Boy vs. Girl ✔️

•XII•

"Hey," I heard a soft voice mutter, as a gentle hand rested on my shoulder.

"Hey," I smiled back, turning to look up at him. Jace threw a careless grin at me, and sat down next to me.

"How's..." he started, glancing at my textbook, "math going?"

"Wonderful. I'm afraid you have some competition. I think I might be falling in love with calculus," I confessed, letting out a big sigh, and slamming my head against the textbook.

Jace gently touched my face, rubbing circles softly on my cheeks.

"You know, I think eating might help you study harder," Jace suggested, and I crinkled my nose in disgust.

"I don't think my grilled cheese is going to help with anything," I informed him, turning back to the math.

"Come on," he sighed deeply, dragging me with him, out of the cafeteria. I quickly grabbed my textbook and uneaten sandwich as we exited.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice shaking with fear of getting caught.

"Out," he replied gruffly.

"We're ditching?" I screeched out, completely scared.

"No. We're eating lunch," he told me, swiftly unlocking his car, and getting in. He unlocked the door, and looked up at me, still standing outside, expectantly. I huffed, and tugged open the door, jumping onto the seat.

"Meanie."

He rolled his eyes at my immature comment, and slipped his fingers through mine. He absentmindedly brought up my hand, and brushed his lips against it gently. I glanced out the window, watching the trees blur into green.

"Where are we going?" I questioned him suspiciously.

"A diner," he replied, leaning over to reach the glove compartment. He brought out a sleek metallic object, and slipped it into his pocket.

"A diner?" I asked, cocking one of my eyebrows.

"Mhm," he mumbled, turning the steering wheel left, sharply. His car slowly continued down the crumbling road, and I glanced around in confusion. Suddenly, a building broke out between the trees, and I craned my neck to read a sign.

Jenny's Diner.

We stepped out of his car, and walked towards the faded brick building, slowly, our hands still intertwined. He opened the door, leading me into the brightly lit room, filled with little tables and foldable chairs surrounding them. We took a seat at the corner table, which was an uncharacteristic booth, and looked at the menu.

"What do you want to eat?" Jace asked me softly, laying his hand comfortingly on top of mine.

"I don't know, the Caesar salad looks good?" I suggested.

"Kara," he said warningly, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm just not hungry, okay?" I snapped, turning to look at the menu again, and angrily sliding my hand from underneath his.

"Kara," he began in the same tone as before, his voice still timid, "I haven't seen you eat in a really long time."

"Well, I just go home and hoard a bunch of food when no one's looking," I shrugged, and uneasy knot forming in my stomach. I felt a heat grow in the back of my eyes, but I shook it off.

I couldn't cry. Not here.

"Kara, you don't have to lie to me," Jace told me, taking my hand so I had to twist to face him.

"I don't know," I choked out, a silent tear sliding down my face.

"You don't know, what?" he asked me slowly.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, I just get all nauseous when I look at food, and I don't want to eat anymore," I confessed, burying my face into his chest. He rubbed my back soothingly, as I wept into his shirt.

God, I was so pathetic.

"You need to tell someone. Ask for help. Try to eat," Jace suggested, wrapping his arms around me.

"Tell them what? I don't even know if there's anything wrong with me," I asked him, my voice edging towards hysteria.

"Just talk to your mom," Jace tried to soothe me.

"She doesn't care," I shook my head, wiping my tears away.

"Then talk to your friends," he told me. I just shrugged slightly, and he took my hand and led me out of the diner.

"Sorry I ruined your lunch," I apologized shakily.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "you better make it up to me."

I smiled as we both made our way to his car.

•••

"So where were you?" Hadley asked me excitedly, flipping through the magazine quickly.

"Shush, we're kind of at a library," I whispered.

"It's okay. I think the librarian has a thing for you," she smirked.

"Hadley, for the last time, I'm not a fucking librarian!" Jace yelled out from where he was sitting, and I gave both of them a crooked smile.

"We went to a diner. To dine," I replied, before turning back to my book.

"Ooh, nice. Did you have fun?" Hadley asked me, with a knowing smile that made me uncomfortable.

"Yeah, we had so much fun," I lied coolly, and giggled in a girly pitch. Then I got up, to put the book that I was currently reading, back to its correct place. As I skimmed the shelves looking for something new, I saw a discreet shadow in the corner.

Confused, I headed there suspiciously, with the book raised in my hand as a weapon. As I made the turn, I noticed a familiar figure leaning against the shelf.

Asher.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and stared at him with an annoyed expression.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him exasperatedly.

"I know you're lying," he informed me, taking a step closer to me.

Instinctively, I stepped back, pressing my back up against the wall.

"What?" I breathed out, my voice hitching.

"You're hiding something," he shrugged, and stepped even closer to me. Our faces were mere inches apart, and I could feel his breath fanning against my face. A nervous tingle ran through my body, and I shuddered slightly from his proximity.

"So what?" I asked.

"So, I'm going to find out."

•••

Boy: 7          Girl: 6