witness to the incident. No one else needed to hear about it. “Amanda and I got into an argument, and I was hoping she’d try to text or call me.”
“Oh.” He’s such a male, Grace mused. “I’m sure you guys will work it out.” He even tried giving her an encouraging, albeit awkward, smile. With a slight chuckle, Grace grinned back, wrapped her arm around his elbow, and continued on to third period.
After class, Grace and Zeke got caught up in a little tug of war over her backpack. “Zeke, no. You’re going to be late to fourth period. I can carry it to lunch. Really.”
“The longer you fight me on this, the later I’ll be,” he said with a cocky grin. “Besides, Miss Stone loves me. She won’t care if I’m a little late.”
With an exaggerated sigh, she let go. “Fine, but if you get detention, it’s all on you, buddy.”
“Okay.” He chuckled.
When they arrived in the cafeteria, Emily and Tommy were already seated and eating. Emily’s purple cast waved like a look-what-you-did banner. “Hey, guys,” Grace said as she sat down.
“Hi!” Emily nearly squealed. “How are you feeling?”
“I was just about to ask you two the same thing.” Zeke carefully placed her tray of food on the table in front of her and put the backpack at her feet. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He smiled down to her. “Hey, man,” he said to Tommy. “How’s the head?”
“Better. Still have a hellacious headache.”
“You’re not driving, are you?” Zeke asked, sounding concerned.
Tommy shook his head slightly. “Nah, my mom dropped me off.”
“Good,” Zeke said. “I have to get to class before I get detention.” Winking down at Grace, he waved good-bye to the others.
Emily eyed her from across the table. “Just friends, huh?”
Grace’s gaze instantly went to her lips, wondering what flavor she was wearing. “Yes, Em, just friends.”
“I’m not so sure he thinks so.” She smelled like cinnamon, but Grace wasn’t sure. Cinnamon was bad.
“Actually, babe,” Tommy spoke up through a mouthful of food, as usual. “He does. He’s just hoping she’ll change her mind.”
Grace hoped he continued to understand she only wanted to be friends. Otherwise…well, otherwise she had no clue. She’d worry about it then. “How’s your arm?” she asked Emily trying to forget about Zeke and cinnamon.
Emily glanced down at the purple plaster covering her arm. “Not throbbing as much, thankfully, but I have to keep this stupid cast on for six weeks.” She slurped a big drink from her chocolate milk through a straw. “You should have seen the colors I had to choose from…awful.” Grace laughed when Emily scrunched her nose.
“It’s a good thing you wear a lot of purple then.”
“Not enough,” Emily said mid-bite. “Now I have to go shopping. You want to go with me?”
“Sure, when?”
“This weekend sometime.”
“Yeah, that works,” Grace said.
Leah showed up a few minutes later, looking exhausted. “Hi, everyone.” Her voice was subdued, nowhere near its normal ear-piercing decibel level.
“Hey,” they all said in unison. “How are you feeling?” Grace asked as Leah sat next to her. Like Zeke, Brian placed Leah’s tray in front of her, but sat down in the open seat next to her.
“My head still hurts a little and I’m kind of tired, but I feel a lot better.”
The all too familiar danger of guilty tears threatened. While pretending to focus on something on the ceiling, Grace blinked them fast away. When she was able to talk without crying, she replied to Leah. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”
Nope, she spoke too soon. Tears assaulted Grace’s eyes a nanosecond after uttering the word “alright” and trickled embarrassingly down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry, Grace.” Leah handed her a napkin. “We’re all okay.” That was true for today, but what about tomorrow?
“Babe, don’t cry.” Emily put her hand on top of Grace’s, a few tears escaping her eyes as well. Leah sniffled softly next to her, and slipped her hand on top of Emily’s in a show of solidarity. Grace smiled at both of them, grateful they were safe.
Grace sat there in the uncomfortable, emotionally charged silence, waiting for someone to cut through it by saying something. Finally, Tommy cleared his throat. “Uh… is everyone still going to the party this weekend?”
“I’ll understand if you guys aren’t up for it,” Brian said quickly. A unanimous chorus of “We’re going” made him beam with pleasure.
After lunch, Grace wasn’t too surprised to find Zeke outside the double doors of the cafeteria, waiting to relieve her shoulders of the burdensome backpack.