The Art Of Love / l.h ✔️

8

~Fae's POV~

"Would you leave me alone?" I complained to Maria as we sat at the lunch table on Monday morning. "I already told you it went fine. I mean, it was just dinner." I said, shaking my head at her. She kept bothering me for details on the dinner that Axel and I went to on Saturday, but I really didn't know what she wanted to hear. It was just dinner, so I wasn't sure what type of groundbreaking news she was expecting from me. Nothing had happened because, again, it was just dinner.

Maria scowled and shook her head as she stared at me. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She groaned, throwing her head back in a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. "You seriously went out on a date with Axel, who's a total hottie, and you didn't even try to jump his bones?" She grunted out, rolling her eyes as she looked over at me and I simply shook my head. "It wasn't even a date and no, I didn't try to." I huffed, equally as annoyed with her. She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, brows furrowed. "And yet you wonder why I call you a stick in the mud." She snorted.

Frowning, I scowled at her and crossed my arms over my chest. "Axel isn't even interested in me like that, Mar. We're just friends." I huffed, shaking my head. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, looking at me like I was a complete and utter moron. I narrowed my eyes right back at her, not wanting to keep talking about this with her, but she either didn't get the hint or she didn't care because she kept pressing. "You must be blind. The guy clearly likes you if he wanted to take you on a date." She scoffed, but I simply shook my head. "He never said it was a date, Maria." I said pointedly, annoyance in my voice.

She scowled. "That doesn't mean it wasn't one!" She just about shrieked, smacking a hand on top of the table.

"The hell is happening over here?" Tracy asked as she and Josh came stalking over to the table, taking their usual seats. Josh sat beside me and Tracy sat beside Maria. Maria narrowed her eyes at me once more and then switched her gaze over to Tracy, irritation on her face. "She thinks that her date with Axel wasn't a date." She said, her gaze once more returning to me. I just crossed my arms over my chest, frowning. "Maybe it wasn't." Tracy shrugged, earning a tiny smile from me. "Yeah, but it clearly was." Maria snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Well, he never said it was one. He just asked me if I was free to hang out and that was it." I said to Maria, raising a brow pointedly.

Josh and Tracy switched their gazes back and forth between Maria and I, both of them raising their brows. "But it's clear he meant it as a date, you moron!" She scowled, causing me to glare at her. "Who even cares?" I snapped, growing irritated and tired of arguing with her over something so stupid. It was a giant waste of my time and my energy. "I do! You have the chance of actually doing something that's not sitting at home alone, the chance of jumping this dude who wants you, and you didn't even do anything!" She exclaimed, careless about the look I was giving her. "I'm not going to jump into bed with him or anyone, Maria, and that's that. Now drop it." I practically hissed out, my hands forming into fists atop the table.

Maria only stared at me for a moment, the silence that settled over our table filled with uncomfortable tension as she debated her options. "Fine." She muttered eventually, rolling her eyes. Instead of just turning back to her food, she stood up and grabbed her things, causing all of us to look up at her in confusion. "Where are you going?" Tracy asked, frowning to herself. Maria just shrugged and pulled her backpack on, sparing me the slightest glance. "To eat somewhere else. You know, away from someone so naïve and oblivious." She answered, very clearly referring to me. I could tell she was trying to push my buttons, like she liked to do, but I didn't respond to her advances. I only ignored her and turned back to the table, scooting in underneath it more.

"Oh. I'll come with you." Tracy said eagerly, standing up from the table so she could follow Maria. Truthfully, I wasn't surprised, nor was I mad at her. Tracy always had had a crush on Maria, even though Maria didn't swing for the girl's team.