Secrets In The Garden / l.h ✔️

16

~Ophelia's POV~

Saniya ended up coming back to school the next week on Tuesday, which I only knew because she bombarded me as soon as I came walking into the school.

"Phe!" She squealed with excitement, launching herself at me and throwing her arms around me to squeeze me tightly to her in a hug. I grunted in surprise, my arms stuck down by my sides as my cheek squished up against her shoulder. "Niya." I greeted back, trying to pull away so I could actually breathe. "I missed you! It was so sweet of you to stop by on Friday, by the way." She chirped, releasing me from her hold.

I smiled and glanced over her pretty features, noticing that she now looked much better than she had when I saw her on Friday. "You look like you're feeling better." I remarked happily, making her nod. "Yeah, it was just a stomach bug, I think." She said, shrugging her shoulders in a dismissive manner. "But I'm feeling a lot better now." She smiled.

"I'm glad." I hummed, not resisting when she grabbed my hand in hers and began to lead me down the hall. Biting my lip, I followed after her, wondering how I was supposed to tell her that I had started up a friendship with Luke while she was out sick. She'd be absolutely enraged. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to tell her myself before she found out some other way, like seeing him and I talking.

Though if I'm honest, Luke and I hadn't spoken a whole lot since the argument we'd gotten into on Friday. I wasn't angry anymore; I had said what I wanted to say, but I think he might've been feeling a little uncomfortable about what I said. Maybe I had gone too far. I mean, I had been pretty mean to him that day. He had just made me angry, but I suppose that wasn't an excuse.

Maybe I should apologize to him.

"Niya?" I called her name as we walked down the steps, heading towards the cafeteria. She glanced over her shoulder at me and her brown eyes caught mine, a smile on her lips. "Ya?" She asked in a perky voice. I hesitated, realizing that she was in a rather good mood this morning. Did I want to completely ruin that?

After a moment, I spoke. "Um, so while you were gone..." I began slowly, staring at her as we slowed to a stop in the middle of the hall. "I may have started to be friends with Luke." I revealed, deciding to just tell her. Sure, it would ruin her mood, but at least I told her before she found out in a way that I wouldn't have wanted her to. That'd just make her even more upset.

Saniya paused and blinked, the smile on her lips fading as she stared at me. "Uh...What?" She frowned, releasing my hand with a confused look on her face.

A heavy sigh left my lips. "Luke and I are friends, sort of. We're working on becoming friends, I guess?" I said, frowning. He and I weren't technically at the friend stage yet, not to me. We were just talking, really.

She stared at me and I expected her to get mad, but she didn't. In fact, she seemed completely calm—it was as if she didn't care at all. I didn't know what to do so I just stared back at her, this not being the type of reaction I was expecting her to have. "Oh." She mumbled, looking down at the floor for a moment. "Right. You're friends." She said, and then she turned around and just kept on walking towards the cafeteria like I had never said anything. It was bizarre.

Confused, I hurried after her, walking alongside her to the cafeteria. "Wait, you're not mad?" I asked hesitantly, furrowing my brows as I peered over at her. Saniya snorted and walked a little faster into the cafeteria, like she was in a hurry. "Angry?" She echoed, her dark brown eyes scanning over every table until she found the one Luke and our friends were sat at while they ate breakfast and talked with each other. "Why would I be angry?" She scoffed, walking towards the table. I trailed after her, thoroughly confused.

"It's not like I told him to stay away from you or anything." She said sarcastically as we arrived at the table, but she didn't take her seat like she normally did. Instead, she stood behind Luke and then tapped him on the shoulder.

And when he looked over his shoulder at her, she smacked him across the face hard.

I gasped in surprise while Stella shrieked dramatically, grabbing Luke's face to check his slightly red cheek. "What the hell, you crazy bitch!" She yelled at Niya, glaring up at her over Luke's shoulder. Luke just blinked, seeming confused as to why she'd just came up and slapped him.

"Shut up, Stella." Saniya said dismissively, glaring down at Luke as he turned around in his chair. He saw me standing beside her and his gaze flicked over to me for a moment before he looked back at Saniya again, frowning. "Do I get an explanation for that or no?" He asked her, raising a brow. He wasn't mad, but that didn't surprise me. It almost seemed like he never got mad. "You need an explanation? Because I have a feeling you know what it was for." She retorted with a sneer, clenching her jaw.

"I do? Why don't you just confirm it for me?" He encouraged her. Nibbling on my lip, I ignored everyone else's gazes and glanced at Niya worriedly. So much for everyone trying to get along.

"How about the fact that I have told you again and again to leave Ophelia alone? You didn't listen to me. I'm not playing around here. Stop talking to her. You're a fool if you really think I'm going to just stand by and let you use her." She snapped, making me bite my lip. I knew I should've stepped in by now, but I just let them argue it out for a little while.

"Oh, please." Luke snorted and rolled his eyes. "What is it you think I'm gonna do, huh? I have a girlfriend, Saniya." He reminded her.

She laughed. "Yeah, for now."

I bit my lip and stepped up to Saniya, gently placing my hand on her shoulder. She looked down at me, a deep frown on her face. "Nothing's going to happen." I assured her, giving her a smile. "He and I are just friends. I know I'm new here, but I'm not completely stupid. I know how he is." I said, thinking back to what he'd said on Friday. How he'd broken up with Saniya, and all the other girls as well, once he got bored.

Luke was like she had told me. There's nothing beyond him than sex. Clearly, he doesn't date because he has feelings for them but because he finds it to be an easy way to have sex when he wants. Then when he's bored, he moves to the next. Although he was charming and handsome, he was still a player. And I wasn't going to be played.