ACCIDENTAL ALPHA

CHAPTER 8/ AVA'S DEMONS

Ava walked down the bustling hallway, her backpack slung over her shoulder, her eyes fixed on the lunch room doors ahead. She was looking forward to a sandwich and a rare moment of peace before her next class.

As she approached the lunch room, she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. "Ava! Hey, wait up!"

Ava turned to see hurrying towards her with a concerned expression. "Hey, Sarah What's up?"

Sarah fell into step beside Ava as they entered the lunch room. "I've been trying to catch up with you all week. You've been avoiding me, Ava. What's going on?"

Ava shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Just busy, that's all. I've got a lot on my plate right now."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "You can't fool me, Ava. We've been friends for too long. Something's bothering you".

Ava forced a laugh, trying to deflect Sarah's concerns. "No, nothing like that. I promise, Sarah. I'm just...preoccupied, that's all."

Sarah looked skeptical, but she didn't press the issue further. "Okay, Ava. But if you're in trouble, promise me you'll tell me? I'm here for you, no matter what."

Ava smiled, feeling a pang of guilt for not confiding in her friend. But she couldn't share the truth. "I promise, Sarah. Thanks for understanding."

she saw the suspicious look was still on Sarah's face.

Ava smiled weakly, trying to brush off Sarah's concerns. "I'm just stressed, that's all. Don't worry about it."

Sarah still looked unconvinced but dropped the subject. "Okay, well, if you're sure... Hey, want to grab lunch together?"

Ava nodded, grateful for the change in subject. "Yeah, sure. That sounds great."

As they walked towards the cafeteria, Ava's thoughts drifted back to her dark fears, her mind whispering: "You're bad luck, Ava. Everyone around you will suffer. You're alone in this curse."

she had deliberately distanced herself from her friends, she knew she was bad luck and because of that Ethan had to suffer, because of her uncle JaJa too had to suffer and now she wasn't going to let anyone else suffer because of her bad luck, not even her besties.