Haven never expected to start receiving gifts twelve days before Christmas. They seemed to appear out of nowhere right when she needed them most. She wanted to figure out who was sending her these gifts, but the notes left with them didn't give anyt...
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Lunch rush is upon us, and Hartley and I fight against the current of people flooding into the cafeteria. My back is weighed down by my heavy backpack, and my tray sits precariously in my hands as someone rams into my left shoulder. Gasping, I nearly let the tray fall to the ground, but I managed to catch it without losing any precious cargo -- my lunch, which is made up of a burger and fries.
"I'm going to kill someone," I mutter to myself, but Hartley apparently hears me because she shoots me a weird look. Shrugging as we finally make it through the hoard of people, I scan the tables, trying to find a spot where Hartley and I can sit together. I wish we could sit apart, but she wants me near her just to make sure I'm alright -- whatever that means. "What? These people are so selfish, and I'm this close --" I pinch my fingers together with barely any space between them. "-- to losing it."
"You can't do that," Hartley says, sounding upset with me. A two-seater near the garbage cans piques my interest, so I head over there with Hartley following me. "Just because you've had a bad morning doesn't mean that you get to take it out on these people. You have to give them the benefit of the doubt, Haven."
I roll my eyes instead of answering her. Sliding into the black plastic seat, I gently set my tray down and let my backpack thud to the ground. Hartley sits down next to me as I pop a fry in my mouth, nearly physically recoiling from the amount of salt the cooks put on it. "I have given them the benefit of the doubt," I say after taking a sip from my water bottle. "They don't care about anything else but themselves and it shows."
"I know someone else like that," she says, and I look over at her. She doesn't meet my eyes, and I frown. We've had our fair share of fights, and her words echo in my mind: You're so selfish, Haven. Just because you had leukemia doesn't mean you get all the attention. Averting my gaze from her, I take a bite of my burger even though I'm not hungry anymore. "You know I'm talking about Amy, right?" she says quickly, and I blink.
"Sure." I nod once, but I still don't look at her. I'd rather be eating in the bathroom right now. I wonder where Amy and Jake are and why they aren't at lunch. They could've been the buffer between Miss Sunshine and my dark thoughts. Deciding to go against the bad feelings simmering in my heart, I say, "Where are Amy and Jake, anyway? I thought they were going to be at lunch today."
Hartley shrugs as she slurps from her bottle of tea, but I notice her eyes widening slightly. Weird. "They haven't texted in the group chat about where they are, so I'm not sure."
"I know," I say, checking my phone. The latest text from the group chat between Hartley, Amy, Jake, Colby, and me was from Colby, where he sent a photo that Jake took of himself as a tiger. "It is weird. Usually, they are here."
"Maybe they're busy with something."
"What could they be busy with?"
"Anything! You don't know, and neither do I." Okay, Hartley is acting really weird now, but I don't have enough energy to question her about why she's acting this way. We sit in silence for a second as she eats her salad, and I push my tray away from me. "Are you not hungry?"
