I push my dinner plate away from the table placement. "Ugh, I'm stuffed! I don't think I'll be able to eat ever again!' I groan, rubbing my stomach.
"I know, I feel like I've got a food baby" Pansy agrees.
"Why waste your time with a food baby, when I can give you a real one?" Enzo purrs, blowing Pansy a kiss. She reaches out and pretends to snag it.
I gag. "Jesus, what the fuck Enzo? Don't be disgusting when people are eating!" I scold. I feel comfortable speaking freely because my parents aren't around anymore. They helped me move the rest of my things into Pansy and I's dorm and then ran back home. They're not one for teary goodbyes...or any, for that matter. It feels good to be able to curse again after hours of holding it in.
"Aw, don't be nasty just because you're jealous of Pansy, Y/N" Theo teases while reaching across the table for his third helping of chocolate cake. That boy can sure put it away... Put it away, where? Don't ask me, he's as skinny as a lamp post.
Pansy flips her hair in agreement with this sentiment and turns away to whisper to Daphne sitting next to her. They fly into a fit of giggles. Whatever the joke is, I don't expect to be let in on it. I'm not typically included in those things.
"What exactly am I supposed to be jealous of Pansy for?" I argue back to Theo. But my heart's not in it. I'm too busy wishing I had friends. Well, more friends. I have the guys, and they're great but I can't help wishing for more. A girlfriend or two to gossip about guys with. Or to help me figure out what clothes or makeup look good on me, because I'm hopeless with that kind of stuff. But most people don't like me. They say I'm too extra for them.
"Isn't it obvious? Enzo's bulging muscles" Theo teases.
"And don't forget his other bulging appendage" Draco buts in.
"Yea, Y/N. We all know you and Enzo are joined at the hip. There's gotta be a reason you're so infatuated with him" Mattheo adds looking up from his phone to join the conversation.
My cheeks burn. "I AM NOT INFATUATED WITH HIM!" Is Enzo attractive? Yes. Is every girl in school obsessed with his boyish good looks and charm? Also yes. But I love Enzo as a friend. We are friends, we have never been anything but, and never will be anything more. It's not like he'd be interested in me either way anyway.
Enzo frowns. "Guys, c'mon. Stop annoying her. You guys know none of that is true" he argues. My heart melts. This is why I love him so much. He's so kind and sweet. He never takes a joke too far, and he'll actually stand up for me, unlike the other guys. I touch his shoulder in thanks and he gives me one of his signature shy grins that melts my heart all over again.
Mattheo groans. "Ugh, whatever. Let's just change the subject 'cause we all know Gram's too innocent to do anything even if she was interested in someone" he rolls his eyes. This strikes a chord with me.
Not this innocent BS again...
"Why does everyone think I'm so innocent? I'm not!" I pound my fists on the dining hall table for emphasis.
"Yes, you are!" Blaise, Draco, and Theo chime in simultaneously.
"No, I'm not! I can be bad. I can be depraved and unchaste!"
Mattheo sets his phone on the table and stares into my eyes. "Babe. Be so fucking for real right now. No one who uses the word unchaste, is actually '"unchaste."' My blood begins to boil. I hate when he calls me babe, and he knows it.
"Oh, I'm sorry I have the vocabulary of a high school junior and not a 5-year-old." He smirks at me with that stupid cocky grin that makes my blood boil even more.
"Nah, I have quite an advanced vocabulary. I'd just rather put my efforts into things other than English class." He slides his hands behind his head and leans back in his chair. The hem of his shirt slides up slightly, revealing his abs underneath.
"Like what? Pissing me the fuck off?"
He leans forward and stares deep into my eyes. "Well, that is my specialty. But I was thinking more along the lines of fucking girls brains into oblivion."
I gasp. I can feel how hot my cheeks are without touching them. Mattheo's eyes are so intense I feel like they're burning a hole into me. Like he can see right through me. It takes me a moment to gather myself.
"Why do you always have to be such a pervert? I swear! Is it some sort of..." I blank. "Some sort of..." Still nothing. I scrunch my nose in frustration. "Like some perverted gene that all you boys have or something?"
Mattheo smirks at me. "For someone who was just bragging about their advanced vocabulary, you used perverted twice in the same sentence." This sets me off. I'm about to let him have it when Blaise interjects.
"Will you two stop bickering like an old married couple for, like five seconds? The schtick is getting old." It's true, Mattheo and I bicker quite a bit. But it's really not my fault. Mattheo somehow always knows what to say to tease and embarrass me. And not in a brotherly way, like Enzo and I, but in an obnoxious way.
"Yea, we're trying to plan tonight's welcome-back party over here!" Draco adds.
"Oh shit! What do we have planned so far?' Mattheo asks, throwing himself into the boys' conversation.
I look towards the boys who clearly have no intention of including me in their planning huddle. Without someone to talk to, I turn to my left to talk with Pansy, but she and Daphne are still huddled together, giggling and whispering in each other's ears. Off in their girl world...
I sigh. Alone again. I check my phone to see if anyone's texted me, but the only notification I have is Duolingo reminding me to practice my French before my streak runs out.
I stand up from the table, ready to excuse myself but I realize no one notices. I leave the dining hall and climb the steps in the Main Hall two at a time, biting my cheek to keep the tears from spilling out.
YOU ARE READING
City Shadows
RomanceY/N has always had a hard time fitting in. She's too loud, too brash, too this, too that. She's about as feminine as a toilet brush, and everyone knows it. Kids at her school aren't necessarily mean to her, they just pretend she doesn't exist. The o...
