In Omnia Paratus (AU) - Book 2

New friends

"You're late. Again." Lily mumbled sitting at the canteen table and moaning at me as I sat down late for about the fourth time in the last two weeks.

"At least I'm here aren't I?" I grumbled back at her.

"It's no surprise anymore you've beaten your record and been late for fifth time." She raised her eyebrows at me.

"Fifth? Really?" I asked biting my lip.

"Yes Jenna. I'd ask where you are most of the time but it's getting very boring." She complained.

"I'm sorry. This is the last time." I smiled across at her.

"It'd be okay but you're usually so on time." Matt laughed at me as I looked over at everyone who basically finished dinner and I hadn't even had any.

"Well that'll change now." I hummed looking around once again and deciding that I wasn't hungry.

"Are you going to eat?" Lily sighed getting agitated as she knew once she'd finished her last bite she'd want to leave.

"Oh, no. I'm okay." I smiled leaning back. She gave me a look as if to say 'come on Jenna stop being such an ass' but I just ignored it and when everybody else got up to leave and go hang out I joined them.

Since starting back this year apparently we've reached out and the group of friends we hang out with has got bigger. I didn't even know the people we were with today but Lily and Matt seemed to know them fairly well.

I turned to Lucy and quickly asked her who they were.

"Oh they're new, not new to Ashford but new to the group. I don't know we just started talking to them and they started to hang out." She responded but it wasn't the answer I was looking for.

I wanted names and information. Two new guys started hanging about joking around with Lily and Matt but not really including one me in any conversation they had. As well as one girl who thinks she's Lily's new best friend.

Maybe I was just jealous but it was pissing me off really.

I ducked away when they said they were going back to our dorm. I rushed back before they could get there, locked my bedroom door and headed out to meet Richard and his friends for drinks.

I don't know, I just wasn't feeling included. My fault because I spent so much time meeting Richard or studying.

- - - - -

"Where did you head out to?" Lily cornered me as I returned to find them still in our bloody dorm.

"I thought you didn't care." I hummed moving around her.

"That was before, this time you wanted to leave." She said looking at me as I moved to my door.

"You have guests, you should entertain them." I snapped suddenly hoping nobody heard us.

"Whatever Jen, be funny about this. Talk me when you're thinking straight." She whispered aggressively at me before moving back to the sofa and sitting next to Matt and chatting away to the other guys.

What on earth was going on?

- - - - -

"So she's got new friends? Who cares, you make friends all the time it's part of life." Richard comforted me as we walked together around his uni campus.

"No it's different. It's like I'm being excluded." I mumbled angrily.

"I'm sure you aren't. Lily knows what's it like to share room with a roommate who doesn't like her and it's awfully hard to do especially for an entire year." Richard explained holding my hand.

"I thinks it's us."

"Woah how is us affecting your relationship with your friends?" He scoffed getting all defensive.

"Because I don't tell people where I'm going. They get curious and I don't want to tell them." I explained rather plainly.

"This isn't my fault." He defended.

"I know, it's mine. I'm funny about these things. I might just have to see you on weekends or something. So during the week I can mend my relationship with Lily." I frowned.

"You'll work something out." He smiled kissing the side of my head.

"I know, I just can't help but feel somethings going on and no ones telling me. I thought I'd be loosing friends this year as everyone should be studying already for exams but nobody is, they're all getting illegally drunk or hanging out in my lounge." I sighed

"I didn't study hardly at all." Richard laughed.

"Well, I know you didn't." I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry I don't mean to be horrible, I'm just in a mood."

"I can tell your eyebrows are constantly frowning." He exclaimed as I looked up and him.

"Oh, nice. Thanks, just what a girl wants to hear." I laughed at him slapping his chest.

- - - - -

"You're reading too much into this." Matt lectured me as he took my books from my hand to stop me walking away from him. He did this a lot, took either my bag or my books and carried them so when we talked he knew I couldn't walk off in a hump.

"Into what?" I said turning back to him and giving him my best fake smile I could muster.

"I know you snuck out the other night because you were bored or something." He raised his eyebrows as I continued walking beside him on the way to my dorm.

"I don't know what your talking about the new gang seem perfectly fine and I really just want to--" I opened the door to see Lily surrounded by these new people again.

"Perfectly fine yeah?" Matt scoffed seeing my face change as the door opened.

I breathed heavily before answering. "Yes," I hummed looking at everyone once again sat in my dorm.

"Here's your books." He laughed handing them to me and joining everyone else on the sofa as they laughed and chatted away. I was meant to take a nap then study before exam this afternoon.

How the hell was going to do that with everyone here?

"Uh Lily--"

"Uh Jenna..." She mimicked being horribly stupid.

"How long is this going to go on for?" I asked closing my eyes.

"Well all of lunch of course and we all have a free period next, just like you." She smiled knowing that it irritated me.

"Well maybe you could go somewhere else?" I asked.

"Or maybe we couldn't." She raised her eyebrows walking away from me and joining her stupid little group again.

I walked into my room, locked the door and threw my books at the bookshelf angrily. Probably making the loudest noise ever and alerting everyone in the next room that I was angry.

Though no one cared, the laughter stopped for all of 5 seconds before I collapsed onto my bed and tried my hardest to nap for half an hour before I had to study for hours on end.