How About Seven? ✔

36. This Is Oh My Dear

My legs snapped together and I squared my shoulders. Taking a deep breath, I bowed a 90 degree angle, my lunch tray held out in front of me like it was an offering. 

In the crowded cafeteria of Pambrooke High, I barked out in a tone not unlike a young soldier speaking to his superior - "I'm sorry!"

Silence. I risked a glance up. Leila had half a ham sandwich in her mouth and was staring at me with wide eyes. Roxy's face was unreadable, her arms crossed. The self-proclaimed goth chick of the school was the first to break the silence as she drawled out - 

"Well if it isn't Miss Lone Ranger crawling back to us on all fours."

Leila shushed her with a gentle wave of the hand, before quickly taking my lunch tray and placing it on their table. She grasped both of my hands warmly in hers and beamed, eyes shining. 

"You don't have to apologize," Leila said gently. "We know you had your reasons, and we're just glad that you're back with us now."

Roxy snorted. "Yea whatever." But I don't miss her moving away her bag to make a space for me.

I feel my heart wrench a little as I sat down. Staring first at Leila's bright, happy smile - she'd always had that one crooked teeth in the upper row - and then at Roxy's seemingly uncaring expression, yet I knew what I'd done had upset her greatly; the first thought that came into my mind was - 

Friends aren't a weakness. They might be to Jasper, but they were a source of strength for me. And if Jasper was going to come for them with all that he had, then I was going to defend them with all I could give.

Leila bit the end of a french fry. "So what happened? Why did you and Emrys - run out of our sleepover and never came back?"

Furtively I looked around. At the other side of the cafe Brandy Simmons sat with her usual cohort. Today she was wearing a pale yellow crop top and flared jeans, which hid her ankle tattoo just. Swallowing, I looked at both Leila and Roxy and started off by saying,

"This is going to sound unbelievable, but bear with me."

For 20 minutes, I outlined the entire story for them in broad strokes. I didn't go into details and chose to drop Kaylan out of the story; instead, I merely said that I was not who I was, and that I had been sent here as an undercover agent to find something important. I told them that I was close to my objective, but Jasper was an enemy determined to stop me, and that he had the power and influence to do so - one of which, was forcing me to be his fiancée so he could keep an eye over me. Emrys, I lied, was a pawn Jasper used in the game, and when I found out that Jasper was intent on using my friends to hurt me, I decided not to give him the chance, and that was why I had been avoiding everyone. After a second of hesitation, I decided not to reveal the truth about Damian - it was more for Damian's sake than anything, because I was pretty sure Roxy would blow up if she found out that her - ugh - boyfriend was not who he was pretending to be.

If there was one thing I'd learned about Roxy, was how much she despised lies. And men. So her dating Damian was a giant step of trust, and I didn't want to break that. Damian can handle it himself when it's time. Muahahahhaha. 

As the story progressed, Leila's jaw dropped further and further. Roxy remained as impassive as usual, but I fancied her eyes were boggling slightly out of their sockets. When I had finally finished the story, ending it with my current mission to destroy Jasper, Leila exploded,