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“Lyndsey told me I need to eat better, so I ordered salad today,” he grumbles, munching on the cucumber, then screwing up his face and spitting it out. “Fuck me! It tastes like shit. I may as well go outside and eat a tree.”
I giggle then glance around the table, noticing that Lyndsey is not here. “Where is Lyndsey anyway?”
“She got detention again,” Cadence explains, eating her salad with a lot more enthusiasm than Nate.
“Again? Let me guess. Mr. Cross?” I ask but already know the answer.
“The one and only,” Nate confirms. “The guy is a total prick.”
“It doesn’t help that Lyndsey keeps pissing him off,” Cadence adds. “She does it on purpose half the time.”
“That’s because he put a target on her back. The fucker is lucky he is a teacher, or I would have flattened him months ago.”
“I wish he would put a target on my back,” Cadence purrs, and Nate shakes his head. “The guy is totally hot.”
I wholeheartedly agree with Cadence on that one. Mr. Cross is totally hot.
He started teaching history in the fall. And the moment he walked down the halls for the very first time, you would have thought it was Zac Efron who just walked in—his striking resemblance to the gorgeous Mr. Efron making all the girls completely lose their minds. Every single one of them was ready to drop their pants and spread their legs. The battle over who could seduce him first already in full swing by the time class started.
Unfortunately for them, they didn’t get too far in their ambitions.
He put a stop to it immediately, and any attempted flirtation with him was a trip to the principal’s office for a lecture on the proper conduct in class.
He is the most ruthless and meticulous teacher ever to teach at this school and, for whatever reason, took an instant dislike to Lyndsey from the very first moment he saw her. Lyndsey was never one to back down from a fight regardless of who they were, and the two of them have been at war ever since. But with the countless detentions Lyndsey has had over the year, it would appear he is the one winning the war.
A high-pitched laugh rings out, and I look across the cafeteria to see Logan and Hadley seated together. Connor sits on the other side of him, charming the pants off all her minions while Hadley feeds Logan fries and laughs like a hyena.
I look over to Chelsea, who gives me a sad shrug.
“Sorry I wasn’t able to warn you,” Eric says, and I turn to him. “He jumped ship pretty fast. He never said anything, and when we walked in here, he was already sitting with her.”
“It’s fine.” I shrug. “I’d prefer not to sit with him anyway.”
“You still got me, baby girl.” He gives me a nudge and kisses my cheek. I force a smile then look back over to Hadley and Logan, fawning all over each other. I wish I could say it didn’t hurt, but that small ache in my chest proves otherwise.
Even though there is no chance we will ever get back together, he was such an integral part of my childhood and my first real relationship. I’ve loved him my whole life, and no matter how hard I try, those lingering feelings just can’t be shut off with one flick of a switch.
I avert my gaze and take a deep breath, no longer able to watch the scene in front of me. Picking up my sandwich, I take a small bite forcing it down past the lump in my throat before finally giving up and dropping it back onto my plate.
To hell with it. Heartbreak should be considered the new weight-loss solution. It has shot my appetite to shit for weeks, and the extra gap I now have in the waistband of my jeans is proof of it.
Pushing my plate away, I slide my chair back and stand up. “I’m going to the library, guys.”
“Going to meet up with CK?” Cadence drawls, wiggling her brows.
Eric looks up at me. “You guys have been hanging out a lot. You got a thing for him?”
“We are just friends,” I insist.
Cadence scoffs. “Yeah, right.”
Glancing around the table at everyone’s inquisitive stares, I roll my eyes and wave them off. “I will catch you guys later.”
“Have fun with Superman. Ava,” Cadence calls out.
Makingmy way to the seating area at the back of the library, I stop in my tracks when I notice Mason isn’t alone. Sitting directly across from him is Lily. They are deep in conversation, and whatever she is saying must be very entertaining because he just let out a chuckle. She throws her head back and giggles along with him, and my jaw tightens, watching how they interact with each other.
She is actually quite pretty and has made more effort in her appearance today. Her curly hair has been tamed and styled into Dutch braids. Which are currently resting on top of a pair of breasts significantly larger than myalmostCcups.
