Chapter 4: Lunch Break
1014 Words
The bell rang after their second class.
Students stood up, stretched, and started chatting about lunch. Some rushed out of the room, laughing. Others stayed behind, fixing their things slowly.
Lyra stayed seated, staring at her notebook. She hadn’t written anything all morning.
Camille leaned over. “Lyra, are you eating with us?”
Lyra looked up. “I’m not sure. I’m not that hungry.”
Ivan stood behind her chair. “Come on, love. Let’s go to the cafeteria. You need to eat something.”
Lyra hesitated. Her mind searched for an excuse. But she couldn’t think of one.
She didn’t want to go.
She didn’t want to sit with them.
She didn’t want to pretend again.
But she couldn’t say no.
So she nodded. “Okay.”
Ivan smiled. “Great. Let’s go.”
Camille grabbed her bag. “I’m craving chicken rice. Or maybe spaghetti. I don’t know. I’ll decide when I see the menu.”
Lyra followed them quietly.
The hallway was noisy. Students walked in groups, talking about their holidays, their gifts, their plans. Lyra kept her eyes on the floor.
They reached the cafeteria. The smell of food filled the air: fried chicken, sweet bread, noodles, rice. The line was long, but moving fast.
Ivan turned to Lyra. “What do you want? I’ll order for you.”
Lyra shook her head. “I’ll just get something light.”
“Soup?” he asked.
“Maybe,” she said softly.
Camille pointed to a table near the window. “Let’s sit there. It’s quiet.”
They placed their orders and sat down. Ivan had rice and pork. Camille chose spaghetti and juice. Lyra had a small bowl of soup and water.
Ivan looked at her. “You really should eat more.”
Lyra stirred her soup. “I’m fine.”
Camille took a bite of her food. “So… how was your break?”
Lyra paused. “It was okay.”
Ivan leaned forward. “You know i missed you and i kept thinking about you every day.”
Lyra gave a small smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Thanks.”
Ivan reached for her hand, but she moved it to hold her spoon.
He blinked. “Are you still feeling sick?”
Lyra nodded. “A little.”
Camille sipped her juice. “Did you spend New Year alone?”
Lyra nodded again. “Nope” a lie, she answered.
Ivan frowned. “Oh i see, that's great, but I wish I had seen you because i really wanted to.”
"Then why did you come? Why did you not insist on coming?" Lyra thought with an ache in her heart, but she didn’t answer.
She took a small sip of soup. It was warm, but it didn’t help the cold inside her chest.
Ivan tried again. “I really missed you, Lyra.”
She looked at him. Her eyes were calm, but her heart wasn’t.
“I know,” she said.
Camille smiled gently. “I'm glad you’re here now.”
Lyra nodded. “Me too.”
But inside, she wasn’t sure.
After they finished eating. Ivan stood first, carrying his tray. “Let’s go. We still have one more class.”
Camille stretched and grabbed her bag. “I hope it’s not math. My brain’s still on vacation.”
Lyra stood slowly, her soup barely touched. She followed them out of the cafeteria, walking a few steps behind.
The hallway was crowded again. Students moved in every direction, laughing, calling out to friends, bumping into each other.
As they turned the corner toward their next classroom, a boy accidentally bumped into Ivan’s shoulder.
“Hey, watch it,” Ivan snapped.
The boy turned around. “Sorry, man. Didn’t see you.”
Ivan frowned. “Then open your eyes next time.”
Lyra blinked.
The boy raised his hands. “Relax. It was just a bump.”
Ivan stepped forward, his jaw tight. “Yeah, well, be careful.”
Camille quickly touched Ivan’s arm. “Ivan, it’s fine. Let’s go.”
Ivan didn’t move right away. His eyes stayed locked on the boy.
Lyra watched him.
This wasn’t the Ivan she knew.
Or maybe… it was.
The boy walked away, shaking his head.
Ivan turned back to them. “Some people are just careless.”
Camille gave a nervous laugh. “It’s crowded. Things happen.”
Ivan didn’t reply. He just kept walking.
Lyra followed, her steps slower.
Her heart felt strange.
She looked at Ivan’s back, his tense shoulders, the way his hands curled into fists.
She remembered how he used to be gentle. How he used to laugh easily. How he used to hold her hand like she was something fragile.
Now, he looked angry. Sharp. Cold.
She whispered to herself, so no one could hear:
“Is this really the person I loved for more than two years?”
She didn’t know the answer.
She glanced at Camille, who was now chatting with another student, her voice light, her smile perfect. Camille had always been good at blending in, at making people feel comfortable. But Lyra knew that smile too well. It was the same one Camille wore when she lied.
As they entered the classroom, Lyra took her seat near the window again. Ivan sat behind her. Camille beside her.
She stared out the window, watching the clouds drift slowly across the sky.
She used to feel safe here.
Now, she felt trapped.
Ivan leaned forward and whispered, “Are you okay?”
Lyra didn’t turn around. “I’m fine.”
But she wasn’t.
She felt like a stranger in her own life.
The boy Ivan snapped at, he had apologized. It was a small accident. But Ivan’s reaction had been sharp, cruel.
And Camille hadn’t looked surprised.
Lyra’s fingers curled around her pen.
She didn’t know what was happening to the people she once loved.
But she knew something had changed.
And she wasn’t sure she could pretend much longer.
Not when everything inside her was starting to break.
- Writer
