Chapter twenty-one | Good hungry morning

Chapter twenty-one | Good hungry morning

It had been a week since Eli got into a fight with Jacob.

The news was the hot topic for the next few days until Samiko, a dance club student, got pregnant.

It was funny how the students described the event with vivid expressions and details.

Many reasons resurfaced as the busybodies tried to guess why they fought in the very first place.

"Maybe they fought over Andrea?"

"What if they were secretly best friends and had a fallout?"

"I heard from Stephen that Jacob slept with Elias's sister."

My favorite was:

"They are secret lovers and had a lover's spat!"

Eli and I (mostly me) had a great laugh over the last one.

My mind went to the actual reason they fought, and I felt my heart warm. I bit my lip hard to avoid any silly smile making its way on my face.

Even if Eli had tried to hide it, I managed to snag the real details from Aaron.

The same smile slipped from my face when I remembered that day. I felt guilty fucking Aaron, even if we weren't romantically involved in any way.

It wasn't the first time after I started talking to Eli, but the last instance he caught me with Aaron.

Losing myself into physical pleasures was my way of creating an emotional barrier between us. But the guilt was weighing my shoulders down.

Pushing the thoughts aside, I tugged my clothes over my undergarments. My eyes strayed towards Eli's window.

He had his curtains drawn close, making me smile slightly.

I walked my way down the stairs and stopped short at the sight of my sister.

She was just in a long t-shirt as she sipped the hot coffee. Her hair was a bird's nest, the bird that makes a horrible nest. She had hickeys along the curve of her neck, reminding me about the lack of sleep.

Lea was screaming like a banshee in heat, and the thin walls didn't help my case.

Ignoring her presence, I got myself a cup of coffee. The Keurig brewed my Death Wish k-pod as I scrolled through my social media. I avoided her eyes at all costs as she stared at me with intent.

Sipping on my bitter elixir, I kept my eyes stuck on the screen. We were out of granola bars, meaning time for grocery shopping.

Just as I tried to make my way out of the kitchen, she spoke up.

"When was the last time you talked to him?" Her eyes were curious. She didn't need to specify him to let me know she was talking about Dad.

I thought back to my last call with dad. "It was a few days back," I muttered as I raised my eyes to meet hers.

"He is coming home tonight. He texted me last night."

I froze a second as her words registered.

"Dad texted... you?" I asked, feeling confused to every bit.

Dad rarely contacted her, considering how curt she was with him, I don't blame him. So, dad texting her came as a shock.

Lea smirked and tilted her head. "Shocked, princess?"

My eyes narrowed as she taunted me with the nickname dad used for me.

I was ready to spit fire, but I bit my tongue. Gulping down my harsh words with my coffee, I gave Lea faux a calm look.

I would not lose my calm and ruin my day because of her.

"I will talk to dad," I replied with a shrug, making her smile falter. She was expecting me to burst, but my calmness seemed to shock. Placing my dirty mug in the sink, I grabbed my bag and walked out of the kitchen.

Eli was sitting in his car, going through his phone.

The way he bit his lip as he scrolled and cringed at something made my mood lift. I smiled as I settled in the seat next to him.

He looked up and smiled at me. "Good morning." He placed the phone back in his pocket and turned the car on.

"Good-" My stomach growled, cutting me off in the middle. I blushed as he gave a slight chuckle.

"Seems like a good hungry morning," Eli joked as he pulled out of the driveway.

I narrowed my eyes in mock anger as amusement thrummed through my veins. "It will be a bad hangry morning soon. So, shush and feed me."

"McDonald's?" he asked, pointing at the big M sign.

I scrunch my nose. "I don't want to eat folded liquid eggs," I said with disgust.

"Let's get some good old diner food," I added as an afterthought.

He nodded and turned on the T road. It was silent for a few seconds as I gazed out the window.

"Are you excited to be back to school after a week of suspension?" I asked, with my eyes still focused on the passing scene.

He was silent for a few moments, making me assume he didn't hear me. "Will it be weird if I say yes, unlike many teenagers?"

His statement brought a smile on my face as we parked into a nearby diner's parking lot. I pushed the door open and turned towards him. "No."

He gave a dry chuckle and shook his head. We made our way into the diner as the light melody of music surrounded us.

A waiter smiled at us politely and showed us the way towards a booth.

Handing us the menus, the waiter returned to deliver someone else's order. My stomach growled again as he took a fresh plate of sunny side up eggs with bacon and buttered toast to the table next to us.

Eli snickered in front of me. Pouting, I kicked him under the table, making him break out in full-blown laughter.

"So, what can I get you guys?" The waiter asked as he returned with a notepad.

"Can I get two eggs sunny side up with sausages and buttered toast?" I said as soon as he asked. He just smiled at my eagerness and nodded. Turning towards Eli, he waited for his order.

"Can I get scrambled eggs with ham and toast?"

The waiter nodded and repeated our order and left.

"You didn't have breakfast today?" I asked, turning my gaze towards him. I tried filling the silence with words. "Why?"

