“Hey, blondie,” he said as I walked over to his table. “I went ahead and got you a tray. I was worried they’d shut down the line before you got here.”
There I was, fantasizing about his brother while he was worried about whether I would get anything to eat.
“Thanks,” I said, sitting down next to him. I couldn’t help but notice all of our friends, even Ellie, were sitting elsewhere.
“I wanted to be alone with you,” he said, pulling me in for a quick kiss.
Tensely, I told him, “Listen, I don’t want you cutting yourself off from the group for my sake. I don’t mind eating alone, honestly.”
“I’d never let you eat alone,” he said, shocked by the idea.
He didn’t deny that it was my fault they didn’t want to sit with him. I was an outcast now, and his being with me made him an outcast too. Taylor didn’t deserve that, dammit. He deserved to be the center of attention, the life of the party, the king of the dance floor.
“What’s up with you?” he asked me. He could tell I was being distant. Of course I was. I was a million miles away. “Ellie said something was wrong…”
“I’m fine.”
“Hey!” I heard Julian coming up behind us. When I turned to see him, I noticed a huge smile on his face as he pointed outside. “Snow!” He said it so loudly, everyone in the cafeteria turned their heads.
And it was true. Outside we could see the first snowflakes of the year swirling slowly to the ground, beautiful against the graysky. Taylor smiled just as some kid I didn’t know climbed up on a table and shouted, “No school tomorrow,” and the whole cafeteria broke into whistles and applause.
Everyone was celebrating. The Bonfire Fest was one of the oldest traditions in town and was always held the day after the first snow, even if it meant canceling classes. The cafeteria turned to chaos. People mulled around from table to table, chatting, laughing, and planning what they would do the next day. The happiness was so contagious, even I felt a little bit better.
“So…see you at the Bonfire Fest?” Julian asked, brimming with excitement as he sat down across from us.
“For sure,” I said. But then I remembered something. “Shit! I have to help Mrs. Mill bake cakes and cookies. I forgot she asked me to lend a hand for the festival.”
That was part of the tradition: local businesses donated food, sweets, and drinks, and everything was free for all the townspeople.
“So you’re not going to be there?” Taylor asked, disappointed.
“I’m sure Mrs. Mill is planning to have everything ready by morning. I’ll be there, I promise.”
“Cool!”
“So we’ll all hang out tomorrow?” Julian asked, looking at me enthusiastically.
“Sure…” I replied.
Taylor announced that he’d bring the booze. “It’s supposed to be a party, isn’t it?”
Julian frowned in response. He asked if I’d be drinking too, and I said that if someone got me a cup of mulled wine from Leo’s, I wouldn’t refuse it.
“That’s my girl.” Taylor kissed me on the cheek and stood up. He wanted to talk to his friends. “You gonna stay here with this dude?” he asked, referring to Julian.
Julian was still scowling, but he didn’t seem to register Taylor’s nasty tone in reference to him.
“Yeah, I’ll stay here withmy friend,” I said. After Taylor had left, I took a bite of my sandwich and turned back to Julian. I started talking about how much fun the bonfire would be. Anything to avoid thinking about what had happened with Thiago a few minutes before.
“Listen, Kam,” Julian murmured, leaning across the table so only I could hear him. “I don’t know if I should tell you this, but…” He looked around to both sides.
“What?” I asked, curious and a little cautious.
“I heard you earlier.” He was looking me straight in the eye.
I tensed. “You heard what?” I was trying to buy time to make excuses, to come up with something that might justify my argument with Thiago and how I had cheated on his brother…with him.
“I heard you with Thiago, honey.” He shrugged. “Not like it takes a genius to figure out something’s been going on between you two. I had left something in my locker and was going back for it, but then I stopped at the door when I heard you. You’re lucky it was me; anyone else and y’all would be screwed.”
