Everyone's Out to Get Me

I Have Secret Admirers

"Dex, you little bitch! You made me go to that session so now you need to help me." I had rightfully and dramatically stormed into the cafeteria and gently slammed the paper down in front of him. "Lady Galvin wants me dead."

"This is food," Dex said, stuffing his face.

"I can see that but what's this assignment about?" I heard a laugh but I'm too stressed to pay attention to the fucker right now. (It's Keefe.) I threw myself down next to Dex. "Lady Galvin loves to do this thing where she says a bunch of words I don't know and tells me to do an assignment. Like- Shit, yeah I remember the words? But Dex, I don't have a fucking clue what the woman is talking about."

"Wom-"

"And another thing." I cut him off before he could question my choice of words. "I was supposed to meet up with someone today. I had plans for once."

"Soph, you're grounded."

"What are you trying to say?" Just then my phone starts vibrating. And since, in my poor, poor, friendless life, that's never happened before, obviously I picked up.

Everyone stopped talking among themselves to mind my business. "HI, LINH!" I said louder than I needed too. All my worries were gone, all my Galvin-related troubles forgotten. Linh was just awesome like that.

Her face was pink like she'd been laughing. "Sophie, you won't believe-"

"You don't have to tell her this, I'll never recover!"

"Oh, I have to!" she yelled off screen, then flipped the camera. Tam was standing there with his arms folded like his whole day was ruined. Soaked from head to toe. I started dying. "We're sneaking off for lunch and Tam fell in a pond."

"YOU PUSHED ME."

"You'll live."

"You just saved my day. All praise, Linh."

"You're both so annoying," Tam said. Linh flipped the camera back to her.

"Did something happen?" she asked.

"Well, you know. Average Galvin issues. I was just guilt tripping Dex into helping me." Dex stuck his tongue out at me like the child he is. "Speaking of— I can't visit later-"

"Sophie, you're grounded."

"BUT! I'll come see you tomorrow if I don't fuck this up."

"I did not agree to that."

"I know you, Dex." I'm pretty sure he mumbled something about my mother.

Linh laughed. She waved her arm off screen—I'm pretty sure she was drying off Tam—while I heard Tam grumbling about No muffins.

"I'll call you later, Sophie! Don't die."

"If you tell her that she's definitely going to die."

"He's not wrong!" I agreed.

Linh rolled her eyes. Which is just my special talent—Getting Linh to roll her eyes.

When I hung up I caught Keefe looking deep in thought with half a Ripple Puff in his mouth. He caught me looking.

He raised an eyebrow. "Hot date, Foster?"

"No, yeah. Who was that?" Dex asked.

"It's hard to believe but I have friends."

"Yeah, it is hard to believe," Dex agreed.

I stole one of his weird elfy pastries. "I'm telling Grady you said that."

"I'll help you with your homework."