Chapter 3

FOUR YEARS AGO

”Where were you, Lee? What happened to you?” she asked, pointing at my shirt. “I’ve been waiting for you. My lunch is almost over. I don’t have a free period next.” Carrie was looking me up and down, ready to fire her inquisitive questions at me.

“I got sucked in some drama, sorry,” I mumbled as I took the seat next to her on the table. I put the backpack down as it was weighing my shoulders down, and took a deep breath. "I didn't mean to abandon you like that. Something just came up."

“What happened to your shoulder? Your shirt looks drenched.” She tried to pry my shirt collar down to take a look. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah, someone spilled their coffee on me.” I gently put her fingers away, peering a look at my red shoulder. "It was hot. It almost burned me."

“What do you mean? You mean, hot coffee? Who did that?” Her mouth opened in an ‘O’, which she ultimately closed tsk-ing. "Couldn't they see where they were going?"

“Someone,” I whispered, annoyed. "Just someone you don't know about."

“Actually, I saw him with you. Spill! Wait, he spilled his coffee on you?” Carrie was giving me her tell-me-everything-right-now eyes.

I traced the edges of the table with my shoe. “Uh-huh."

“Shit,” Carrie gasped.

“Uh-huh,” I stretched the sentence to a lull when Carrie decided to put her cellphone down again. "It was him."

“Did something scandalous happen?” She piped up, looking around us. Then she rubbed her palms together. "Maybe something did happen."

“Like what?” I started to get frustrated.

“Like he said your first name or made a conversation?” She deadpanned with a straight face. "That's why you look like this. He talked to you, didn't he?"

“You would like me to admit that? Wouldn’t you?” I narrowed my eyes into slits, lips thinning into a sharp line. "Yes, he did."

“Yeah, anything more than you breathing the same air as him.” Her sassiness was irritating me to no end. Then she teared up at her own joke. "Well, you did do that, so. . ."

“Well, FYI, we talked. He was sincere.” I finally spilled the beans, to get her off my back. I folded my arms, closing on my chest.

“Like he asked how you felt after he spilled his coffee all over you?” Carrie was now looking at me, her eyes slitted in their gaze, irritated that I won’t tell her everything. Her need to control everything knew no bounds.

“Carrie!” I finally broke her constant glare on me by yelling at her. "Find something else to do in your free time."

“Lee, use your head and be smart." She was back to reprimanding me like a little child as if she knew everything. “Also, choose to be courageous. If you like him, go and ask him out.”

”I have nothing more to add to this conversation.” I walked away from the FBI treatment my friend was giving me. I knew she cared but sometimes she was a huge pain in the ass. I won’t be subjected to this emotional blackmail. "I'm heading out."

“And bring me a chai latte this time, will ya? Without falling for someone or in someone's cup of coffee!” 

Carrie’s voice boomed in the middle of the cafeteria as I walked out of it.