Chapter 36 Bad Idea
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The only thing that looked remotely appealing was the shiny red apple and chocolate milk that came with the meal.
"So, I don't think Poppy's going to the dance, but whatever. She's missing out. I was thinking of wearing something glam, you know? But not slut glam, but like a classy kind of glam."
Ella's words barely processed through my mind as an odd sensation expanded inside the pit of my stomach. For a fraction of a minute, I presumed that the sight of the food was making me nauseous, but shortly realized that I wasn't feeling sick.
I felt annoyed.
A brutal, gut-toiling, and teeth-clenching kind of annoyance.
I glanced over at Ella, confused at where it was coming from. She'd been talking non-stop, but her continuous babbling was welcoming and kept other people from asking me the typical new kid questions that I wasn't in the mood for.
So why did I feel like this?
"You think you can help me convince Poppy to go?" Ella continued. "I mean, I don't have a date and think if us three girls go together, we'd make the best trio on the dancefloor."
I blinked slowly, feeling my heartbeat picking up its pace—the burning discontent morphing into something else.
A gentle, fluttering sensation swelled inside of my chest and made my skin warm.
By instinct, I twisted around to peer behind me, straight across the cafeteria, where I found Kayn staring at me with an unreadable expression.
My eyes tore toward Belinda, who was sitting beside him, eagerly snaking an arm around his back.
She said something to him, but his eyes didn't move from the spot where I was standing.
Belinda noticed it too and shot me a dirty look. She inched closer to him and reached for his chin, turning his head toward her.
A jealous feeling unfurled inside me, and I swallowed, looking away.
"Hey, are you going to get your food or move within this decade?" A girl snapped from behind us.
I muttered, "Sorry," snatched up the closest tray, and stepped out of the way. When I glanced up again, Kayn was staring at me again, grinning.
He was looking more than pleased with himself about who knows what.
I snorted, turned, and almost ended up ramming into Ella.
"Are you okay?" Ella's brows shot up. "I don't think you heard anything I said."
"I'm sorry," I said. "This is all new to me."
"It's okay," she smiled. "We can chat by our table. Poppy and I like to sit in the far back, you know, so that folks won't bother us."
"Hey!" Ember squeezed through a group of people standing nearby. "I've been looking for you."
"Hi. I was starting to wonder if you even go to school here," I teased.
"Ha," she waved it off. "I was stuck in the office most of the morning, sorry. I promised Mrs. Wetherby I'd help her clean out some old stuff and completely forgot it was today until she came looking for me. On the upside, I got to miss out on boring classes."
"Lucky you."
"Right?" she grinned, glancing at my tray. "Great, so you've got some food. Come, let's go sit down at our table."
"You're sitting with them?" Ella glanced between us.
"I am?" I hesitated, looking at Ember.
"That was the plan," Ember responded. "Unless you've changed your mind?"
I didn't miss the disappointment in her expression.
"I'm sorry, but she's right." I turned to Ella. "I kind of already agreed to hang out with her. You can always join us?"
Ember's face lit up.
"Uh, no, it's okay." Ella's fingers clenched on the edges of her tray, and she threw a stiff smile in Ember's direction. "Poppy's not a fan of big crowds."
"It's all cool," Ember lit up. "But you're both welcome if you change your mind."
Ella shifted, avoiding Ember's gaze. "Sure thing. Thanks."
There was a long stretch of awkwardness as both stared at everything but each other.
"So, I'll see you around, alright?" Ella said to me. She gave us a quick wave before walking in the opposite direction.
"Sure." When Ella was out of earshot, I turned to Ember. "Did I miss something?"
"Nothing I'm aware of." Ember didn't look at me. "Come, let's go sit."
"Ember?" I warned, trailing after her. "What's going on?"
"To be honest, I don't know. Ella's always been distant and weird toward me."
We paused beside the table where Kayn, Belinda, and two other boys I've never seen before, sat.
My stomach sank. I leaned to Ember's ear and whispered, "I don't think this is a good idea."
