Fire Meets Ice

Chapter 8: He's a Keeper

The foursome continued to compete against each other two for two in bowling until they got tired of playing. They decided to have lunch together at the food hub close to the bowling alley. Everyone ordered a supreme size meal, while Alexa only ordered a medium size meal. When their food was ready, Alexa took small bites of her BLT sandwich.

"Something wrong with your food, Alexa? It doesn't seem like you're enjoying it," asked Anya. 

Alexa looked up, offering a small smile. "No, I'm alright. I'm just not that hungry," she replied, her voice gentle.

Anya leaned in, her tone shifting to one of earnestness. "Well, you still need to eat. Otherwise, you won't have the strength for the rest of the day."

With a shrug, Alexa glanced down at her plate. "It just makes me full very fast. But I'll take it home to eat it... most likely."

"Okay, good," Anya said, her expression softening. "I don't want you to eat and dislike the food they serve. It's always better to finish it than let it go to waste."

Alexa smiled deep down, knowing how much Anya cared for her as a new friend. She never had anyone else getting concerned over how little she eats at times, other than her bestie Megan. A few minutes later, her stomach rumbled and she felt like going to the bathroom.

"Guys, I'm heading to the bathroom," she announced, glancing at the pile of her belongings nearby. "Can someone watch over my stuff?"

Marcus looked up with a grin, his confidence shining through. "Let me keep an eye on them for you, kitty. It won't be easy for any wandering pickpockets to steal from you while I'm around."

She chuckled at his playful demeanor. "Haha, that's very thoughtful of you, Marcus. I'll be going now."

She walked away and headed to find the bathroom. It took her about 10 minutes to finish doing her business before washing her hands with soap and walking out of the bathroom. Just when she was about to turn the other direction, two random guys stopped her. They sure looked like one of those delinquent kids who dropped out of college for playing hooky and ditching classes.

The first guy leaned against the wall, a cocky grin spreading across his face. "Ooh, look what we have here," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "An innocent-looking cutie who seems a bit too meek. Got a case of social anxiety, do we?"

His companion smirked, crossing his arms. "Yeah, where do you think you're going, girl? Can't you see we're trying to talk to you?"

Alexa felt her irritation boiling over. "Ugh, can you please just get out of my face and move out of the way?"

She squared her shoulders, her voice steady as she continued, "I'm not obliged to be nice to idiots who lack any sense of self-awareness."

The first guy feigned hurt, raising his hands in a mock surrender. "You're misjudging us, cutie," he said with an exaggerated pout. "But that's adorable. You see, my friend here is single."

He gestured toward the second guy, who was grinning wider now, clearly enjoying the attention. "We both talked and decided it'd be best if you went out with him. You seem like a good girl. What do you say?"

Marcus heard it all from afar and he was losing his cool. He got up and attempted to put the idiots to their places.

"Did you hear what she said?" he called out, his tone cutting through the chatter. "What part of 'move out of the way' did you not grasp?"

The first guy turned around. The surprise flickered across his face, quickly replaced by defiance. "Whoa, chill dude. It ain't your business, so f**k off. I'm pretty positive that YOU aren't her man either."