Instead, the little witch does the opposite.
“Oh wow, I’m so happy for you guys!” Hartley exclaims. “New relationships are so much fun, aren’t they? Like, those first few weeks where everything is so shiny and perfect and you’re just all over each other? Isn’t that the best?”
It’s the most bubbly I’ve ever seen her. Too bad it’s fake.
She beams at me. I try to convey with my eyes that I am going to murder her after lunch.
“The best,” Felicity agrees, and to punctuate that, she scoots closer and rests her head on my shoulder.
I unceremoniously shift three inches to the right. Felicity topples over, nearly smacking her head on the side of the table before managing to regain her balance.
“You two look precious together. You should be in an ad. Oh, wait, I have an idea.” Hartley twists around and pretends to look for someone. “Who does the pictures for the yearbook? Your first lunch together should be commemorated.”
No one answers her. She shrugs and pulls out her phone. “How about I take a picture and when I come across the person in charge, I’ll send it to her.”
She aims the camera at us.
If it was acceptable to strangle a girl in the lunchroom, my hands would be around Hartley’s throat. Instead, Felicity decides to drop into my lap and I have to use my hands to push her aside.
“No pictures,” I growl.
Hartley pretends to think it over. “You’re right. You should have a professional photographer for your first picture. You can only have one first time.”
“You wanna die, don’t you,” I warn.
Felicity gives Hartley a patronizing smile. “I appreciate how you’re trying to cover your jealousy with this fake happiness, but be warned. Easton and I are a couple now. You’ll learn to accept it. In the meantime, if you want to feel sorry for someone, go console Claire.”
We all turn to see Claire two tables over, wearing an expression of utter despair. I grimace and shift away. Hartley’s glee slides off her face, too.
Felicity, on the other hand, can’t stop beaming. “Oh, there’s our new quarterback.” She waves a hand. “Bran! Bran. Over here.”
Bran waves back and wanders over to us. “Hey, thanks for the invite,” he says as he sets his tray opposite mine. “I wasn’t sure where to sit today.”
“There’s a football table.” I point my fork toward the two large groups of guys near the window.
“I see them every morning,” Bran says. “I think that’s enough togetherness, don’t you?”
It’s hard to say no since I hardly ever sit with them, either.
“This is nice,” Felicity announces. “What’s your family do, Bran?”
A confused expression crosses his face. “Ah, I’m not sure what you mean.”
“She wants to know where you fall on the ladder of capital success. In other words, whether you’re important enough to talk to,” I explain.
Felicity clucks her tongue. “That’s not true at all, Easton.” But she ruins her fake humility by repeating herself. “So what is it that your parents do?”
“My dad’s an accountant and my mom is a teacher at Bellfield Elementary.”
“Oh, well, that’s…” She flounders for an appropriate adjective, because in her mind, she’s appalled.
“Arthur Fleming’s got a seat available next to him.” I gesture to the slender senior with the dark brown hair and round hipster eyeglasses. The Flemings own a major frozen food company. “And I hear he’s single.”
“Thanks, but I’m good,” Bran says dryly.
“He meant me, sweetie.” Felicity pats Bran on the hand before addressing me. “Why would I care about that when I have you, Easton Royal?”
Hartley laughs out loud, then quickly covers up the sound with a cough. “So,” she says to Bran, “how were your classes this morning?”
With a grateful smile, he answers, “Not bad, although I’m surprised at the amount of homework I have. My teachers at Bellfield didn’t assign this much shit.”
“I know, right?” Hartley groans. “I’ve got a paper due in three weeks and I need to plan for the chem project. I don’t want to be doing that last minute.”
Bran clucks his tongue in sympathy. “I did my science lab last year. I can give you my notes—”
“Ella! Val!” I wave the two girls over.
Bran breaks off at my glare. I can see where this is going and I need to nip it in the bud. Bran will give his notes to Hartley and then it will lead to Bran at Hartley’s tiny apartment, sitting on the sofa. Their heads will be close together. Then his mouth will be on hers, followed by me busting the door down and breaking the arm of our new quarterback.
Just because I’ve resigned myself to the fact that Hartley and I won’t be banging doesn’t mean I want Bran Mathis anywhere near her.
Luckily, Ella and Val make their way over, bringing with them a change of subject.
“Why are we sitting here today?” Val asks. “Don’t we always sit by the windows?”
“There wasn’t enough room,” I reply, kicking out a chair for her to take a seat.
“But our table has plenty of—”
“It’s quieter here,” Ella interrupts. “I think that’s why Easton chose it. Right, East?”
I roll my eyes. Since when do I have to explain myself? “Right.”
“How nice of you to join us,” Felicity says, but her tight smile reveals that she doesn’t like this development at all.
I remember her insinuation that she could easily take Ella down, and a frown creases my forehead. If she messes with my family, I’ll mess right back.
Bran and Ella know each other from Spanish and start chatting right away. Val and Hartley start talking about Val’s eye makeup.
Leaving me stuck with Felicity, who tugs on my sleeve. “Let’s go out tonight.”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want to.”
“We’re supposed to be a couple,” she hisses.
“No, we’re not,” I hiss back.
“You said yes.”
“You can’t hold me to something I said when I was drunk!”
Hartley glances over. “You lovebirds okay?”
Val snickers softly, while Ella just sighs. I already gave both of them the heads up that Felicity thinks we’re going out.
“We’re fine,” Felicity assures the table, as if anyone actually cares how “we’re” doing. “We’re just having trouble figuring out where to go on our date tonight.”
I grit my teeth so hard that my molars ache.
“You know where you should go?” Val pipes up.
I give her the evil eye for daring to play along with this insanity. “Nowhere,” I grind out. “We’re going nowhere.”
Val ignores me. “The pier,” she says.
“What’s on the pier?” Bran asks curiously.
“A carnival, games, some restaurants,” Val tells him. “It’s fun.”
“I heard there’s a haunted house that’s pretty cool there,” Ella ventures.
I pin her with a murderous look. Why is she entertaining this? She hates Felicity!
“What are you doing tonight, Hartley?” Felicity asks, surprising me.
Hartley appears just as taken aback. “Studying, probably.”