Chapter 127: A Triple Date?
With all three girls now sitting at Max’s table, it was impossible not to notice the shift in the room. Heads turned. Whispers started. The energy in the cafeteria changed like someone had flipped a switch.
To be fair, Max was already pretty well-known. Ever since his rise in status, people had been watching him. But now? Now they weren’t just staring because of him. They were staring because of who was sitting with him.
Cindy was the loud, friendly type, the kind of girl who could start a conversation with anyone in the hallway and make it seem natural. She always had her hair done, always dressed like she cared just enough. Confident. Bright. Sometimes a little sharp with her comebacks, but it only added to the charm. Guys liked her, and whether she knew it or not, girls did too.
Then there was Sheri. Quiet. Distant. Ice cold on the outside, and beautiful in a way that almost felt too perfect to approach. She had this untouchable vibe, like some kind of elegant mystery. The kind of girl who made people nervous. Even if someone did build up the courage to ask her out, they’d probably freeze up after the first sentence, because no one really knew her.
And then there was Abby.
At first glance, she didn’t stand out. She wasn’t flashy, she didn’t try too hard. But that was exactly what made her different. There was something easy and natural about her, like she didn’t need to work at being pretty, she just was. Hanging around Cindy all the time didn’t hurt either. It brought her into the spotlight more than most.
But the real kicker? No one had ever seen all three of them together like this. Sure, it had happened once or twice in passing, but never long enough for anyone to actually believe they hung out as a group. Now they were all at the same table, laughing, talking, eating lunch like it was no big deal.
And for everyone watching from the sidelines, that was very dangerous.
"Max gets all the boys, and now he has to take all the girls too?" someone muttered bitterly from another table.
The jealousy in the room was practically a storm cloud.
"Hey, if you wanna try stealing them from him, be my guest," one guy muttered from a nearby table. "But I’m not sticking around if he’s holding a pencil, let alone surrounded by food trays. Can you imagine what would happen if you got on his bad side?"