He bolts up, slamming his fists on the table. "You're going to the fucking game!"
The other guys look at him, shocked at his outburst. I don't know why they're surprised. They've known him longer than I have. They should know he reacts like this when he's angry.
Kade leans over to him. "Braden, just—"
"Shut the fuck up!" Braden flips his tray over, spilling food everywhere. Everyone in the dining hall watches in silence as Braden storms out.
When he's gone, Wyatt looks at me. "You probably shouldn't have said that."
"Saying I haven't decided if I'm going to the game shouldn't make him react like that. It's not normal."
"She's right," Dante says. "Braden's fucking losing it."
"You would too if the cops kept showing up at your door saying you killed someone," Miles says.
"Where do you think he went?" Wyatt asks.
"The gym," Kade says. "Or the field. Somewhere where he can blow off some steam."
The room gets loud again as people return to their conversations. Alyssa walks by our table, sticking her boobs out and flipping her hair before stopping next to Peyton. She turns and bends over as she whispers something in Peyton's ear. Her ass is on display for Kade and he notices, his eyes glued to it.
Miles laughs. "Just tell her you're sorry and end this."
Kade looks at him. "No fucking way. She'll make me go to that damn funeral. I'm sick of funerals. I'm not doing another one."
"She's gonna hate you even more if she has to go with Peyton," Wyatt says. "The laughing hyena."
Miles spits out his food, laughing. "Shit, I forgot about that."
"She laughs at funerals," Dante says to me. "Said it's some kind of medical condition. She does it at church too."
Kade sighs. "If she has to go with Peyton, this breakup's gonna last for weeks." He gets out his phone and sends a text.
Alyssa hears the text notification and checks her phone. She turns back and smiles, just enough to let Kade know he's on the right track. As she turns back to Peyton, he sends her another text. She rises back to standing as she reads it.
Turning back to Kade, she says, "You will? You're not going to change your mind?"
"No, baby. Of course I'll go. Anything for you. I love you."
She runs over and grabs his face and kisses him. "I love you too."
"Let's get out of here."
They leave, hand-in-hand, and go out to the parking lot. They'll probably have sex in his car.
Miles throws a twenty at Dante. "I'm running out of money."
Dante laughs. "Told you it'd be today."
When lunch is over, I go to English and ask the sub what happened to Ms. Pruitt. I used to hate her but now I kind of like her. She's strict and her tests are hard but she seems to genuinely care about her students. I think she's made me her project this semester. She's determined to make me do well in her class. Like Jackson, she pushes me to do better than I think I can.
"Ms. Pruitt hasn't been feeling well," the sub tells me.
"Why? What happened?"
"I really don't know. They don't tell me those things."
"But she'll be back on Monday?"
