Caffeine | PUBLISHED

02. Double Espresso

0 2 .

double espresso

I STARED BLANKLY at the brown sludge on the tray in front of me.

If this is what the school considered a 'healthy nutritious lunch' then I didn't want to see what they considered unhealthy.

"What's wrong Aspen?"

I turned to look at Riley's concerned face as she gingerly held her own tray of food with one hand, balancing it against her hip. William stood next to her, staring cluelessly between Riley and me.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Riley turned to exchange a look with William, only to receive a confused stare in return. Rolling her eyes at William's usual obliviousness, she gestured to my hand which was grasping my tray, my fingers tapping furiously against it.

"You're tapping," she pointed out. "You only tap when there's something on your mind."

I looked down at my hand, my fingers freezing as I let out a sigh. I had woken with a headache again today and struggled to retain any of the information I had been taught over the hours. I pressed my eyes shut, letting out a loud yawn.

"I'm just tired."

"You're always tired."

William let out a chuckle at Riley's statement. "It's true; do you ever get any sleep?"

I let out an airy laugh, turning my head away from them as I began to walk slowly towards the cafeteria exit; the noise of the students chattering only adding to my headache. I had woken up particularly late this morning after falling asleep just before sunrise, meaning I had to skip my coffee run and go straight to school.

And I was utterly exhausted.

My friends trailed behind me as made our way towards the oval. It wasn't a common place for people to sit for lunch, but it was mostly peaceful, despite the constant yelling of students playing soccer during the break. Besides,we sat at the edge, where we could lean against a tall tree and watch all theother students and their drama without being bothered.

I poked at the 'beef stroganoff' on my tray for a minute or so, leaning my head against Riley's shoulder, when her voice pulled my attention away from my food.

"Ugh, it's her again."

I spun my head in the direction Riley looked in. Her face was scrunched in disgust as Lacey waltzed through the middle of a soccer game towards Sebastian Georges.

The players shouted complaints as Sebastian ruffled his long blonde curls, holding a hand to his hip and the soccer ball under his foot. Hoots and shouts echoed across the field as Lacey came to a stop in the middle of the field, placing one hand on her hip.

"God, I hate her," Riley scoffed watching as Lacey stared down the sweating soccer player in front of her.

"She's your sister," William spoke with a pointed look.

"Step-sister," Riley muttered, "Step."

Ignoring my friends, I watched as Lacey put her weight onto one hip, crossing her arms with a deep frown on her face. The group of soccer players surrounded her, whistling as they ogled her bare legs. I rolled my eyes at their idiocy.

"Where's Isaac?" Lacey screeched, earning a chorus of snickers from the soccer players surrounding her, using this couple-drama as a source of their own personal entertainment. "He didn't call me last night. Where is he?"