Cora's POV:
"How's.. what's her name? Chloe?" Jessica asks, sitting across from me at the booths in lunch. I look at her.
"Why do you care?" I ask. "Don't you have your best friend to go by?" She sighs.
"How's Chloe? She looked sick. That's why I'm asking."
"She's fine. She slept after I gave her medicine and her fever went away." I play with my pasta with my fork.
"Why aren't you-"
"Okay, Jessica we are not friends. Were rivals. That's all we are and that's all we'll ever be. Stop asking me fucking questions."
"And you call me hostile, Cora?" She asks. "I'm being fucking nice because you look fucking exhausted. I wanted to see if you needed to get anything off your chest, but never fucking mind, Cora." I look down and bite my bottom lip.
"I'm sorry," I say. I look up at her. Her look softens.
"I'm sorry, Jessica. I'm just- I'm overwhelmed-" I look up and meet the eyes of Leah. She's across the cafeteria, but I can still see her expression.
"Hey," she says, sitting down next to me. If I already wasn't against the wall, I'd move over.
"Hey," Jessica says. She looks at me.
"Hey," she repeats.
"Hi," I mutter.
"I guess I'll-" Jessica starts to say.
"No. Stay," I say. I really don't want to her hear apology. And it won't happen if she's sitting right here.
"Actually.." Leah says.
"No. Stay, please I want you here," I say, giving her the "please," look.
"Cora I need to talk to you."
"You can do it when she's here," I say.
"What, do you think I'm gonna hit you or something?" She asks.
"Did I say that, Leah?" A girl comes up to our table and sits down next to Jessica.
"Hi! You guys look.. pretty chill. I'm new here. I'm Aphrodite. But most people call me Maya. My middle name."
"Like the Greek god?" Jessica asks. She nods. Aphrodite has dark, brown hair. Matching eyes, and freckles. Leah looks at her. And I can tell when we do finally make up, I'm gonna hear all about her crush on her.
"Hi, Maya. I'm Jessica," she says.
"Leah," Leah says, with a smile.
"Cora."
"Coraaaaa!!" Jake, the quarterback says, coming up to me. I look up at him and raise my eyebrows.
"Jake," I say.
"I need to talk to you about something majorly important." I furrow my eyebrows.
"Okay?" I say.
"Well not here!" Leah stands up. I follow him out of the cafeteria and into the stairwell. I sit down next to him.
"Yes?" I ask. He sighs.
"I have to tell you something."
"Okay." I look at him.
"I um.. I like someone." I tilt my head.
"Okay."
"You know them.."
"Nope. Good-" I stand up. He pulls me back.
"It's not you, Cora." I sit back down.
"I um.. I like your brother." My eyes widen.
YOU ARE READING
Keep Trying, Sweetheart
Romance17 year olds are typically focused on college. And their SAT scores that they've been waiting for since forever ago. So are Jessica and Cora. More than everyone else and only in each other, though. Seeing who gets the higher score, higher grades...
