Chapter 145 Chapter One Hundred And Forty Five
Riiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnggggggg!!
“Finally!” The sound of the lunch bell ringing sounded like heaven to my ears.
I stepped out of math class and quickly made my way over to my friends. At least with them, there would be a bit of normalcy, and I could take some time to relax and have a low-calorie protein bar.
I looked over my shoulder, and to my relief, Jace wasn’t there hovering at my shoulder, making me anxious with all his warnings.
When I got to the door, the cafeteria stretched out in front of me like a minefield.
There were hundreds of students packed into long tables, the air thick with the smell of pizza and gossip.
Every head seemed to turn as I walked in, whispers following me as I walked and waved back to the few people outgoing enough to wave at me.
“What the hell is she doing?” I heard someone whisper somewhere behind me.
I looked around, feeling a little lost until I spotted Noah's hair near the windows and made my way over, sliding into the seat beside him with a heavy sigh.
"Uh oh," Nicole said, looking up from her phone with a sly smile. "Is our resident celebrity not feeling okay?"
"Hey, how many autographs did you sign between your last class and lunch?" Jake asked, grinning as he bit into an apple. "Should we start charging for photos?"
Noah reached over and squeezed my hand, his thumb tracing gentle circles on my palm. "Turned those reports in yet, sweetheart?" His eyes scanned my face with genuine warmth. "You look amazing, by the way."
I let out another sigh, slumping in my seat. "You know, guys, this is really a lot of work to—"
I stopped mid-sentence, finally recognising where we were sitting.
The windows behind us overlooked the football field. The table was positioned in the exact centre of the cafeteria, where you could see everyone else around.
Also, the chairs were the nice padded ones, not plastic like the rest of them. Even the lighting seemed better here, as if someone had specifically designed this space to be some kind of stage.
"Guys, I think we’ve made a mistake," I whispered urgently, leaning forward. "This is the popular table. We shouldn't be here. C’mon, let’s go."
Jake waved his hand dismissively, taking another bite of his apple. "I try not to involve myself in petty high school politics. A table is a table. They all have the same function, holding food while we eat it, right?”
"It's nice here," Noah said casually, gesturing toward the window. "I like the view. Plus it doesn't smell like cleaning supplies and isn't disturbingly close to the trash can like our usual spot."
Nicole nodded in agreement. "We're students at Westbrook just like the rest of them. We can sit wherever we like."
That's when it hit me. All that staring and whispering just now wasn’t just because of my transformation or even the parking lot incident.
People were shocked, scandalized even, by the sheer audacity of us sitting here. At the royalty table of all places, the throne everyone else has the common sense to reserve for top cheerleaders, star football players, and the social elite who'd held court here for years.
"You can sit wherever you like? Really?"
I hear that shrill voice behind me, shut my eyes tight, and made a prayer to heaven, “God give me strength.”
When I finally gathered the courage to look back, I found Allison standing at the edge of our table, flanked by at least six cheerleaders who looked equally confused and outraged by the fact that there were people occupying their territory.
Madison was there, and Tracy, and several others, all of them glowering down at us.
Meanwhile, Nicole, fearless as she was, didn't even flinch. She stared Allison down with such bold confidence that I desperately wished I also had.
Nicole said, ticking off her points on her fingers. "Hm. Let’s see, I pay the same tuition you pay. I go to the same classes you do. How come you deserve to sit wherever you want and the rest of us don't?"
Allison's face flushed red, her perfectly manicured hands clenching into fists at her sides.
She turned her glare on me. "Unfortunately, Lena, I don’t speak retarded. Will you tell your little bitch friend to get the fuck off my table?"
"That's unnecessary, Allison," Noah said sharply, his voice going cold and authoritative. “Please leave.”
"You're the one screaming like a little bitch here, Allison, not me.” Nicole shot back, her voice steady and unwavering.
She picked up her sandwich, slow and casual as anything and took a big, hearty bite. "I'm going to sit here and eat my lunch in peace. Do something about it. I dare you."
My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears, but something about Nicole's fearlessness, about the way my friends were standing their ground.
I don’t know, I guess it lit a spark of courage in my chest because suddenly I wasn’t so afraid anymore.
"My friends and I were here first," I heard myself say, my voice stronger than even I expected. "I'm sure you can find plenty of other perfectly good tables to sit at. This really isn't as deep as you're making it."
For a split second, everything went still.
Then Allison's hand shot out and grabbed a fistful of my hair. “You’re dead!”
It happened so fast, and it was so unexpected that I could barely even react to it. Sharp, biting pain ripped across my scalp as she yanked me to my feet with shocking strength.
“Stop it, let go of me.” I stumbled, my hands flying up to try to pry her fingers loose, but she was already shoving me backwards.
Before I could catch my bearings she had flung me to the floor. I hit the ground hard, my hip slamming against the tiles and my vision blurring with tears.
I touched my shaking fingers to my scalp and then pulled them back, only to see faint traces of blood. “Why…?” I whispered with disbelief.
"I've had enough of your shit!" Allison screamed, standing over me. "Constantly pissing me off all day, acting like you're somebody when you're not! Who the hell do you think you are?!”
"Allison and the new girl are fighting!" someone yelled from across the cafeteria.
The crowd materialized instantly, so many students surging forward with their phones raised and creating a circle around us, watching with excitement.
“We haven’t had drama this good in months! Becca, did you bring your camcorder!?”
“I’m so glad I came to school today.
Noah moved fast, faster than I'd ever seen him move. He grabbed Allison's wrist and shoved her backwards, his face dark with fury. "Don't you ever touch her again!"
Marcus appeared out of nowhere, along with Tyler and several other football players, pushing between Noah and Allison. “Why the hell did you come to our table in the first place? You asked for it!”
The cheerleaders also closed ranks around their captain. “Marcus is right! This is your fault, not Allison’s!”
Within seconds, the whole thing turned into chaos, everyone was yelling and pushing each other and tripping over chairs as the crowd pressed even closer.
"Oh my God, are you okay?" Nicole was on her knees beside me. She started to help me up with gentle hands as she checked my head where Allison had grabbed me. “Oh my God, Lena. You’re bleeding.”
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she shouted at Allison. "Why are you literally the most violent person on earth?"
"Why stand all the way over there and talk shit?" Allison sneered, her chest heaving. "Get in my face and repeat that, and I'll show you what I do to stupid juniors who don’t know their place!”