
"You've already said sorry to me plenty of times."
"That was for that situation. I was saying sorry for what happened at the mall. I was being so irritating and obnoxious. You were just so happy with Cameron."
"Aww, you guys are talking about me." Cameron says as he sits down.
Oh lord, I didn't even see him walk in. I'm on the brink of a panic attack and heart attack. This is gonna be hard to do.
"Yeah, sure." David responds for me.
"Deja, why didn't you answer my texts?" Cameron asks.
"She didn't answer my texts either." David cuts in.
"Did I ask for your input?" Cameron asks. "I was talking to Deja."
"Well, she's not talking so, either you're talking to the wall behind her or you're talking to yourself." David says.
"Shut up, Bailey." Cameron insults.
Bailey? Is that his middle name? David Bailey James.
Since Cameron called David by his middle name that he's obviously upset by, David starts hurling insults at Cameron. Even though Cameron has gotten better at controlling his anger and temper, I know that there's only so much that Cameron can take before he goes off the handle.
Even though I was trying to be the mute of the school today, I know that I can't do that as long as David and Cameron are in the same room together.
Cameron doesn't look too bothered by David, but Cameron is definitely pissing off David. Cameron is reasonably calm, but the harshness in his insults make up for his tone of voice.
I need to stop this. I'm the only one that they both listen to.
"Stop." I say in a moderate tone.
"David and Cameron, be quiet." I say louder than before, but not loud enough for Ms. Johnson to look at me.
David acknowledges my voice, but Cameron doesn't.
"Why should I stop?" David asks before going back into his insults.
"David, stop."
No response.
"I said, David stop."
No response.
"We can be friends, David."
Both Cameron and David turn around. David smiles and Cameron says, "what the fuck did you just say?"
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