I grabbed my tray of cafeteria slop—grayish mash, sothing pretending to be at, and a juice box that looked suspiciously old—and made my way to an empty table tucked all the way in the back. It was perfect: out of sight, out of mind. No one to stare, no one to talk to .
"Finally... ti to talk to wifey," I muttered under my breath, sliding the tray aside. The so-called food barely looked edible anyway.
I pulled out my phone, thumb hovering over Elara's contact for a mont before pressing call. The dial tone echoed faintly against the cafeteria chatter. My leg started bouncing beneath the table, restless, impatient.
"C'mon, pick up..."
"You have reached the voice mailbox—"
I hung up before it could finish, a small knot forming in my chest. No way. She said we would call during lunch... I called again, holding the phone tighter this ti, but the sa robotic voice answered .
My stomach sank.
Just as I was about to try a third ti, my screen lit up with a ssage.
'I'm sorry, Noah. Work's got caught up... I'll talk to you later, okay? I love you. Don't be mad at .'
I stared at the words for a mont, the tension in my chest softening. My fingers moved on their own as I typed back:
'How could I ever be mad at you, sis? I love you more...'
The ssage sent with a quiet whoosh, and I sighed, setting my phone down. My forehead rested against the cool table surface as the cafeteria noise blurred around . A boring lunch for today, I guess.
I poked at my food for a while before another tray was placed beside . My stomach dropped; for a second, I thought it was Sara—until I looked up and saw who it really was.
Bella.
The girl everyone was terrified of. She was known for breaking skulls and never showing a hint of rcy, yet here she was, smiling. Not a cold, blood-chilling smirk either—this one actually looked... warm.
"Can I sit?" she mumbled, dropping into the seat next to before I could even respond.
She munched on the slop the cafeteria dared to call food, her expression unreadable, like she'd long stopped caring what anything tasted like. Watching her chew, calm and unbothered, I got the feeling Bella could probably eat gravel and not flinch.
"Can I have yours?" she asked flatly, glancing at my untouched tray.
A bead of sweat slid down my forehead. I didn't even hesitate—just pushed the tray toward her. She didn't waste a second before digging in, fork clinking against the plate, devouring it like she hadn't eaten in days.
"Are you that hungry?" I asked, half laughing, half terrified. "I have a protein bar—it's way better than whatever this is..."
The second I said protein, her head snapped up, eyes sharp and alert like a cat catching the sound of food hitting a bowl.
"Yes. Please," she said imdiately.
Carefully, I reached into my handbag, fingers brushing against the cold tal of my taser before finding the familiar rectangle of the protein bar. I pulled it out and handed it to her, watching as she tore it open with the sa intensity she did everything else.
"Can... be friends..." she mumbled through a mouthful of the chocolate protein bar. I didn't even see where the wrapper went—I was half convinced she ate that too.
"Uhh, well you see..." I started, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'm kinda in a relationship right now, and, uh... that just feels a little weird to do."
She paused mid-chew, blinking once before nodding slowly. "That... okay. I won't... do anything." Her words ca muffled, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk hoarding food, chocolate smudged faintly on the corner of her lip.
Before I could react, Bella's thick arm looped around my neck, pulling straight into her chest. My eyes went wide, my face squished against the soft but suffocating embrace.
"We're friends now!!!" she blurted out, loud enough for half the cafeteria to hear. A few girls turned their heads, whispering among themselves, so glaring daggers, others just looking stunned that Bella of all people was smiling.
I sighed, trying to play it cool. As long as she didn't try anything too weird, I could deal with this.
But before I could even adjust, a timid voice broke through the chaos. "Hey, uhh... Noah."
I looked up, spotting a random girl standing there with wide, nervous eyes. I braced myself for another awkward confession—another "you're so cute" mont. But instead, she asked sothing that made my heart drop.
"Aren't you dating Sara? Are you... cheating on her?"
My stomach twisted violently, like I'd just swallowed ice. "What the fuck?" I blurted out, my voice cracking from the sheer disbelief. "No, what the fuck—she tried raping !"
The words ca out louder than I ant, the nearby tables going silent for a mont. The girl's expression froze, her mouth opening and closing like she couldn't decide whether to speak or bolt.
"She... she texted everyone," she finally managed, her voice trembling, "saying you two were together—and that you... did stuff with her."
My whole body went cold. The cafeteria noise faded into a dull hum as my thoughts scrambled to make sense of it. Sara. That freak. She told people that? My hands started shaking under the table, rage bubbling up so hard I thought I might scream.
I scooped up my bag, tray, and phone in one motion, my heartbeat thundering in my ears. I didn't even look back at the girl or the whispers starting to spread across the cafeteria—I just needed out.
"I'm heading to class," I muttered under my breath, my voice rough as I slung the strap of my backpack over my shoulder. I didn't care that it was way too early; I just needed space to breathe, to think, to not explode.
"Where are you going, Noah?" Bella's voice ca from behind, her tone softer than usual but still carrying that intimidating weight.
