Eternal Adoration [ON PAUSE]

10. Hello Again

SERAPHINA

"I can't believe that y'all dine like this for school lunch." I swallow a spoonful of the creamy lobster mac n' cheese, moaning dramatically. "My old school served us pizza that tasted like unseasoned plastic and gave us expired strawberry milk to wash it down."

"Oh no, baby," Rochelle, or Ro as most people call her, chuckles with an air of disgust. "We do only fine dining at Hilltop Prep. The pizza here tastes like it's shipped straight from Italy."

The mention of Italy reminds me of a man whose eyes still keep me up at night while the rats make babies in my walls, but I ignore it and smile goodnaturedly at her.

"The lunch is probably the best thing about this school," Jaya, another friend of Amara's, adds with a smile, setting her sketchbook aside and diving into her delicious-looking caesar salad.

"Aside from the eye candy, of course." Ro wiggles her brows at me. She's seated across from me at the circular table, her hair in beautiful cornrows that fall down her back, and her grin dangerous. "Seen anyone you like yet, kiddo?"

She started calling me a 'kiddo' ironically on Monday when she figured out I turned nineteen the day before, making me a few years older than her since she skipped a grade. Jaya promised me she'd get over it in a week, but I don't really mind. I don't remember ever having a nickname apart from the shortened version of my name. It makes me feel special somehow.

"It's been barely a week, sis," Amara cuts in, giving Ro a look of feign reproach. "Let the poor girl's eyes settle before asking such important questions." She turns to her left to look at me, brows raised. "Unless . . . her eyes have settled already?"

I laugh at their eagerness, watching as Jaya dramatically scoots her chair closer to mine. She's seated to my left and now her elbows are resting on the table, her ears perked. "Mm, what's your type, Sera dear?"

All three of them are beautiful, each in their unique way. In Jaya, her eyes stick out. They're luscious dark brown and almond-shaped, but it's their focus that stands out. The eyes of an artist.

"Definitely a footballer," Ro chimes in, leaning forward to look at me as if the answer is written on my forehead. "Or basketballer."

Rochelle is the baby of the group, but she's definitely the rowdiest. She doesn't lack a filter, actually, she's extremely self-aware, it's just that she isn't afraid to cross boundaries. She's whip-smart and quick on her feet, and everything about her is put together. From her light makeup beat, to her slicked edges, and the way her uniform fits.

"Nah, Sera is not the type to like an athlete," Amara says, and I turn to her with a smile because she's right. "My girl likes them brooding and away from the limelight." She winks at me before looking at her friends.

Jaya snaps her fingers, chuckling as she says, "Ooh, yeah! She does give the vibe that she'd like a guy whose head is stuck in a book, reading C.S. Lewis in the Williamson Library and shit."

"Not C.S. Lewis in that dark ass library," Ro cackles in between bites of her pad thai. "Is this man a psychopath or something?"

"Y'all shut up." Amara scolds them even as she clearly tries to hold the laughter back. "There's nothing wrong with reading C.S. Lewis in our beloved library. It means he's a man of . . . " She struggles to find the right word, and Ro snorts. "Substance. Yes, that's exactly it."

If Jaya is the guardian of the group and Ro is the warrior, Amara is the sweet one. She's the one that assumes the best, tries to give everyone a chance, and doesn't notice the danger until it is knocking at her door. She's not stupid, but just adorably unsuspecting.