Chapter 44: Are You Dating?
I scooped up a forkful of cafeteria mac and cheese, the kind that’s more glue than food, and glanced at Nina across the table. She was picking at her salad, her eyes still bright from laughing about Selma and Becky’s Mean Girls audition.
My brain kept replaying that moment in class where I’d swooped in to save her from the clique trap. It felt good, but also... maybe too much?
"Was that, uh, okay?" I asked, my fork hovering mid-air. "Me jumping in like that? With Selma and Becky?"
She looked up, her head tilting slightly, a leaf of lettuce dangling from her fork. "Okay? Kofi, it was awesome." Her voice was firm, no trace of her usual teasing. "I was drowning back there. They were trying to rope me into some dumb party I’d rather die than go to. You were my lifeline."
I felt my face heat up and shoved the mac and cheese in my mouth to hide it. "Cool," I mumbled through the bite, hoping I didn’t sound as awkward as I felt. Her saying that made my chest feel weirdly tight, like I’d done something that actually mattered.
She grinned, leaning forward a bit. "You’re getting good at this whole ’pillar’ thing, you know. Saving me from social disasters. Maybe I should get you a cape."
I snorted, almost choking on the cheesy mush. "Yeah, right. I’d trip over it and end up in the hospital again."
She laughed, loud enough that a few kids at nearby tables glanced over. "So funny, no capes then. But seriously though, thanks. I mean it."
I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything without sounding like a total dork. My eyes wandered around the cafeteria, trying to focus on something else before my face caught fire again.