Whether it’s in the book or in the real world, the cafeteria is just as loud and chaotic as ever—like the soundtrack of my life right now is just forks clinking, chairs scraping, and someone laughing way too hard at a joke that wasn’t funny.
I must’ve zoned out during the first two subjects, stuck thinking about how I’m going to survive today. Because as far as I know, this book is a minefield of drama and ridiculously specific scenarios that could physically or emotionally damage Jia.
The sudden bark of laughter from the table to our left makes me flinch. We’ve been standing in line for maybe two minutes, but I’m not even hungry. The only reason I came here at all was because Jia wanted lunch.
Tray in hand, I follow her through the maze of tables. It doesn’t take long to find an empty
