Chapter Four

Lena's POV

You know… there are moments in life when things go terribly wrong. Like when I trip while delivering food to football players. Or when I bump into the same really handsome quarterback the next morning. Or when my chair makes a loud noise in class and everyone laughs.

Those moments are the worst. Unfortunately, all three happened within twenty-four hours.

I walked through the hallway like a criminal. People were talking. “…the chair girl…” “…she blamed the furniture…” “…I swear it sounded real…” Great. Just what I needed to confirm. I adjusted my bag strap and kept walking, pretending to study the floor.

 If anyone asked, I would say I was studying architecture, or probably counting the cracks on the floor… or just planning my escape. Exile had never sounded so peaceful.

I reached the cafeteria and grabbed the cheapest sandwich on the menu because my account balance and I are not on speaking terms.

Then I looked around for a table and immediately regretted it. Derek Hayes just walked in. Of course he did. The whole cafeteria seemed to change when he entered. Girls straightened their hair, some giggled, and a few whispered like he was a celebrity. Derek just looked calm…tall, broad-shouldered, and with a really great countenance.

 His dark hair was messy, like he had run his hands through it many times, and that confident look said he knew he had an effect on people. Which made him really annoying.

I quickly turned my head and marched toward a corner. Out of sight, out of mind… sorry, I mean out of danger. Out of quarterback radius. I dropped into a chair and started eating my sandwich.

“Are you the girl who farted in math class?”

I nearly choked. A girl with dark hair stood beside the table, looking amused…and she was so beautiful.

“I did not fart,” I said. “It was the chair.”

She nodded seriously. “Of course. Chairs are liars.”

I sighed. “Please tell me you didn’t come here just to ruin my lunch.”

She slid into the seat across from me. “Maya,” she said, pointing at herself. “I came because you looked like you needed a friend.”

I stared at her, then laughed. “Well, congratulations. You’ve found the person.”

Maya leaned forward. “You’re new, right?”

“Yeah… got here and laid low for months now.”

She nodded toward Derek and his teammates. “Then let me give you your important lesson about Ridgewood High.”

I followed her gaze…straight toward Derek.

“That,” she said, “is Derek Hayes.”

“I noticed.”

“Star quarterback. School legend. Walking heartbreaker.”

“Also professional embarrassment distributor.”

Maya grinned. “Oh, so you have met him.”

I covered my face. “You have no idea.”

“Actually,” she said, leaning back, “I heard the story from a friend of mine…the delivery girl, tripping… bla bla…”

I peeked at her. “Are you done?”

“Not even close.”

I dropped my hands. “Please don’t tell me you’re enjoying this.”

“Very much.”

I shook my head and went back to my sandwich.

“Anyway,” Maya continued, “Derek’s ex is Vanessa Blake.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Cheer captain. Beautiful. Slightly terrifying.”

“Sounds lovely.”

“They broke up months ago,” she said. “She’s been trying to get back together with him.”

I nodded slowly.

Maya froze. “Oh no.”

“What?”

She leaned closer and whispered, “Don’t look now.” Of course that automatically meant I looked. Derek and his teammates were walking toward us. My stomach dropped. God! Just let me have a peaceful lunch.

“Why are they coming here?” I whispered.

Maya groaned. “Because I waved at Tyler.”

Within seconds they were standing beside our table. Tyler greeted Maya like they knew each other. That explained a lot…he was the friend who had told her about the delivery incident.

Derek stood there, looking directly at me. But I stayed focused on my sandwich.

“Chair behaving today?” he asked casually.

Maya burst out laughing. I muttered, “Wonderful.”

“It’s the chair,” I added.

He tilted his head. “Of course.” His voice sounded amused. I looked up. Big mistake. He was watching me.

“Well,” Maya said, “this is awkward.”

Tyler laughed. Derek didn’t. He just kept looking at me. Then he picked up his tray. “Try not to trip on anything today,” he said, walking away.

I stared after him. Maya leaned across the table. “You know most girls would kill for that kind of attention.”

I dropped my head onto the table. “I officially hate him.”

Deep down, a tiny voice whispered something worse. For a moment nobody said anything. Then his eyes dropped to my tray…a sandwich, fries, and a cheap cafeteria milkshake.

He raised an eyebrow. “You might want to slow down on the calories,” he said lazily. “You wouldn’t want another… incident.”

The table behind him burst out laughing. A couple of people watched.

 I kept chewing. Because honestly? Kids had been making comments about my size since school. You learn something after a while. If you react, they win; if you cry, they enjoy it more. So I just took another bite.

Across from me, Maya stood up. “Wow,” she said sharply. “You’re really proud of that, huh?”

The laughter faded. Derek looked at her. “Proud of what?”

“Being a jerk,” Maya snapped. “Congratulations, quarterback. Very impressive.”

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. A few students watched.

“Relax,” Derek said calmly.

“No,” Maya shot back. “You relax… maybe take your ego somewhere else.” She pointed toward the cafeteria. “Because you’re not welcome at this table.”

Silence settled between them.

I slowly finished chewing my sandwich. Derek’s gaze shifted from Maya… to me. Like he was waiting for something, a reaction, insult, or anger. Ooops. You are not getting that from me, mister. I just wiped my hands with a napkin.

He looked at my face for a moment, then shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He turned around and walked away with his friends.

The noise in the cafeteria slowly returned. Maya sat down again, still angry. “I don’t believe him.”

I took a sip of my milkshake. “He’s Derek,” I said.

“That doesn’t give him the right to act like that.”

“Maybe not.”

She looked at me. “You’re not even mad?”

I shrugged. “You get used to guys like him.”

For a moment Maya was quiet, then she leaned forward and pointed at me. “Well, I’m not used to it,” she said. “And when he talks like that again, I’m throwing my lunch at him.”

I laughed. Derek Hayes looked back once. Just once. Like he didn’t get why the girl he had just insulted… wasn’t hurt.