Broken Promises

• T H I R T E E N •

~ z a y n a ~

"You okay?"

"Huh?" I turned around to find Sara looking at me worried.

"You've been oddly quiet, and you didn't get your lunch yet." She said, closing the cap to her water. "Is everything good?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about something." I smiled at her reassuringly.

"Okay." She said, continuing to eat her sandwich.

"Sorry I'm late," Hayley appeared next to me out of breath. "Had to do something for a teacher." She looked at me, "what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," I answered, confused. "Why do you both think something is wrong?"

"Maybe cause you don't have any food in front of you." She threw an arm over my shoulders. "What's wrong?" She smiled at me softly.

I sighed, "I just have a bad feeling."

"About?" Sara raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," I shrugged. "It's probably nothing though," I said, convincing myself rather than them.

"Well if it's stopping you from getting lunch, then it sounds pretty serious to me," Sara said, taking another bite from her sandwich.

I giggle, "you're obsessed with food."

"It's like you're any better," Hayley teased.

"What can I say? Food is happiness."

"I second that," Sara piped up.

Hayley rolled her eyes laughing, "well if food is happiness, then I think someone needs some happiness." She pulled me with her. "Let's get lunch."

Suddenly I felt something cold being poured on my head. I gasped and turned around to Grace, who was laughing.

"What was that for?!" Hayley yelled at her.

Grace looked at me, "that's for messing with me."

The whole cafeteria's eyes were on us. I wanted to hide in the corner, but I held my ground. "Seriously? Juice? Is that the best you got?"

Grace glared at me, "I can do worse, but I'm wasting my time on someone as useless as you." She pushed me back, and I stumbled backward.

"You're pathetic," Hayley snarled at her.

"Says the one hanging out with a towelhead." Grace looked back at me. "Oh, and I think you need to wash that towel." She laughed at her own joke. The cafeteria was silent, not getting what was so funny. I don't blame them.

"Are you okay?" Hayley said, pointing to her head. "Like mentally?"

Some people started laughing at that. Even I let out a giggle.

Grace ignores her and looks back at me. "What are you laughing at? Do you even see yourself right now? You look hideous. Go look at yourself in the mirror."

"What do you even have against me?" I asked.

"What I have against you?" She stepped closer to me, glaring with pure hatred. "Your kind ruins lives," her eyes got glassy with unshed tears. "Your people ruined my life. I hate you." She said through gritted teeth. "Your religion takes people away!" She screeched as a tear slid down her face.

I kept my face expressionless, but deep inside I was dying to know why she was acting this way. "What do I have to do with what happened to you?"

"I hate you!" She pushed me harder this time, which caused me to fall on my butt. Somehow, my elbow had bumped into the lunch tray on the table next to us, and all the food ended all over me. This caused the cafeteria to explode in laughter. Grace kneeled down next to me, "and you deserve worse. Don't think anyone likes having you here. They all hate you as well," she whispered in my ear and stood back up.