Page 6 of I Don't Need Your Love

“Starving,” I say between bites as I shove more food into my mouth. When I glance at the clock on the wall, I see I only have ten minutes before the bell rings.

“Sorry you have to gobble down your food,” Addie says. “I hope the tour went well, at least.”

“Ugh,” I mutter, grabbing my Coke and taking a sip. “He was so infuriating! He kept asking me the most annoying questions just to get under my skin, and he even had the audacity to say I look cute in the uniform.”

They all gape at me, even Caleb.

“Wait, what?” Sophie puts her finger on her book to keep her place and then looks up at me. “Your number one enemy said you look cute in the uniform?”

“Don’t think too much into it, Sophie. He was just riling me up.”

“Oh wow, he looks good in the uniform, too,” Raven says as she stares at the doorway. We follow her gaze and find that Ryder has just walked in. He fist bumps the guy who showed him the rec room the other day—I guess he’s his roommate? And the guy leads him to the jock table.

“No surprise there,” I say. “He’s a football player after all.”

“He’s joining the team?” Addie asks.

“I don’t think so.”

“He’s limping a little,” Raven points out.

We study him as he makes his way to the jock table. Huh. I guess he is limping a little. The jocks welcome him with cheers and fist bumps and pull out a chair for him.

“Can we not talk about him?” I grumble. “Who cares? As far as I’m concerned, he’s wallpaper. Anything else going on I should know about?”

“Well, in case you haven’t noticed, Clarissa Thomas isn’t here today,” Addie says.

I glance at the popular table and realize that she’s right. Her two minions, Luna and Jemma, are there, but her chair is empty. The two sheep look lost without their master. It’s kind of hilarious and pathetic at the same time.

“Was she expelled?” Sophie asks with wide eyes.

Addie shakes her head. “Suspended. My grandfather put enough pressure on the school to do it. Can you believe her parents were trying to make her out to be the victim? That I stole the boy she was in love with and she was so heartbroken that she abandoned me in the middle of nowhere in the middle of pouring rain.” She rolls her eyes.

“I’m glad your grandfather is taking care of it,” Caleb says as he slides his hand into hers. “She and her friends need to be held accountable for what they did to you.”

“I know. I just don’t want them to hate me more, you know?”

“Too late,” Raven says with a scoff. “People like her will never admit when they’re in the wrong. Clarissa is so self-centered she doesn’t care who she hurts to get what she wants. Just forget about her. And Warner, too.”

“Don’t worry,” Addie assures her. “Warner takes up no space in my brain whatsoever.”

Warner is one of the biggest jerks in the world. He pretended to be into Addie just to mess with her.

“Forget about those rotten people,” Sophie says as she turns a page of her book. “We’ll always have each other.”

“And this food,” I say as I continue to dig in.

At that second, the bell rings.

“Darn it!”

I shove whatever food is left into my mouth and follow my friends out of the dining hall, nearly knocking into someone. “Sorry,” he says.

“It’s my bad—” I start to respond, but then I realize it’s none other than the bane of my existence. Seriously? Out of all the students in the school, it had to be the one who is not supposed to exist?

Ryder waggles his brows. “Missed me that much, kid?”

“You’re wallpaper,” I say before storming away.