lips, all crazy and passionate, and she giggles at his display of affection.
There are five of us now at the table—Ollie, Kara, Junior, Mikey, and me. Every time the door behind me opens, I think it's going to be an old friend. The door opens, and I glance behind me as Ari steps into the student center.
He openly smiles when he sees me, but when he notices the company I'm in, he averts his gaze to the ground and walks past the table. My heart clenches in my chest. I watch as he gets his food and sits at a table at the opposite end of the room.
"So, Ryder, how are you feeling?" Ollie asks, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I watch Ari, who watches me with a pained expression.
"I'm fine. You?" I ask back, my gaze never faltering.
"I'm excited to watch all this go down," Junior cuts in, snapping in front of my face. He's nodding at me, and I nod back, faking a smile. I'm about to get up from the table when Cristos and Dimitri enter through the back doors.
I relax knowing that Cristos is going to sit beside Ari. It would have hurt me to see him sit alone while I'm here surrounded by friends.
"Hey, man," Ollie calls as he gets up from the table and greets Dimitri. I don't get up. "What changed your mind?"
"My brother guilted me. I'm here, though. What's on the docket?" Dimitri glances at me and scowls right in my face. I narrow my eyes back, refusing to stand down. I can't believe he's here.
"What's up, Ryder. How's life in limbo?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know, two guys, one girl. No choosing."
"Dimitri, shut up!" Ollie commands, his voice unrelenting and hard. If Dimitri were a human, Ollie would've shut him up fast. But, he's not.
"No. You can forgive her all you want, but I don't have to."
"What the hell is your problem?" Cristos gets involved, stepping up to Dimitri right in the middle of the student center. Everyone watches them, forks mid-air. Ari is right behind me, but a step back, like Ollie. We all wait on bated breath for the fight that's inevitably going to happen.
"I came here for Ollie, but I don't have to put up with this," Dimitri says back, pointing at me. I lunge forward, wanting to slam him in the face, but Mikey holds me back. They're chest to chest now, both panting with adrenaline and rage. Cristos steps back first.
"I think you should take him for a walk," Cristos tells Ollie.
"Come on, man." Ollie takes Dimitri by the elbow and walks him out of the student center. The doors slam behind them, echoing in the hollow room. Everyone is deathly silent. No food is being eaten, no drinks are being slurped. I need a break from the drama.
"I have to go to the bathroom," I say aloud and then sprint from the room. I take the first left out of the room and find the bathroom. I lean myself against the sink and try to breathe before I start bawling.
"Rough morning?" a familiar voice asks.
"Lisa?" I turn, and there she is, in the flesh. She looks better than before the break. Her hair is lighter, the auburn streaks redder with the summer sun. She's tan, too, making her skin look flawlessly dark.
"It's me, all right. Here to fight for you." She opens her arms like she's waving to a crowd. She crosses her arms over her chest and leans her shoulder against the wall.
"You don't have to. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to do this."
"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for her."
"Okay. I understand." I turn away so she doesn't see the hurt on my face. I don't have the energy to hide it all right now.
"I don't hate you," she says, her hand on my shoulder.
"I don't believe you."
"Despite this whole thing being your fault," I scoff at her, a sob getting caught in my throat, "I do like you. And Megan loved you. And I support you. We're friends, after all."
"Really?"
She nods, her lips pursed together. "Really."
"Thanks. It's just…I didn't know what you'd think of me. I guess I just expected the worse to happen. And then when you weren't here this summer. I
There are five of us now at the table—Ollie, Kara, Junior, Mikey, and me. Every time the door behind me opens, I think it's going to be an old friend. The door opens, and I glance behind me as Ari steps into the student center.
He openly smiles when he sees me, but when he notices the company I'm in, he averts his gaze to the ground and walks past the table. My heart clenches in my chest. I watch as he gets his food and sits at a table at the opposite end of the room.
"So, Ryder, how are you feeling?" Ollie asks, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. I watch Ari, who watches me with a pained expression.
"I'm fine. You?" I ask back, my gaze never faltering.
"I'm excited to watch all this go down," Junior cuts in, snapping in front of my face. He's nodding at me, and I nod back, faking a smile. I'm about to get up from the table when Cristos and Dimitri enter through the back doors.
I relax knowing that Cristos is going to sit beside Ari. It would have hurt me to see him sit alone while I'm here surrounded by friends.
"Hey, man," Ollie calls as he gets up from the table and greets Dimitri. I don't get up. "What changed your mind?"
"My brother guilted me. I'm here, though. What's on the docket?" Dimitri glances at me and scowls right in my face. I narrow my eyes back, refusing to stand down. I can't believe he's here.
"What's up, Ryder. How's life in limbo?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You know, two guys, one girl. No choosing."
"Dimitri, shut up!" Ollie commands, his voice unrelenting and hard. If Dimitri were a human, Ollie would've shut him up fast. But, he's not.
"No. You can forgive her all you want, but I don't have to."
"What the hell is your problem?" Cristos gets involved, stepping up to Dimitri right in the middle of the student center. Everyone watches them, forks mid-air. Ari is right behind me, but a step back, like Ollie. We all wait on bated breath for the fight that's inevitably going to happen.
"I came here for Ollie, but I don't have to put up with this," Dimitri says back, pointing at me. I lunge forward, wanting to slam him in the face, but Mikey holds me back. They're chest to chest now, both panting with adrenaline and rage. Cristos steps back first.
"I think you should take him for a walk," Cristos tells Ollie.
"Come on, man." Ollie takes Dimitri by the elbow and walks him out of the student center. The doors slam behind them, echoing in the hollow room. Everyone is deathly silent. No food is being eaten, no drinks are being slurped. I need a break from the drama.
"I have to go to the bathroom," I say aloud and then sprint from the room. I take the first left out of the room and find the bathroom. I lean myself against the sink and try to breathe before I start bawling.
"Rough morning?" a familiar voice asks.
"Lisa?" I turn, and there she is, in the flesh. She looks better than before the break. Her hair is lighter, the auburn streaks redder with the summer sun. She's tan, too, making her skin look flawlessly dark.
"It's me, all right. Here to fight for you." She opens her arms like she's waving to a crowd. She crosses her arms over her chest and leans her shoulder against the wall.
"You don't have to. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to do this."
"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for her."
"Okay. I understand." I turn away so she doesn't see the hurt on my face. I don't have the energy to hide it all right now.
"I don't hate you," she says, her hand on my shoulder.
"I don't believe you."
"Despite this whole thing being your fault," I scoff at her, a sob getting caught in my throat, "I do like you. And Megan loved you. And I support you. We're friends, after all."
"Really?"
She nods, her lips pursed together. "Really."
"Thanks. It's just…I didn't know what you'd think of me. I guess I just expected the worse to happen. And then when you weren't here this summer. I
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