I Choose You | ✓

Chapter 7: Cafeteria Mishaps

S O P H I E W I L K I N S

As I reach the front of the lunch line, I grab a tray with spaghetti on it and walk towards the lunch lady with my wallet in hand. I hand her a few bills and coins before stuffing my wallet into my bag. She offers me a smile in return and I stroll towards the exit of the cafeteria to eat with Bree at our usual spot.

Suddenly, a foot juts out in my path at the last second and I fall to the ground. I face plant into my food as it goes flying across the cafeteria floor and onto my shirt.

I swish a piece of hair away that fell into my face with the food. Could this day get any worse?

A loud, obnoxious laugh above me interrupts my train of thought.

I glance up and see an evil glint in Aria's eyes, laughing her head off as if seeing me trip was the funniest thing she's ever seen.

A couple of other cheerleaders and football jocks join in and soon, the entire popular squad is laughing at me. I glare at each and every one of them except Max, who I noticed wore a concerned expression.

I swiftly got up and sprint to the bathroom. I run past Andrew, who gave me a puzzled look, and text Bree.

Can you bring me a spare shirt? I'm in the bathroom closest to the cafeteria.

I grab a couple of paper towels and turn on the faucet. Rinsing the paper towels and wiping the marinara sauce off of my face, I stare at myself in the mirror and spot various chunks of meat and sauce covering the front strands of my hair.

Grabbing a couple more paper towel sheets and wetting them under the running water, I try my best to get out the rest of the food and sauce that's still tangled in my hair and splattered on my shirt.

Once I scrub out as much of the stains as I could, I see the giant, red stains leftover from where the sauce had landed on my shirt. My hair looks like a greasy mess that's still decorated with a few stubborn red sauce chunks.

A couple of minutes later, Bree shows up in the bathroom. "Sorry, this was all I could find in the lost and found," she apologizes, handing me an oversized gray hoodie.

"What happened?" Bree asks as I went into a bathroom stall to change.

"I bought my lunch and was walking towards the doors in the back to get to our usual spot when Aria tripped me. She stuck her big ass foot out at the last second and I didn't see it. Then, the witch started cackling and the rest of the popular kids started laughing with her," I spit, aggravated at her mere existence.

"But it was odd," continuing on, "When I looked over at them, Max was the only one who wasn't laughing and actually looked worried for me." I slip the hoodie over my head and inhale its scent. I could recognize that scent from anywhere.

Of course with my luck, I was now wearing Andrew Dalton's hoodie.

Since when did he ever wear sweatshirts? He only wears his varsity football jacket.

I pause mid-thought, Since when did I pay so much attention to Andrew Dalton?

"Those assholes," she pauses, "except for Max. Even though he's a little cocky, at least he had the decency not to laugh."