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The cafeteria buzzed with chatter, trays clattering, and the murmur of gossip floating from table to table. The scent of fried food and coffee lingered in the air as I sat with Eloise, Aofie, and her usual friendgroup—Casey, Alec, Podge, Joey, and, unfortunately, Paul. Aofie's weird boyfriend. Honestly, I'd never liked the guy. He always sat too close to Aofie, I don't know he just alwayz gave me bad vibes. He had this quiet, creepy way about him, never speaking unless it was to mutter something condescending or random.
Joey, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at Paul. His face was set, eyes narrowed, and it didn't take a genius to figure out why. Joey had it bad for Aofie, even if he'd never admit it. The way he watched her every move with a kind of silent longing was painfully obvious. Every time Paul touched her or leaned in, Joey's jaw clenched like he was barely holding it together.
But none of that was really registering with me at the moment. My attention was elsewhere—fixated on the same lad I'd seen earlier this morning. He was sitting a few tables away, surrounded by his own group, but he looked... different. Mysterious, somehow. His dark hair was slightly tousled, his jawline sharp, and there was something about the way he carried himself that had me intrigued.
I barely noticed Eloise snapping her fingers in front of my face until she spoke. "Jesus, she's doing it again—Blair, pay attention!"
I blinked, pulling myself back into the conversation. Eloise was smirking at me while Aofie exchanged a knowing glance with Casey, who rolled her eyes.
"She's been staring at the same lad since this morning," Eloise teased, her voice loud enough to earn a couple of curious glances from the surrounding tables. My face warmed as I realized how obvious I'd been.
"Oh, shut it, Eloise." I gave her a light shove, trying to play it off, but I could tell she wasn't going to let it go. "What's up?"
"I was asking how your first few lessons went," Aofie said, grinning wickedly. "But clearly, someone else has your attention."
Her comment made Casey grimace, like she had tasted something bitter. I looked over at her, eyebrows raised, silently asking what her problem was. Before I could say anything, though, she cut me off with a pointed stare.
"You need to stay far away from him," Casey said, her tone serious. "That's Connor O'Neill. He's bad news."
"Bad news?" I asked, trying not to sound too interested, but Eloise's side-eye told me I wasn't fooling anyone.
Casey leaned forward, lowering her voice as if she didn't want anyone else overhearing. "He got into some serious fights last year. Like, really bad ones. They almost expelled him, but his dad's got connections or something. He's been suspended more times than I can count. You're better off steering clear of him."
Alec, who had been silent up until now, chuckled. "That's an understatement. Dude's a legend for all the wrong reasons."
Podge nodded in agreement, his mouth half-full of fries. "Yeah, heard he broke some guy's nose over nothing last term. Just snapped."
