Chapter 16: Awkward
When Nina finally came back into the classroom, the whole room went quiet again. She walked over to her desk without looking at anyone, but I could feel every single person turn their head to watch her, and then turn to watch me. It was so awkward I wanted to sink into the floor.
’This is my life now, I guess,’ I thought. ’The star of the class soap opera.’
I tried to listen to the teacher, I really did. But my brain just wasn’t working. My jaw ached every time I moved, and all I could think about was Nina kneeling on the floor next to me. I thought about what she said, about how she considered me a friend. It felt like a puzzle piece I didn’t know was missing had just been jammed into place. It explained a lot, but it also made everything way more complicated.
The rest of the class before the break was torture. I just stared at my book, pretending to read. I could feel Nina’s presence across the room, and I knew she could probably feel me. It was this weird, tense silence between us, and everyone else was watching, waiting to see what would happen next.
When the bell finally rang for break, I just stayed in my seat. I was not about to get up and give people another reason to stare at me. I just wanted to be invisible.
Nina was at her desk, quietly eating some food she’d brought from home. I was trying really hard not to look at her, but then the classroom door swung open and two girls walked in. They were loud and had that gyaru style. I recognized them as the girls Nina sometimes hung out with. They made a beeline straight for her desk.
"Nina!" one of them said, way too loud. "Oh my god, we came as soon as we saw the texts!"
The other girl slammed her hands down on her desk. "Spill. Right now. We saw the picture of Tyler walking out. Is it true he actually punched that loner kid?"
I flinched. ’I know its true but being called a loner is a bit...’