Used to be Friends

Chapter 10 - The Killer Question

Chapter 10

The Killer Question

To say Andrea was boiling with infuriation could probably one of the biggest understatements of the school year. She sat alone today at the cafeteria, glaring at anyone who would pass by her table. She was seething, yet worried at the same time. Lawrence was sick, his temperature yesterday was so high that she and the McKnight’s had to bring him to the hospital late in the evening for the second time. The first was when they checked him in to see his injuries, and they had shown them several broken ribs and few fractures. Other than that, nothing more was given.

But that didn’t make her worries stop. Lawrence was alone in the hospital, Peyton’s dad went to work and Peyton had to go to school. She just wished that the day would be quickly over so she could just sprint down the hallways to the damn hospital.

“Hey.”                            

Jumping slightly in shock, Andrea was surprised that Troy was already across her seat, his lunch with him.

 “What are you doing here?” Andrea rudely asked, ignoring the small smile on Troy’s lips.

Looking down-right sad that he wasn’t greeted nicely, Troy responded, “To join you here for lunch. You look lonely sitting alone in here.”

“I prefer to be left that way,” Andrea replied, glaring at the man.

Forcing not to flinch under Andrea’s gaze, Troy just smiled. “I also came here to ask you if Lawrence was okay.”

Softening up at the mention of her bestfriend’s name, Andrea replied, “He’s okay, I guess. He only has a high fever and several broken ribs.”

“Oh…” Troy trailed off. “I’m sorry about that.”

Andrea rolled her eyes at Troy’s sympathy. She didn’t need those. She needed Lawrence to be okay, and Troy’s sympathies wouldn’t make her bestfriend okay. Besides, despite the sympathy the guy was offering, that didn’t change the fact that he abandoned them during the time when he was one of the people they both needed the most.

“So what brought you here?” Andrea asked after a small silence. Ignoring Troy was useless anyway, Andrea acknowledged, especially since there was something about the guy that made him totally irresistible, not that Andrea would admit that thing out loud.

Troy seemed surprise at the question. He probably thought that Andrea wouldn’t even dare accredit his presence. “Just like I said earlier, you looked lonely sitting by yourself in here.”

“Are you sure?” Andrea asked inquisitively, raising an eyebrow in the process. “Or is it because of Lawrence not being here?”

“You know I would never want Lawrence not to be around,” Troy defended himself. “Especially since he’s somewhere else because he’s hurt!”

“Oh, so the thing that you did years back was just my imagination?” Andrea asked.

“No, but—“

“Troy, Lawrence was hurt!” Andrea almost shouted, cutting Troy off in the process. “He was breaking down to pieces and all he ever needed was some rock that he can rely on!” she continued, her voice growing louder by the very second. “And where were you and Adrian?! Huh?! You were both away because you were cowards—!”

“Don’t call me that!” It was Troy’s time to interrupt.

“And why not?” Andrea dared, her voice spilling with unmistakable venom. “You’re afraid to hear that you’re perfect good-boy image in this school would vanish?!”