The Girl Next Door

9. The Unexpected Move

As expected, Melanie was making a scene. She had that "half-teary-eyed" look on her face, trying to play the victim as usual. She stood in front of me, arms crossed, looking as dramatic as ever.

"You didn't even look after me," she said, her voice shaky like she was about to burst into tears.

Oh boy. Here we go again.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. "I don't know what to say. To be honest, it's not what you think."

I really didn't know what to say. What else could I say? The truth? That it wasn't her I was thinking about? That it was the girl who made me feel something I didn't understand yet? But I wasn't about to say any of that.

"You didn't seem to care last night," she pushed, eyes narrowing. "I was jealous."

"Jealous?" I repeated, confused. "Over what?"

"You know what I mean," she said, voice almost a whisper, as if it should have been obvious.

I shook my head. "No, I don't."

And there it was. Melanie, once again, in full drama mode. She was great at creating tension, but I wasn't in the mood to play into it today. I just needed to get away.

"Look," I started, trying to move this conversation along, "I need to grab some lunch before the next bell rings. Why don't you get something to eat, too?"

She didn't respond right away, just shot me a look like I'd committed the ultimate crime. But I wasn't about to apologize. This was ridiculous.

I grabbed my tray and made my way over to the lunch area where Matt, Blaine, and Geoff were already sitting by the large glass window. They were all chatting, but I could tell they were looking at me with that "we know something's up" expression.

I couldn't stop my eyes from drifting to the lunch counter.

There she was. Astrid.

I watched her grab an apple and a bottled water, paying at the counter before she turned and walked outside, like she was on her own little planet. She didn't look at anyone, didn't engage with the crowd. Just walked right out of the cafeteria like she had her own agenda.

For some reason, I didn't think twice.

Without even telling the guys, I grabbed my lunch and headed toward the door, making a beeline for the outside tables.

"What the hell are you doing?" Geoff's voice came from behind me, a mix of surprise and amusement.

"I'm eating outside," I said, keeping it simple.

The three of them watched me, a mix of confusion and curiosity on their faces. But when they saw where I was headed, their eyes followed my gaze. They saw Astrid sitting at the farthest end of the tables, isolated, as usual.

"Oh boy," Geoff muttered, the sarcasm dripping from his voice, as if he knew exactly what was going to happen. "This ought to be good."

I didn't answer. I just kept walking.

I didn't even really know what I was doing. Maybe I was just tired of the noise. Tired of the drama. Maybe I wanted to figure out what Astrid was all about, or maybe I just wanted to be somewhere—anywhere—where I didn't feel like I had to keep pretending.

I sat down across from her, not asking permission or anything. Just sat. The silence between us felt different. There was something in the air now.

Astrid glanced up from her apple, her eyes flicking over me before she sighed and shook her head. "You really are a glutton for punishment, huh?"

I shrugged. "I like to keep things interesting."

She didn't respond right away, but she didn't move either. It was like she was waiting for me to say something else, but I wasn't sure what. So, I just ate my lunch quietly, watching her.

"You know," she said after a long pause, "you don't have to be out here. People won't bite you."

"I'm not worried about people," I said, still looking straight ahead. "Just the noise."

Astrid didn't look surprised. If anything, she seemed more like she expected that answer from me. She bit into her apple, her eyes moving over the horizon as if she was in her own little world.

"Right," she said, more to herself than to me.

The silence stretched on, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Not anymore. There was something... peaceful about it. Something that felt real for once.

And as I sat there, I couldn't shake the feeling that maybe, just maybe, this was exactly where I was supposed to be. Even if I didn't know why yet.