“Yeah?”
“What else am I supposed to say? You’re wearing his ring, newb. I think I’m pretty much out of the race. I mean…not this one.” He gestured to the track. “You only ever run with me.”
I smiled. I knew he was trying to joke around, trying to make things feel a little more normal between us. But Felix and I had never really been just friends. There had always been a maybe between us. Now that I was engaged, though, there couldn’t be a maybe. But I hoped we could still be friends. “I don’t want this to mean we don’t hang out anymore. I want us to be friends. I still want you to sit with us at lunch and…”
“Is Matt okay with that? Because I don’t really feel like having to beat his ass again.”
I laughed. I probably wouldn’t have worded their fight that way. “He’ll be fine with it. He has to be. You’re one of my best friends, Felix. One of my only friends.”
Felix looked over at Cupcake. “Did he really draw a target on your forehead?”
“I don’t know if it was him. But I’m pretty sure.”
Felix shook his head. “I knew I never should have gone into business with that asshole.”
I bit the inside of my lip. He had gotten into business with Cupcake because of me. Another thing to add to the ever-growing list of things I’d messed up.
“Felix, I’m so…”
“It’s fine, newb. It’s better that I’m out of distribution. Hell, I think I’m done with the whole thing. I might just sell Cupcake my client list. I don’t want to be my parents. I had to fly halfway across the world for them to even talk to me. They’re dicks. I don’t want to be anything like them.”
“Really?” I couldn’t help but be excited. Felix was too good for that business. “You’re going to stop selling altogether?”
He laughed. “A very smart girl once told me that I’m better than that.”
“You are better than that.”
He looked back over at Cupcake. “Besides, I don’t want to work with someone like him. I talked to him about what happened with Kennedy. He swears it went down differently than…”
“Kennedy wasn’t lying.”
He winced. “I didn’t say she was. I believe you. I believe her. But he…” He shook his head. “Kennedy should talk to someone about what happened. Cupcake isn’t going to listen to me. And he should pay for what he did to her.”
“She doesn’t want anyone else to know.”
“Maybe I could talk to her?”
“No. I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone. I shouldn’t have even told you. Please don’t say anything.”
“But someone needs to…”
“Please, Felix.”
He pushed his hair off his forehead. “Okay. I won’t say anything. But what if he does it again?”
Isabella. Cupcake was dating her now. I knew she was terrible. The literal worst human being I’d ever met. But shouldn’t I warn her? About what Cupcake was like?
Felix and I both looked at each other.
“I’ll try to talk to Kennedy again,” I said. “To see if she’ll come forward. And in the meantime…I guess I should warn Isabella? Somehow without telling her about what happened with Kennedy.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t warn Isabella,” Felix said.
“Yeah, but I’d blame myself if he did something to her. Maybe I’ll write a menacing letter to her about it in red lipstick.”
Felix laughed. “Dump Cupcake or else?”
I smiled. “Yeah, something like that.”
Coach Carter blew the whistle, signaling the end of class.
“Think you can run faster than me now that you got fancy new kicks?” Felix started running backward.
I laughed. “Yes.” I sprinted past him.
“Shit,” he said with a laugh as he caught back up to me.
Chapter 25
Monday
Felix and I walked into the cafeteria together. “Save me a seat?” Felix asked. “I want to go talk to Cupcake real quick. But I definitely don’t want to sit at that table.”
I laughed. “Yeah, no problem.” I watched him walk over to the Untouchables’ original table. I wanted to go over to Isabella right away and somehow warn her about Cupcake. But Cupcake was sitting right next to her. I couldn’t exactly do it in front of him.
“Everything okay with that?” Matt asked as I sat down next to him at our table.
“With Felix or Isabella?”
“Both?” He smiled. “You look worried. What’s wrong?”
“Everything is fine with Felix. I told him about us. And he just wants to be friends. For real this time.”
“That’s good,” Matt said and pulled me onto his lap. “So you’re worried about Isabella then?”
It was weird. I was nervous to have to go talk to Isabella about Cupcake. But it wasn’t really a decision. I had to do it. Despite everything, I’d never forgive myself if Cupcake did something to her. But that awkward conversation wasn’t what was bothering me.
“I didn’t receive any notes from her today,” I said.
“Maybe she finally got the hint that they’re not going to make you stop coming to school.”
“I guess.” I was used to the threatening notes though. Not getting any? Somehow it seemed more menacing. I looked back over at Isabella’s table. It was just her, Cupcake, and Felix now. Where had all her minions disappeared to?
“I brought your salad,” Matt said.
“You’re the best.” I kissed his cheek.
The flash of a camera made me turn to Kennedy. “You two are so ridiculously cute,” she said.
I smiled up at Matt. It was so weird being snuggled up to him in the cafeteria. When school had started, I’d never imagined we’d wind up here. Only in my dreams.
“What’s your costume for the Halloween party?” Kennedy asked Matt.
“It’s a surprise.” He reached around me to grab a fry off his plate.
“Wait, you’re really not going to tell us?” I asked.
He laughed. “All you need to know is that I’m going to make an entrance.”
I shook my head at him. He was the ridiculously cute one.
“Oh, I can’t wait,” Kennedy said. “Your annual Halloween party is always one of the biggest events of the year.”
“Well, I think Brooklyn and I are going to try to top it this year,” Matt said.