"So what are you gonna do now that you're in love with Peter?" Cady teases, a salad sitting in front of her at our lunch table.
"Nothing! I'm not gonna do anything!" I shout, far too loudly. "I'm just gonna help him get back home, send him on his way, and never think about it again." I whispered. I used my fork to stab my lunch, far more aggressive than necessary.
"You have to do something. I mean, you obviously like him. Working with him is gonna be awful." Julie mused, her mouth full of pizza.
"Okay, could you guys just stop?" I asked angrily. They shared a glance.
"It's gonna be fine, y/n. We're just teasing and you know it." Julie assured me, her voice much softer and much more understanding.
"Besides, we're coming over to help you guys today. We'll be your wingwomen." Cady said, the grin returning to her face.
"No, don't be my wingwomen! I don't want to get with Peter!" I exclaimed. Cady frowned.
"Why?"
"Because! He's not even real. He's going to go back to where he came from soon enough, and then I'll never have to think about this again." I said with a sigh.
"Okay." Julie said reluctantly. "We're still coming over, though."
"Yeah, I know." I cracked a small smile, finishing my lunch. We sat in silence for a moment.
"Y/n!" Corina exclaimed, and I rolled my eyes before turning around. "Do you want to walk with me to English?"
"...What?" I asked, giving a side glance to Julie, who raised an eyebrow.
"Do you want to walk with me to English? We can talk more about that boyfriend of yours." She winked, and I tried to hide my complete shock and confusion.
"Sure," I said carefully, giving a confused look to Cady and Julie who returned it. I slowly grabbed my things, turning towards her. Corina gave a satisfied smile.
"See you after school?" Julie asked, and I nodded quickly. I slung my backpack over my shoulder, following Corina who barely waited for me to walk with her.
"So where did you meet Peter?" She asked, and I sighed.
Of course she wanted to talk about Peter.
"Oh, that's kind of a strange story..." I started.
"I mean, he's so cute! You two are dating, right?"
"No. No, we're just friends. We just hang out sometimes." I said quickly. She frowned.
"You two should date. You would make a really cute couple." She said, and I gave her a sideways look as we reached our class. "Okay, well talk to you later." She said, walking over to her seat. I nodded, somewhat unsure, before moving to my seat in the back of the class.
-
"Corina was being so weird at lunch today!" Cady exclaimed as we walked home.
"What did she even want to talk to you about?" Julie asked.
"Peter. What else?" I grumbled, kicking a rock on the sidewalk. I unlocked the front door of my house, letting Julie and Cady in before me.
"Are your parents home?" Cady asked, shrugging her sweater off.
"Nope, not for another hour," I replied. "Why?"
"Hey, Parker!" Cady called loudly, and I groaned. I heard a door open quickly and saw Peter's head pop out from behind a wall cautiously. His shoulders fell with relief when he realized it was just us.
"Oh, hey guys," He said, not moving from his post. I grumbled up the stairs, moving past him quickly. "What's that all about?" He asked Julie and Cady, who were close behind me.
"Corina was being weird to her today." Julie explained as she came into my bedroom. I saw Peter frown as he came in.
"Was it about what I said to her the other day?" Peter asked, shutting the door.
"Well, she definitely mentioned you." I grumbled.
"What did she say?"
"It wasn't what she said... she was nice to me." I said, my voice laced with disgust. Peter's brows furrowed as he sat down in a chair near Cady.
"I don't understand. Isn't that a good thing?" He asked, and Julie shook her head.
"It's how girls fight, Peter." Julie explained, and Peter looked even more confused confused. "We're nice to people we hate, but we're really fake about it, and we talk about them behind their backs and make fun of them."
"Girls are toxic." Cady added, shaking her head.
"I will never get you guys." Peter said, and we all laughed.
"Okay, let's get to work," I said, trying to shrug off the bad mood I was in. "Peter doesn't have all year."