𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞; 𝑩.𝒃𝒂𝒙𝒕𝒆𝒓-𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓

EIGHTEEN

THIRD PERSON'S POV

"Why do we have to be at lunch early?" Neil asks.

"Because today's the day that fakey-faker gets what's coming to him." Booker answers. "I still don't get what Liam did to incur your wrath" Ivy said as she and Neil sat down at their table. "He's pretending to be something he's not." Booker said. "I would never be fake like him".

"Hey, mate" Liam came up to booker and his friends.

"Hey, bestie! How-How's my favorite guy?" Booker says as he sat down.

"I just wanted to say I really appreciate how welcoming you've been" Liam says with a smile. "I know you get how hard it is being the new kid" He says. "I was proper nervous when I came here" Liam sat down at the table. "I even thought about faking an American accent just to fit in!" Liam says before he clears his throat.

Liam smiled before he spoke in a surfer accent; "Bro, my favorite thing about the Bay is the gnarly waves".

"It's pretty brilliant, eh?" Liam chuckles. "Wait, you're actually British?" Booker asked. "Yeah, from me fish to me chips" Liam says. "So you're just a nice, cool dude trying to make it in a new school?" Booker asked, feelings guilty for even questioning Liam in the first place. "Well, that's what it sounds like to me, Booker" Ivy said.

"Just wanted to thank you for being a real mate" Liam says before he got up and goes over to Cami.

Booker sighed and said; "You guys, this is terrible".

"Booker, what did you do?" Ivy asked, seeing the look on his face, knowing it was nothing good.

"I may have accidentally--maybe-on purpose told Alice to prank Liam so hard that he leaves school" Booker admits. "-and maybe Kaiden Dumbia too..." He added on. "You did what?!" Ivy questions, shocked. "Wait, wait, wait." Neil shook his head, trying to process this information; "You want to run him out of school so you can be the new kid again?".

"When you say it like that, it makes me sound stupid" Booker said.

"That's not true" Neil said. "It makes you sound selfish and shallow" He says. "What is Alice gonna do to Liam and Kaiden?" Ivy asks. "Don't know" Booker shrugs. "When is she gonna do it?" Neil asked. "I don't know." Booker says as he stood up.

"What if she put something gross in Liam's food?" Ivy asks.

"Like what?" Booker questions.

"I don't know!" Ivy and Neil said in unison.

"I've got to save him!" Booker says as he makes his way over to Cami and Liam's table. About to eat his lunch, Booker takes Liam's tray away from him. "What are you on about, mate" Liam asks. "Sorry, I'm just looking for my, uh-" Booker digs through Liam's lasagna with his hands in search for anything; "Nope. My Nothing".

"Well, you enjoy your lunch." Booker hands the British boy his lunch before taking his napkins to wipe his hands off.

"Sup, Cami?" Booker smiled.

All Liam wanted to do was put his book bag in his locker, but booker couldn't take that chance. "No, no, no! Hold up, hold up." Booker rush up and blocks the boy's locker. "You can't put that in there." Booker said. "There might be a fake spider in here" Booker says; " Let me check for ya!".

"Why would there be a fake spider?" Liam asks.

"To, uh, eat the fake flies." Booker responds.

Booker threw everything out of Liam's locker for any sign of a prank that Alice might've planted.

"No. No, no, no, no, no" Booker sings as he continues to throw books and other things out. "All clear," Booker chuckles as he pats Liam's shoulder. Liam scoffs and goes into the art room. "Booker. What's your problem?" Dahlia asked as she stood by cami and watched that whole scene play out. "Nothing- nothing, D, everything's good." Booker says, quickly.

"Looking good, Cami." Booker smiled before he ran into his art class after seeing Liam walking in.

Dahlia scoffs and shook her head. "He's been acting like that all week!" Cami groans. "No shit." Dahlia says. "He likes you, you know." Dahlia said as she looks through her locker mirror. "What? No- no, no, no he doesn't," Cami denied. "You!...you like him, I'm not- he's not interested." Cami said.

"Trust me. I know...he's definitely interested in you, C" Dahlia smiled.

"Besides...I'm completely over him." Dahlia played with her necklace. "I'm talking to Kaiden, anyways, so" She says. "Oh, I noticed," Cami teased; "Oh, Ley me take you out tonight, Babe!".

"You Smell good today, Lia!".

"We should have a study date, you know.".

"I miss you already!"

"Okay, Okay! Stop- stop, I get it!" Dahlia laughs.

"Yeah. But, um, are you seriously okay with me and booker? Him liking me and me liking him?" Camilla sighed; "I mean you're my best friend...I don't want things to be awkward, you know".

"I get it, and I promise, nothing's gonna change or be awkward between us, Cam!" Dahlia reassured her friend, trying to convince herself in the process.

Her friendships never worked out whenever it came to a boy. Their nothing but trouble. "You guys would make a cute couple" Dahlia grabs her bag off the ground and placed it on her shoulder. "Don't hurt him, 'Kay?" Camilla nods. The final bell rings.

"I'm going to the mall later, you comin'?" Lia asks Cami.

"Yeah- Yeah." Cami replies before sending her friend a soft smile.

Dahlia returns the smile and walks off, heading to her Geometry class.