Trying to live

Chapter 12 (Edited)

I would have to question him later. For now, my focus had to be on Rose and getting her off Henry before things spiraled further.

"You see it that way, but I see it differently," Rose said, nudging Henry with her knee.

"And how is that?" Henry grunted, struggling beneath her.

A strange feeling churned in my stomach as I watched the scene unfold—Rose on top, Henry underneath. I didn't like it, though I couldn't quite pinpoint why. It was unsettling and made me restless.

"You stole my salad," Rose said, her voice tinged with indignation as she continued to try and free her wrists.

Henry stared at her in frustration. "That's exactly what I said a few minutes ago."

Before I could intervene, a voice beside me broke the tension. "This is so entertaining."

I turned to see Cam holding a tub of popcorn. Where he had gotten it, I had no idea and wasn't particularly inclined to find out. "H-How long have you been standing there?" I asked, incredulous.

Cam shrugged nonchalantly and grinned. "Long enough to enjoy the show. And my mood... oh, I feel so good!"

"You didn't feel like helping your cousin?"

"Oh, I did," Cam said, his grin widening. "But the urge to watch was stronger."

I shook my head in exasperation and called out, "Rose!"

She glanced over, her clothes as dirty as mine. At least our faces had avoided most of the food attacks. Henry, meanwhile, was in worse shape, his entire face smeared with an unidentifiable mess. Only his green eyes remained visible, brimming with anger and irritation.

I grabbed Cam's arm, ignoring his surprised yelp, and dragged him with me. "Rose, get off Henry and leave him alone."

"No!" she protested stubbornly.

"Yes," I insisted, grabbing her shoulders and attempting to pull her off. She remained unmoved, though Henry had finally released her wrists. My frustration mounted as I tried again and failed. "He's learned his lesson. Now, get up!"

"No," Rose repeated, and I muttered a curse under my breath. Her stubbornness rivaled my own, and if she was getting on my nerves, I could only imagine how my stubbornness affected others.

I tried pushing her off Henry by sliding my hands under her armpits, only to end up falling on my butt. I looked up to see Rose stifling a laugh. Cam, meanwhile, was laughing uncontrollably. I glared at him as he extended his hand to help me up. I took it, not missing the opportunity to smear whatever sauce was on his hand.

"Ah, revenge for laughing at you," he said, examining his soiled hand. Then he grinned. "How cute you are, my sweetheart."

He pinched my cheek, and I wondered how he managed to stay pristine while the rest of us looked like we had survived a food fight apocalypse.

Without warning, Cam pulled me in front of him, pressing my back to his chest. I tried to turn around, but he had a firm but not painful grip on my shoulders. Moments later, something wet splashed onto my chest and hair. My glasses also caught some stains. I should have been grateful for the small splatters, but I felt a strong urge to kick Cam in his ribs.

"Huh, that almost hit me," Cam said with a hint of relief. "You okay?"

I turned to face him, my expression blank. "You used me as a shield to avoid getting hit yourself."

Cam shrugged. "Yeah, what's the problem?"

"The problem?" I said loudly, feeling my temper flare. "Are you kidding me?"

"Why do you always use that phrase? If I wanted to kid you, I would have said so directly," he replied, as if it were a mere observation. "I've heard you use that phrase with me more than once."

I threw my hands up in frustration. "Because it's the only phrase that fits you!"

I nearly shouted, but managed to keep it at a loud declaration. Many people had loud voices; I was just one of them.

Cam raised his hands in mock surrender. "I just didn't want anything on my uniform. Is that so unusual?"

I struggled to keep my composure. "Have you seen my uniform?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Henry's voice came from behind us.

Cam and I turned to see Rose still on top of Henry, pulling his hair with unrelenting force. My stomach churned at the sight. I knew from experience how much that must hurt. In return, Henry had started yanking at Rose's hair.

"I'm having fun," Rose said, grinning widely.

"Then let me have some fun too," Henry said, smirking as he continued to tug at her hair. The two were locked in a bizarre hair-pulling contest, each refusing to relent.

I lost my patience watching them bicker like children, while the rest of the cafeteria devolved into chaos with food flying everywhere. I felt utterly fed up, wet, itchy, and dirty.

"Stop it!" I shouted, my voice cutting through the cacophony and silencing the room. "Enough is enough."

I seized the last intact pie, which had somehow survived the mayhem, as if it were a beacon of reason amidst the madness. It seemed to call out to me, urging me to restore some order.

"The next person who throws something will get this pie right in their face," I declared, turning to face the crowd.

I positioned myself near the cafeteria doors, just a few steps away. "What were you thinking? This is food, not a weapon. People who don't have enough to eat would be horrified by this waste."

A voice from the crowd protested, "Who are you to tell us to stop? You're just a party pooper. You're not the queen anymore; you're—"

I cut them off. "So what if I'm not? Titles are meaningless. I'm a human being, just like everyone else. Don't tell me or anyone else they're nothing. Frankly, I don't care what you think."

I gestured at the mess behind me. "Now, get cleaned up. You all look horrible."

"You're so lame," someone retorted. Before I could respond or throw the pie at them, someone pushed me from behind, sending the pie splattering onto the person who had just entered the cafeteria.

I stood there, shocked, as I recognized the awful, unkempt hair of the unfortunate target.