Trying to live

Chapter 12 (Edited)

"No, I'm not. I mean, I'm funny, but I'm not joking. Sometimes I do joke. But right now, I'm serious," Rose said to Henry, who glanced between us.

I tried to signal Henry not to answer Rose's question, but he just stared at me and shook his head. Why did I have the feeling he saw me as a complete moron right now? Like I wasn't right in my head?

"To answer your question, Rose," Henry said, "the canteen lady said the salad is really good and recommended it to me." He shrugged, emphasizing her name as if to mock her. "So, I took it."

Rose clicked her tongue. "Does that mean you do everything someone tells or recommends you to do?"

Henry narrowed his eyes at her. "Excuse me?"

"Well, if I told you to jump out of a window, would you do that? And by the way, you're not excused."

"What the hell are you saying?" Juliette asked. Then she turned her head to me. "She's your friend. Tell her to behave or—"

"Or what? Your boyfriend can clearly speak for himself, and I'm just talking to him," Rose shrugged. "And it's not like he doesn't want to talk to me."

Rose was right. If Henry didn't want to talk, he wouldn't. So, Juliette should mind her own business. As Henry placed a hand on her arm, Juliette scoffed and turned her gaze to her food. Maybe Rose wasn't plotting anything. Maybe she just wanted to talk... with weird questions.

Henry turned his gaze back to Rose. "Why would I do that? And who are you that I would listen to you? You wouldn't jump either if I asked you to. You'd rather fight me. Plus, my 'excuse me' was meant rhetorically," he said so calmly that I thought he was the epitome of calmness.

Until he looked at me with fire burning in his eyes. Yep, he was angry—and not at Rose. He was angry with me.

Rose nodded. "Of course, I know it was rhetorical."

"Then why did you answer?" Henry asked.

"Because I wanted to. Obviously, I can answer rhetorical questions because who are you to stop me from doing that?" Rose said. When Henry didn't respond, she seemed to think she'd made a significant point. "Yeah, no answer to that."

"No answer needed," Henry said irritably.

Just apologize, Rose, and everything will be alright, I pleaded in my head, hoping my message would reach her telepathically. When Rose suddenly looked at me, I thought she might have heard my plea and that we had a telepathic connection.

But then she smirked at me. I felt relief too early and thought about something foolish like a telepathic connection. I mean, we lived in the 21st century, not a fantasy world.

Rose tilted her head. "Say, Henry, are you going to eat that?"

Henry rolled his eyes and stared coldly at Rose. "Yes."

"Ah, I thought you'd say that." And then Rose threw her salad in his face!

I slapped my hands over my face as gasps erupted from the others and the students around us. I pried my fingers open and saw the dressing smeared across Henry's face and blazer. Salad ingredients slid off his face, clinging to his hair and half in the air. Rose smirked widely as everyone around us began to shout, and no one knew whom to listen to.

"You little—" Juliette began, but she never finished her sentence as Rose threw her pasta at her face.

"Food war!" someone shouted, and chaos ensued.

I cursed Rose as food was hurled around. Didn't these teenagers realize they were wasting it? Stupid kids!

Suddenly, someone pulled me down, my knees landing on something wet. "Better this way or you'll get something in your face," Cam said as I looked at our joined hands and then at his face, ignoring the food surrounding us on the floor.