Chapter 4You Wanted Muscles I Wanted Peace

"You don't even know her! Why the hell are you having dinner with her?"

I yanked my strap out of her grip, my voice flat. "None of your business."

"None of my business?" Lola let out a harsh, disbelieving laugh. "Dan, are you losing your mind?"

"Since when is anything you do not my business? In preschool, you didn't even know how to wipe your own butt, and I had to do it for you! In first grade, you lost a fight and cried, and I went back and punched the kid for you!"

She rattled off a dozen childhood memories, her chest heaving. Watching her work herself into a frenzy, I felt a sudden, strange urge to laugh. "Who I eat dinner with is my choice. You and I are just neighbors, Lola. Lose the possessiveness."

"If you've got this much free time, go call your handsome boyfriend with the abs."

Lola ground her teeth. "Dan, you are unbelievable. You're just doing this to get back at me. I only said yes to Zack because—"

"I know," I interrupted. "Because he has a six-pack."

I looked her straight in the eye. "And I went out with Maeve because she’s gorgeous. It’s nice to walk next to someone who actually looks good. Plus, she’s quiet. She doesn’t have a temper like a rabid dog."

Lola’s face went dark, practically purple with rage. I ignored her, turned around, and walked into my building. But the moment the heavy glass door clicked shut behind me, the tears broke. Large, hot drops spilled over my cheeks.

It was so damn hard to let go.

The next morning, the moment I walked into the classroom, I found a hot cup of sweetened soy milk and a breakfast sandwich sitting on my desk. It was my exact order—extra sweet, light on the ice. Zack was standing by the edge of my desk, offering a timid, polite smile. "Hey, Dan. Lola bought too much breakfast this morning, so she wanted you to have this."

Before I could even open my mouth, Lola’s voice drifted over from the desk behind him. "Zack, why are you wasting your breath? Just leave it there. If he wants to starve, let him."

She walked over, popped a straw into another cup of soy milk, and held it to Zack’s lips. Her eyes were warm, almost sickly sweet. "Drink this one. I added extra sugar. Sweet, just like you."

Zack blushed furiously as he took the cup, and a few classmates nearby started whistling.

"Damn, Lola, since when did you become such a romantic?"

"Seriously, I didn't know you had it in you."

Lola smirked, her eyes casting a deliberate, sliding glance in my direction. "Depends on who I'm talking to."

I picked up the sandwich and the soy milk, walked over to the trash can, and dropped them inside with a heavy thud.

Lola’s smug smile instantly froze on her face.

At lunchtime, the moment I sat down at a cafeteria table with my tray, two people slid into the seats directly opposite me. Lola was clinging to Zack’s arm like a vine. She began picking the prime pieces of ribs from her tray and dropping them into his bowl, her voice practically dripping with artificial sweetness. "Eat up, babe. You need to keep those muscles fed."

Zack blushed, shaking his head. "It's too much, Lola. I can't finish all this."

Lola laughed, reaching out to ruffle his hair. "If you can't finish, I'll eat your leftovers. It's not like we haven't shared food before."

The surrounding tables went quiet, several heads turning our way.

"Whoa, Lola, moving fast, aren't we?"

"Seriously, get a room, you two."

My grip on my fork tightened until my knuckles turned white. In our past life, Lola loved eating my leftovers. I was a notoriously picky eater, and she’d always lecture me about wasting food. She would complain the entire time, but she'd pull my plate over and polish off every single bite. I lowered my head, forcing spoonfuls of rice into my mouth, chewing desperately to swallow down the bitter lump in my throat.

Lola suddenly looked up at me, her tone dripping with mock pity. "Dan, why are you eating all by yourself? Where's your pretty new deskmate? Did she dump you already?"

"None of your business," I muttered, keeping my eyes on my tray.

"Oof, still so touchy," she mocked. She turned to Zack, her voice loud enough for the whole row to hear. "See? I told you he’s got a miserable temper. He doesn't have a fraction of your sweetness."

As the words left her mouth, a tray slid onto the table right across from me. Maeve sat down, completely ignoring the tension in the air. She picked up her fork and began to eat her vegetables, chewing slowly and methodically. Her shoulders were broad enough that she completely blocked my view of Lola’s face. From behind her, I heard a sharp clatter of plastic.

"I'm done. This place is giving me a headache," Lola snapped.

She grabbed her tray and marched off, Zack scrambling to catch up with her. The remaining students in the cafeteria stared. I finished my meal in silence, then looked up at Maeve. "Thanks."

She wiped her mouth with a napkin, her expression as blank as ever. "You owe me a meal."

"...Didn't I just buy you hot pot yesterday?"

"One meal replaces another. It’s a clean slate."

I stared at her, temporarily speechless. Who calculated debts like this? But looking at her, I realized she had just saved me from a massive amount of public embarrassment. "Fine. I'll buy you dinner another day."

She stood up, throwing a final line over her shoulder. "Don't flake on me."

That afternoon, I ran into Lola by the school gates. She was leaning against the concrete wall alone, holding a bottle of water. When she saw me, she straightened up. "Dan."

I didn't stop walking. She caught up in three quick strides, stepping directly into my path. "What?" I asked, exasperated.

She looked down at me, her throat bobbing as if she wanted to say a hundred things, but only one sentence came out. "Why aren't you taking the bus today?"

"I feel like walking. Good exercise."

"Then I'll walk with you."

"No thanks. Go walk your boyfriend home."

She winced, looking away. "He had to leave early today. Family stuff."

I didn't reply. I just kept walking. She fell into step beside me, unable to keep quiet for more than three seconds. "Since when did you and Maeve get so close? You’ve only been sitting together for two days, and suddenly you know she's 'quiet' and 'sweet'? And now you’re eating lunch together?"

Her voice was taking on a frantic, high-pitched edge. "Dan, don't tell me you actually like her? She’s not your type at all. She's impossible to get along with. She walks around looking like the whole world owes her a million dollars..."

I stopped so abruptly that she nearly crashed into my chest. "Lola. What is your point?"