Chapter Nine-"Okay with Lunch"

                                    

                                          
 Not only had Dastan Vega ruin my day, but he had the decency to text me "Hey" twice yesterday. Who the hell does he think he is?
                          
 Did I mention that even after texting me, he's still ignoring me while Mickie made the worst comments to me enough to make me want to fight her? Fighting isn't even in my nature!
                          
 "I don't know why you're wasting your time," Nik commented as the four of us waited in line to get lunch. 
                          
 "I agree," Sebastian said. "Kenneth is still—"
                          
 "Kenneth hasn't called her since Sunday," Cheyenne reminded. 
                          
 "Well Kenneth doesn't need to track her every move," Sebastian responded. Like Kylie, he had always teased me and Kenneth, but I was still his sister and he was still his best friend so there's was a presumed level of protectiveness...I just couldn't tell for who all the time.
                          
 "Well maybe Kenneth doesn't consider that it—"
                          
 "Stop," I ordered. I finally got to the area to grab a tray and then it was taken from me and two bodies cut in front of my group. 
                          
 "It makes me wonder why you even cut in front of us to get lunch when you just throw it up every day," Nik said to Mickie. 
                          
 "Food is better being thrown up than wasted on trash like you," Mickie retorted. Dastan just stayed quiet and paid for his food. 
                          
 "Oh, ouch," Nik faked. Suddenly, when I could actually grab a tray that was ready with food, I was being hauled away from the cashier. 
                          
 "Hayden, I may look like I don't need food, but I do. I'm hungry. If you don't mind—"
                          
 "That's why I pulled you away," he smiled. I'm not following, but he frowned. "I want to take you to lunch."
                          
 "Um...okay."
                          
 "I know you're with Kenneth, but—wait, you said okay?" 
                          
 "Okay," I smiled. He returned the genuine grin and we walked out of the cafeteria. He led me to his ninja motorcycle, which was parked by another familiar one, and I was eager to hop on. 
                          
 "Wow," he commented. 
                          
 "What?" I asked, tilting my head. 
                          
 "Usually girls are scared to get on my bike," he commented. "But then again..."
                          
 "What?"
                          
 "You're not like usual girls," he said in a complimenting voice. 
                          
 ***
                          
 When I was with Hayden, things were different than with other boys. 
                          
 I didn't feel constantly protected and fragilely innocent like when with Kenneth. Nor did I feel like I was in danger like with Dastan. Hayden may have been a big badass to everyone, but to me, he was a big teddy bear. I could laugh without it being forced; I could also breathe normally around him. And the best part? He was being himself around me, no matter what. 
                          
 "So how have you been?" he asked. 
                          
 "Just conflicted," I sighed. It was the truth though.
                          
 "What do you mean?" he asked, carrying our food to a window booth. 
                          
 "Nothing," I lied. He placed the tray down and then when he sat across from me, I felt him put a hand on my knee. 
                          
 "You can talk to me, Angela."
                          
 I had talked to him about whatever we wanted to, so why not this?
                          
 "Well I mean, I get to this town and I'm already shocked that there's some superhero lurking around—not to mention Kenneth chose then to act like the protective boyfriend," I started. Ugh. I'm not even going to start on the latest Proliator news. "Then I get to a new high school and my brother and I already made the top of the Most Hated list of Dastan by calling him selfish. Not only that, but I'm partnered with him for Journalism and then we spend the game and weekend trying to be friends, but then Monday he accuses me of being a thief and then turns in our Journalism assignment a week early, claiming that he had nothing to do with it!"