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Chapter Two

Students rushed around the busy cafeteria for their short lunch break. Seniors stood in lines as they waited to collect their food, it gradually slimming down as each one took their share of pizza.

I carried the plastic tray to the rectangular lunchroom table I sit at every day. My backpack slid to the floor from my shoulder with a "plop" before I sat on the bench.

I squinted at the cheesy pizza as I tried to determine whether it was edible or not. After deciding that it looked safe to eat, I took a bite. It actually was not bad. The last time I had tried it, the chewy texture tasted just like cardboard.

I felt a presence followed by someone speaking in my ear, invading my personal space.

"Hey."

I choked on my pizza in surprise, immediately grabbing the milk carton from the tray. I chugged it to clear my airways.

Drinking milk with pizza is disgusting, but the low-budget high school could only afford two options. White milk, or chocolate. Choosing chocolate would have been cruel. Besides, the white milk is so watered down that it is basically like drinking water if you do not pay too much attention.

I shifted my eyes to the culprit that scared me. A muscular teen with light brown hair was facing me, straddling the bench we were now sharing. Chocolate brown eyes stared at me. I did not recognize him, so he must be new.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

I took another big swig of my water, not answering him in embarrassment. I felt my face getting hot, sure that it was red.

"So your name is Jayden, right?" He continued, catching on to the silent treatment after a few minutes.

I shrugged.

"I'm guessing that is a yes."

"I guess." I mumbled.

"Listen, I have seen you around, and I was just wonder-" He was stopped mid-sentence by my loud gasp of pain.

Something hard hit my head, landing on the tile floor with a thud.

I turned and looked at him. I followed his shocked gaze towards the floor, finding a shiny red apple laying there.

I rubbed the tender spot where it hit me with my fingertips. I winced as I could feel a migraine starting to form.

Have you ever been hit by an apple? Not pleasant.

Everyone around us was laughing. I heard Marisa's ugly snicker above all. I sighed angrily. Welcome to my everyday life. Marisa loves to pick on others. My ex-best friend targeted me more than anyone else. The friendship ended when she slept with Seth, my boyfriend of two years. She never got over him trying to get me back after he cheated with her.

Let me rephrase that boyfriend term.

He is now my ex-boyfriend, who I was with for two years before we broke up. Honestly, I should have seen it coming. The signs and red flags were there. The lack of energy in the texts he would send me, the days he would take to reply, and him basing our relationship on what his friends said.

Unfortunately, I was blinded by Cupid's fat ass, which led to me making excuses for him.

I ignored the bad factors and glorified what I liked about him, such as how good of a kisser I thought he was. Not to mention how special he made me feel when he would compliment my eyes. We broke up when I was a junior, and he was a senior so I did not have to see him for long after the whole mess. It all still felt very fresh.

The boy interrupted me from my thoughts.

"Are you okay??" He asked, a worried expression overtaking his features.