Page 118 of With a Little Luck

What I want to do is to run, literallyrunout of this cafeteria. Find some maintenance closet and hide until the last bell. I briefly consider faking illness so I can seek shelter in the nurse’s office. Is it still faking if I really do puke? Because I’m pretty sure I could manage some puking right about now.300

Instead, my social survival instincts kick in, and I seek shelter in the first place I see. My old table, where Matt, César, and Russell are watching me.

“What the hell?” says César, shifting over to make room for me. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing,” I say robotically. My jaw is so tight I might actually crack a tooth.Thatwould get me into the nurse’s office for sure.

To my relief, my friends don’t push for an explanation. After a short, uncomfortable silence, they just go back to eating and talking about whether or not anyone can afford to go to Comic-Con this year.

Until, twenty seconds later, they go quiet again.

“Can I sit with you?”

I turn my head, but don’t meet Maya’s gaze. “Uh—yeah. Sure. Of course.”

She slides onto the bench. “I’m so sorry about that, Jude. That was so uncalled-for.”

“Not your fault,” I say quietly. My hands have stopped shaking enough now that I stuff my sketchbook into my bag.

“I know it isn’t my fault, but I never thought they’d be assholes like that. I know Katie can be a …” She lets the word hang unsaid. “But she used to be nice, I swear. I don’t know why she acts this way sometimes. And Tobey … I mean, he’s always been kind of a jerk, but Katie likes him, so we tolerate him, and …” She trails off.

“It’s cool.”

“No, it’s not.” Maya sighs, and her voice grows quiet. “Areweokay?”

It takes me a minute to realize she’s not just talking about the fact that her friends just ganged up on me, tried to humiliate me. She’s talking about the drawings. The statue, the pedestal. The accusations—that I’m obsessed with her, and that she’s being cruel by leading me on.

I force a small smile. Finally meet her eyes. “Yeah. We’re good.”

“Are these seats taken?”

We look up. Raul, Serena, and Brynn stand at the end of the table, trays in hand.301

I stare at them for a long moment, then at my friends, with their confused expressions. Then at Maya. But she’s watching me—letting me decide.

What is there to decide? Yeah, some of the people at that table have always rubbed me the wrong way, but these three pass the vibe check, as EZ would say. They’re definitely cooler than Katie and Tobey, anyway.

“Yeah. Sure,” I say.

“But be warned,” says Matt, as they start to sit. “We talk about nerdy things at this table. Like, a lot.”

“All good,” says Raul. “I used to play Magic: The Gathering on the weekends, and she”—he points his thumb at Brynn—“is obsessed withOne Piece.”

This statement hangs over us all, unexpected and weighty.

“No way,” breaths César. He looks at me. “Did you know that?”

I shake my head. They never talked about it before. Not with the rest of the group, at least.

“Weird,” César says. “I feel like we’ve entered the Twilight Zone, high school edition.”

“What about you?” says Russell, skeptically eyeing Serena.

Serena shrugs. “I have no idea what any of you are talking about. But I love Maya, and I kind of can’t stand Tobey, but I never felt like I could say anything. And also …” She glances at Matt in a way that seems borderline … flirtatious? “It’s always nice to make new friends.”

Matt coughs and accidentally knocks over his soda.

We laugh, but not in a mean way. Just in a … well, this-is-new way.

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