Royals

Chapter 48

Just when I thought Mondays couldn't get any worse, I woke up on Monday, February second.

My first hint that it was going to be a nauseating day should have been when I accidentally buttered both sides of my toast. I hadn't realized what I'd done until I felt the moist butter from the other side seeping into my fingers. But, in my defense, it was seven o'clock in the morning, and I was still half asleep.

My second clue should have been when Lillia's car broke down on the way to school, and we were forced to walk three miles in moccasins in thirty degree weather. Needless to say, my ankles and feet were not only frozen, but were also drenched within the first two minutes of my hike.

When we had finally arrived to school--ten minutes late, might I add--we felt so numb and weak that we could barely open the main door.

The third sign that today was going to be continuously abrasive was that I ran into Jared Johnson before lunch.

I wouldn't exactly call us friends, despite the fact that we hung out multiple times last December. We used to text occasionally, but recently I had been forgotten to make time for him.

Before, it was different. We started hanging out because all of my friendships had demolished; none of my friends wanted to associate with me. But now, I restored my friendships. I had more friends to hang out with, and he wasn't my top priority.

"Hey, Emily," Jared greeted, meeting me at my locker. Claire and Annabel stood there with their mouths shaped like a donut, while Ashlynn and Lillia simply smiled and waved to him. I didn't tell either of them about my "acquaintanceship" with Jared, but from the look of it, they didn't seem too surprised.

"Um, hello," I replied, my eyes bugging. He vowed to help me keep my profile on the down-low, and let me just say, talking to a cute and popular senior boy wasn't helping at all. "Can I help you?"

"I'm having a party this Friday, and I would enjoy it greatly if you made an appearance," he invited with raised eyebrows.

"Um, I'm sorry, but I can't," I replied quickly.

"Why not? We haven't talked in a really long time," he frowned.

"I, uh, I've been busy. Can I ask why you're talking to me here?" I questioned, pleading with my eyes for this to end. I noticed that a few students were walking by, whispering to their friends after staring at our encounter. Just great.

"Um, would you prefer if we spoke somewhere else?" he asked, seemingly confused. Did he really forget about his promise?

"No, I wouldn't. I'm sorry, but I don't think we can be friends..." I began, taking a deep breath. "You're popular, and I'd rather not be. Thank you for the offer, though." I gently shut my locker door and made my way to the cafeteria.

The five of us crammed into a plummy booth, starting on our meals in silence. Since our schedules had changed for the new semester, Lilia was switched to our lunch. And since she had grown a keen liking to Ashlynn, she decided to sit with us now.

Lillia still wasn't a huge fan of Claire and Annabel--she found them "annoying and boring"--but she was willing to put up with them for mine and Ashlynn's sake.

"So, what did you guys do over the weekend?" Annabel asked, smiling into her ham and cheese sandwich.

"I stayed with my grandparents in Ohio--nothing too exciting," Ashlynn lied, her eyes twinkling. Although she hadn't been lying like us for too long, she was a natural. Her lies came smooth and calm like honey, and she played them off coolly.

"What did he say to you?" Hanna Mason questioned, talking over Lillia's response.

"Who?" I asked in a bored tone, already knowing she meant Jared.