He cringed and leaned forward, giving me a conspiratorial look. "Don't tell my mom, but she is horrible at cooking. She can burn water, and I am not exaggerating."

I was half-listening to what he was saying because I was lost observing his face.

The way his eyes narrowed as he cringed, but his blue eyes lightened was fascinating for me. I pulled away from my thoughts with a start as the waiter returned with our food.

Blinking my eyes rapidly, I shook myself out of the daze.

Once again, my stomach growled, demanding to be fed. Picking up my fork and knife, I dug in.

Both of us rushed out of the car as we heard the warning bell ring. The parking was almost empty as gravel scrunched our feet.

Silently, I thanked my lucky stars above for wearing my vans.

I huffed as I settled in my seat next to Andrea. Turning towards me, she raised a perfectly painted eyebrow.

"You are late," she said, pointing out the obvious.

Gaining my breath, I nodded. "We made a pit-stop for breakfast at some diner," I said as the teacher walked in.

She pursed her lips, looking at me expectantly. Rolling my eyes, I opened the front pocket of my bag, taking out the blueberry muffin.

I slapped it into her hands and leaned back in my seat.

Uncaring of the words the teacher was saying, she delicately opened the cling film wrap. Frustrated by her slow pace, I leaned towards her.

"You know, you will not hurt the muffin by going fast."

She threw me a glare and turned to the other side, away from me, taking her god dammit time to open a muffin.

A minute later, she turned and gave me an insignificant piece and munched on the rest. I wanted to gasp in indignation but kept quiet because of the teacher. "Whore," I hissed.

"Bitch," she replied through a mouthful.

Finishing the muffin, she turned towards me. "Thank you, I needed that sugar confidence."

"Why?" I asked, not paying much attention as I took the notes in my notebook.

"I will do it," she muttered with the confidence of a wet cat.

Now, this gained my attention. No, this demanded my attention.

"You are doing it? Are you sure?" I inquired.

I was feeling both parts happy and sad about this. Andrea nodded confidently and then turned her eyes towards the board.

The class was silent for the next fifteen minutes as pens and pencils scrapped along with the paper.

I passed her a note under the desk, keeping it away from the teacher's eyes.

'When are you going to do it?'

She read through the small message that I wrote. Andrea thought over it for a moment and then scribbled her answer down. She passed the paper back to me and I quickly opened it under my desk.

'Today, after cheer practice.'

I turned my head towards her and gave her a reassuring smile.

But everything didn't go as planned.

As I took a seat next to Eli, as students kept pouring into the canteen. I couldn't help but notice that Navya and Andrea were missing from the table.

The table felt empty and incomplete without them.

Eli was reading a heavy chemistry book, which I didn't even bother to read the title off after noticing the benzene ring on the cover.

"Have you seen Andrea?" I asked, looking around for my best friend.

He looked up from his book and shook his head. Connor quickly slipped into a seat on his other side and snatched the book from his hand.

"She asked about your queen of daydreams, and you don't react. Are you okay? Did the injury on the head make you a different person?" Connor asked as he joked around with him.

As Eli tried to snatch the book away from his hands, my eyes flickered on the figure standing behind them.

She was a bit far from our table, but the longing in her eyes was clear. Navya sighed and moved towards the food line.

The commotion of angry voices caught my attention as I looked towards the cherry red doors.

Soon through those doors, Andrea came stomping in with a very annoyed Jacob.

"You can't do this, Andrea!" he screamed, gaining the whole canteen's attention.

The entire room went silent with anticipation. The furious couple didn't seem to care about the eyes of all the canteen fixed on them.

"I can, and I will," Andrea bellowed with the same ferocity.

Jacob took a threatening step towards Andrea, making me tense in my seat. But, I held myself back. She needed to do this alone.

"I am breaking up with you, Jacob! Get over it!"

A few gasps followed her words as the famous couple broke up. My eyes scanned the canteen as students had their camera lens pointed at the fight.

This was another video waiting to trend over social media.

"Nobody dumps me. I-I don't get it. Why are you doing this?" Jacob asked with frustration lacing his words.

Andrea's stance turned stiff as she stared at him straight in his eyes.

"I cheated on you!" she screamed, moving away from Jacob.

Jacob looked shocked for a second as the second round of gasps followed her words. He blinked his eyes, again and again, trying to grasp her words.

"You... cheated on me?" he asked rhetorically. His fury then returned in its full glory, making me stand up from my seat in worry.

If he harms even a hair on Andrea's head then I will rip his balls off. My brain plotted.

"Yes, and I am not interested in you anymore," she added with a cold calm voice.

"It is not possible," he said, still in a daze after her words.

Andrea jutted her chin out defiantly and nodded. "It has happened, and I can prove it."

She searched through the crowd, looking for a certain someone. As her eyes found her target, she took quick steps towards them.

Please, don't. God! Andrea, don't do it! Please!

I mentally begged, but her determined steps didn't falter.

Standing close to her, Andrea stood on her tip-toes and joined her lips with Navya's.