Ella strolled to the canteen with Gwen, engaged in a lively discussion about what they would have for lunch. Suddenly, Gwen accidentally bumped into a boy. "Sorry," she exclaimed apologetically. "I didn't see you there." "It's okay," the boy reassured her with a smile. "I'm Jacob." "Uh, I'm Gwen," she responded, slightly flustered by the unexpected encounter."I should go," she quickly stuttered. "Okay, bye," he said. "I guess I'll see you around?" "Yeah," she said. As they walked off, Ella nudged Gwen. "Ooh, you've got a boyfriend," she said, mockingly teasing Gwen. "He's not my boyfriend! I don't even know him!" Gwen retorted. "Well, he's cute," said Ella in response to Gwen. "They were meant to be."
Ella and Gwen strolled back to their table at the canteen. Hayley and Jess seemed to have spotted them from afar, for as soon as Gwen and Ella reached the table, Jess began exclaiming, "Oooo! Who's that?" "No one," Gwen replied. "What are you all on about?" "Come on," urged Ella. "I could see the way you looked at him, the way you stuttered when he told you his name""I don't have a crush on him, okay?" Gwen stated emphatically. "I mean, Dylan's the one with a boyfriend, Ava's the romantic novelist, and Jess is the lovesick one. There's no more room for anyone else to be in love," she added, quite annoyed. "Well, you can't just give him up," Ella remarked. "You're meant to be." "No, we're not," Gwen replied firmly. "Give it up."
