Thank god, class is over.
Now that it is, it's lunch time. Since we are freshman, we have lunch first. I remember back in middle school we had to have lunch last, had something to do with us being the oldest, and more mature? Either way, it made no sense to make us starve till 1 PM.
I catch Sabrina on my way to lunch, " Hey Sarina" she waves, " Hey Sabrina" I wave back.
We then link arms with each other, and walk to the cafeteria.
We all find a seat next to each other, at the same lunch table. " How was class?" Julianna asks, " boring, as expected", I reply.
" Mines was rather well" Julianna interrupts, raising her head looking up to make eye contact. " You know, I'm rather surprised, math isn't my favourite subject" she says, while twirling her spaghetti.
" I liked language arts, my teacher, Mrs Lowell, she's really sweet" Sabrina explains, before cracking a gentle smile.
" That's amazing to hear Sabrina" I say back, I start to open the sides of my lunchbox locking clips, making a popping noise.
I glance up to see Julianna, nervous. I could tell by the way her fingers tightened around her water bottle, the way her whole body goes tense for just a second.
" Julianna, what's wrong" I ask, slanting my eyebrows upward.
Julianna glances up at me, and cracks a fake smile, " nothing, eat your food" she points at my food with her eyes, bobbing her head a bit forward to signal.
I dont beleive her, I glance around the cafeteria, trying to find a suspect, my investigation comes to an end, when I find my culprit.
Roman.
From where we are sitting, across, I spot Roman. He is looking at Julianna, and Julianna on the other hand, keeps a poker face, pretending not to notice.
She likes him.
That thought immediately came to my head, the thought I wanted to avoid, to never suspect again, only to be proven right? I can't believe what I'm seeing right now.
I rub my eyes hoping the sight would disappear in a blur, but it doesn't.
I don't say anything at first.
Instead, I sit there, trying to swallow the lump in my throat, trying to convince myself that I'm wrong. But, the longer I stay in silence, the more certain I become.
"You like him".
My voice is quieter than I expect, but it cuts through the air like a knife.
Julianna's head snaps up, her eyes wide in fear, as if she just got caught doing something not meant. " What?"
I laugh, but it's not really one. It's bitter and hollow, I barely recognize the sound of it. " Don't lie to me Julia, I see the way you look at him, and the way he looks at you".
Her mouth opens then closes, and in hesitation I have my answer. She does, she likes Roman Carter.
And she's been keeping it from me?!
" How long?" I demand.
She swallows hard. " Sarina-"
" How long, Julia?" I repeat but this time I raise my voice, leaving her startled.
Sabrina shifts uncomfortably beside me. I know she hates this, but right now, I need to find out the truth. Right now, it feels like the world is caving in and Julianna is the one holding the match.
" Since the start of, 8th grade…", she finally admits, her voice small, and eyes looking down on her legs, in shame fullness.
" I didn't want to hurt you".
I let out a small, humorless chuckle. " Well congratulations, you did".
I don't wait for her to respond. I grab my bag, swing it over my shoulders, push out of the table, and walk out of the cafeteria, before she can see the tears, threatening to fall.
I refuse to cry over here, not here, not where everyone can see.