The Lonely King | Ongoing [New Edition]

20 | An Eye For An Eye

"I don't need you,

brain playing tricks on me,

I don't need you,

double vision that which I sometimes see."

❁❁❁

"LEXI!" AT THE sound of my best friend's familiar voice, I spun around, coming face to face with Emily. Her usually cheery persona was one of concern when she saw me, and she immediately threw her arms around me and pulled me into a tight embrace.

"We were all so worried when we heard you've fallen ill! Are you alright now?" Emily asked, her worried eyes scanning my face. Even though my fading bruise was stealthily covered with a thick layer of foundation, my heart still sped up at the thought of Emily noticing it.

"I'm much better," I smiled reassuringly, and she heaved a huge sigh of relief.

"It must be the soup," she said, smiling. "Asher told me that Robin makes great comfort food."

"Huh," I mumbled, pursing my lips. So Robin really could cook. Not that I doubted him, or anything.

"By the way, I was so surprised when Ash told me that Robin paid you a visit! I guess I was wrong about him being scary and all," Emily said thoughtfully, shooting me a wink. "Tell me all about it later, okay?"

I laughed and nodded, "Sure, Em."

"Well, come on. Let's go get lunch!" Emily cheered, dragging me towards the dining hall. My heartbeat quickened at the thought of facing Jake or any of his friends, but I forced the smile to stay on my face. Once we entered the bustling hall, Emily pushed me towards the short queue and passed me a metal tray which was quickly filled with plates of delicious gourmet food.

"Let's go find a seat, yeah? I feel really bad that I have to leave you alone for lunch all the time, so let's eat together today!" Emily chirped, much to my relief. However, we didn't even have five seconds alone before a familiar grumpy fiancé showed up in front of us.

"The both of you are sitting with me today," he said through gritted teeth, leaving no room for argument. Then, to my surprise, he grabbed the tray out of Emily's hands and turned to walk to the forbidden table. Emily and I shared a look of confusion, since while Emily had become a regular at the Centre Table, I was far from becoming friends with any of them.

"I'm not secretly engaged to one of them without my knowledge, right?" I whispered into Emily's ear, causing her to giggle.

"Of course not!" she laughed. "He probably just feels bad because I'm really awkward at the table, and Logan suggested that they invite you to sit with us. I wasn't expecting Asher to actually say 'yes' though, given how the both of you are always butting heads."

Pursing my lips, I glanced at the Centre Table where Asher stood impatiently. On any other day, I would never sit within a five metre radius of Asher Dane, but seeing that I had nowhere else to go, I figured that it might not be too bad. After all, judging by the glares I've been receiving from Geraldine and Becca, I doubt that I was welcomed at Jake's table anymore.

When we reached the table, Asher shot me a look and pursed his lips, nodding at the empty seat next to Yuko. Yuko had his nose tucked into a book and didn't bother looking up while Logan winked at me.

"Decided to join us, sunshine?" Logan asked in a sing-song voice.

"If you don't mind," I said, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear and shooting him a quick smile.