"Need so ti alone..." I mumbled, not even turning around.
"I'm coming too."
I didn't argue. I didn't have the energy to. I tossed my tray onto the heap of other dirty trays and stepped into the empty hallway, the cool linoleum under my shoes grounding .
Behind , Bella's heavy footsteps echoed in rhythm with mine, filling the quiet corridor like a warning. The sound bounced off the lockers, stretching the silence out even longer, making it feel like the world had shrunk to just the two of us.
My grip on my handbag tightened until my knuckles went white. "Elara's gonna be so fucking pissed..." I whispered, the words spilling out like a curse. "Holy shit..."
"Why's she gonna be mad..." Bella muttered, fiddling with the zipper of her jacket, the sound faint but sharp in the empty hallway.
I ignored her, rounding the corner into my next class—Ms. Rose's robotics room. The door was wide open, sunlight spilling across the floor and casting long shadows from the desks.
I slid into my usual seat in the back, letting the hum of the classroom wash over . Bella followed, her presence oddly out of place. Seeing her sit down quietly in a class was strange—she was always skipping, always elsewhere, a ghost in the school's daily routine. Yet here she was, looking almost... attentive.
I rested my head on the desk, letting the cool surface press against my forehead. Across from , Bella stared blankly at the colorful educational posters Ms. Rose had plastered on the walls, her expression sowhere between confusion and mild curiosity.
I closed my eyes, letting the classroom fade away. If only I could slip into another world, I thought, one where I was already with Elara, and none of this nonsense existed. The hum of the fluorescent lights and the distant scratching of pencils felt miles away, and for a mont, I let myself escape entirely.
-
"You know you don't have to follow everywhere, right?" I said, glancing over my shoulder as Bella trailed behind like a loyal shadow. She didn't seem the least bit bothered—actually, she looked happy, almost proud to be walking beside . It was such a strange contrast; the sa girl who once broke a girl’s nose for cutting in line now had this soft, almost puppy-like grin on her face. Everyone else who saw her smiling gave us wide-eyed looks, like they were witnessing so kind of miracle—or a warning.
"You're my friend. We're supposed to do friend things," she said matter-of-factly, hugging her jacket closer.
At first, I was going to tell her to go ho or sothing, but then it hit —this was actually perfect. With soone like Bella around, nobody in their right mind would try anything. She was basically a walking human shield.
"Alright then," I said, smirking a little as I adjusted my bag, "we're going to the nearest bus stop."
"Kay'..." she mumbled, falling in step beside .
The walk to the bus stop felt different this ti. Nobody dared to make eye contact, not even for a second. The few people who passed by either crossed the street or looked away imdiately. It was... peaceful in a way. Like the world had finally learned to leave alone. With Bella beside , I felt untouchable—like I was floating above it all.
When we reached the stop, I sank down onto the cold tal bench, finally letting my shoulders relax. The air slled faintly of rain and asphalt, the sun low and hazy in the sky. Bella sat next to , close enough for her shoulder to brush mine, and without hesitation, she wrapped one strong arm around in that signature bear hug of hers.
"Friend," she muttered softly, tightening her grip just enough to make feel it, "Noah's my friend..."
Her voice carried this strange mix of warmth and possession, but I didn't push her off. For once, it was nice to just... sit there, with soone who made the world stay quiet.
But still... if Elara saw this, she'd probably lose her mind. I shifted slightly, trying to keep the hug from being too close. "Hey, Bella... can you keep it rare with the hugs? I still have a girlfriend," I said, forcing a smile.
Her smile faltered, just a little, like she'd been caught off guard or maybe disappointed. "Oh... yeah. Sorry, Noah," she mumbled, sliding her arm off my shoulders and folding her hands neatly in her lap. She settled into the bench beside , patient and quiet, like she always did.
When the bus rolled up, I fished out enough change to cover both our fares. Bella looked at the fare slot like it was so kind of alien artifact, tilting her head in confusion as I dropped the coins in.
We both made our way to the back of the bus, sitting down in the sa row. The ride was smooth, uneventful, almost blissfully normal. No shouting, no weird stares, and—thankfully—no lady from this morning trying to make trouble. For once, I could just... breathe.
"Can I see your girlfriend, Noah?" Bella asked suddenly, her voice low but curious, eyes narrowing like she was trying to catch in a lie.
I froze for a second, my pulse quickening. I could've dodged the question, but sothing about her stare told she'd just keep pushing until I cracked.
"Yeah, it's my... sister," I finally said, closing my eyes as if bracing for impact—for laughter, judgnt, sothing.
But none of that ca.
"Oh. Okay," she said simply, turning her gaze back out the bus window as if I'd just told her what I had for lunch. The quiet that followed felt heavier than it should've.
"Thank you, Bella..." I murmured, my voice soft, almost relieved.
She didn't say anything in response—just leaned in and wrapped in one of her firm, encompassing hugs. This ti, I didn't pull away. I let her hold , I felt that she deserved it.
——————
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