Chapter 4-Lunch Table Secrets
609 Words
By lunchtime, Lily had already decided Westwood High was a survival game.
And she was losing.
Every hallway felt like a maze. Every classroom felt too crowded. And somehow, despite only being there for a few hours, people already knew her name.
Or more specifically—
They knew she’d walked into school with Noah Carter.
Which apparently counted as breaking several unspoken social laws.
“You look traumatized.”
Lily glanced up from her lunch tray to find Jason dropping into the seat across from her dramatically.
“You people keep appearing out of nowhere,” she complained.
Jason grinned. “It’s a talent.”
Before Lily could respond, Noah sat beside her casually like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Instantly, conversations around the cafeteria quieted slightly.
Lily noticed.
Again.
“You know,” she muttered quietly, “people stare a lot around here.”
Jason snorted. “That’s because Noah’s basically school entertainment.”
Lily laughed softly before catching herself.
Across the cafeteria, Chloe Bennett sat with a group of perfectly dressed girls while glaring directly at their table.
Lily shifted uncomfortably.
“She seems to really hate me already.”
Jason nearly choked on his drink.
Noah sighed heavily. “Jason.”
“What?” Jason defended instantly. “Am I supposed to lie?”
Lily looked between them suspiciously. “Lie about what?”
Jason opened his mouth.
Noah kicked him under the table.
Hard.
Jason winced. “Ow— okay, wow. Violence.”
“You talk too much,” Noah replied calmly.
Which, unfortunately, only made Lily more curious.
Before she could push further, another student suddenly stopped beside their table.
Tall.
Athletic.
Confident smile.
Ryan Mitchell.
“Carter. "he greeted casually, though the tension in his voice said otherwise."
Noah barely looked up. “Mitchell.”
Ryan’s attention shifted toward Lily.
"Nice to meet you.
"Nice to meet you too
“And you must be the new girl everyone is talking about.”
Lily nodded slightly.
"Too bad for me."
Ryan smiled warmly. “Ryan Mitchell.”
“Am Lily Morgan.”
“No offense,” Ryan said lightly, glancing toward Noah.
“Welcome to westwood high college."
"Thank you. Lily smiles very heavily at Ryan. Ryan at the first time he is begining to like Lily.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“Probably,” Ryan admitted. “Coach Daniels wanted basketball practice moved to six.”
"wow so he has finally considered it.
Ryan nodded once and looked back at Lily one last time.
“See you around.”
Then he walked away.
The second he disappeared, Noah leaned back in his chair.
“You don’t need to smile at every guy who talks to you.”
Lily blinked.
“Excuse me?”
Jason’s eyes widened instantly.
Oh no.
Noah realized his mistake slightly too late.
“I meant— “No.”
Lily interrupted. “Please explain.”
“I was joking.”
“You sounded jealous.”
Jason made a choking sound into his soda.
Noah shot him a murderous look.
“I wasn’t jealous.”
“Sure.”
“That’s my line.”
For a second, silence hung between them.
Then unexpectedly—
Lily smiled.
A real one.
Noah stared at her like he forgot how conversations worked.
And suddenly Jason stood up dramatically.
“Okay, this is getting painfully romantic and I refuse to witness it alone.”
Lily laughed while Noah threw a french fry at him.
Unfortunately for them—
Someone across the cafeteria was already recording everything on their phone.
And Chloe Bennett was watching with narrowed eyes.
- Writer
