New School

Does he like me?

Rebecca didn't have any serious injuries, but Alex wasn't so lucky. He looked like he'd been through a war. Band-Aids covered his arms and legs, and there was even one on his forehead. He was limping a bit and wincing every time he moved. It must've been really tough for him to work.

"Don't worry about it too much. He didn't mean to hurt you. It was an accident," I said.

"But I'm angry. He made me look like a fool in front of everyone," Rebecca said, eating her food angrily.

I wasn't in the mood to argue. Rebecca wasn't a baby. She could make her own decisions. I thought she should forgive Alex because he didn't mean to hurt her. But if Rebecca didn't want to forgive Alex, what the hell was I supposed to do?

Most of my money was gone. I'd spent most of it buying food from outside. I hated school food. But today I had to eat it again because I didn't have enough money. My parents had already paid the school for food too. Yet I mostly ate from outside. I felt like the school was running a scam with the food.

"Do you and Noah have some kind of thing?" Rebecca suddenly asked.

"No, why?" I said.

"Then why does he keep looking at you from time to time?" Rebecca asked, and I looked around to find Noah. Our eyes met, and I felt butterflies in my stomach. I hadn't seen him properly for a while after sneaking into his room.

I made a gesture with my chin towards Noah to ask why, and he blushed. A little smile came to the corner of his luscious lips, and he quickly looked down at his plate, breaking our eye contact.

"You guys are friends?" Rebecca asked, shocked.

"No, we're not," I said.

"Then what the hell was that?" Rebecca asked with an accusing voice. To be honest, sometimes I couldn't stand Rebecca. Sometimes she acted like a toddler.

"I don't know," I said like I didn't give an F and started to eat the disgusting food.

After breakfast, we all went outside and Alex begged Rebecca to listen to him.

Finally, they went to a corner, not far from us. So we heard what they were saying. It wasn't anything secret. He just wanted to apologize.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I never thought it would go like that," Alex said.

"You made me look like a total idiot in front of everyone," Rebecca snapped, not even bothering to keep her voice down.

"There was only us," Alex said, sounding taken aback.

"Oh, please! It was humiliating, you jerk. Do you have any idea how stupid I felt?" Rebecca snarled, her face turning red with anger.

I cringed listening to her. Rebecca was really laying into Alex, and honestly, it was kind of uncomfortable to watch.

I found a peaceful corner in the garden and was just looking at flowers I hadn't seen anywhere else in the world.

"Well, well. What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone out here?" Fraser's voice suddenly came from behind me, making me jump.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I turned to face him. "Oh! Um, just... looking at flowers," I mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Fraser grinned, his eyes twinkling. "Mind if I join you? These flowers are something else, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they're really beautiful," I said, trying to sound casual despite my racing heart.

He stepped closer, leaning in to examine a vibrant bloom. As he did, his fingers brushed against mine, sending a shiver up my arm. I wasn't sure if it was accidental or on purpose, but my heart started beating even faster.