Elite (Empire High, #2)(12)

“Lunch is about to start,” she said. “How about you go get some food. If you want you can even bring it back here.”

I wiped the sleepy out of my eyes as I sat up. “No, that’s okay.” A normal lunch actually sounded really great right now. Felix could make me laugh without the run. And Kennedy and I could talk without having to whisper. It was exactly what I needed.

Before I could leave she handed me a slip of paper. It was an appointment with the school counselor.

“If you can’t make that time work, just stop by her office and she’ll reschedule you.”

“Yeah.” I shoved it into my blazer pocket without even looking at the time on the sheet. I didn’t need a school counselor. I wasn’t worried about grades or getting into the right college. I was worried about sleeping in enemy territory and not having any family left. “Thanks.” I hurried out of her office before she had a chance to reply.

The cafeteria was already buzzing when I walked in. I was glad Matt had left me a salad in my locker like always because the lines were still long. I sat down in my usual spot across from Kennedy. She was laughing at something her boyfriend, Cupcake, had just whispered in her ear. It was tempting to grab her camera and snap a photo of the two of them. They looked so happy. And I was happy for her. I really was. But that didn’t mean that I wasn’t horribly sad right now. I sniffed and hoped they hadn’t heard.

“You made me run all alone,” Felix said as he plopped his tray down next to me.

I laughed, but it sounded forced with the counselor note burning a hole in my pocket and the sadness stabbing at my heart. “You really expect me to believe you ran without me instead of sitting on the bleachers?”

“I kinda like running now. What, you think I did it every day just to hang out with you?” He winked at me. “Please, that would be desperate.”

My smile felt genuine now. “Quite desperate.”

He laughed. “Well, I will admit that running is better with a partner. Where were you?”

I didn’t want to talk about my tearful slumber at the nurse’s office. And it was like Kennedy could feel the awkwardness in the air because she jumped in to save me.

“Dessert is always better than running.” She held out her latest box of treats from Cupcake.

Felix grabbed one of the pastries and took a big bite. “Can’t disagree with that.”

I pushed my salad around with my fork instead of starting with dessert. Just seeing the name Dickson and Son’s Sugarcakes made me want to cry. My uncle had loved them, but I’d been forcing him to eat healthier. I’d been ruining his last few weeks without even knowing it. If I’d been dying, I would have wanted all the dessert I could get too. My stomach twisted into knots.

“Sissy, aren’t you going to sit with me?” Isabella asked from behind me. The words themselves were friendly. But the way she said it wasn’t.

The knots in my stomach grew tighter. I turned around and looked up at her smiling face. “Maybe Monday?” I said. “I really just need a normal day.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why be normal when you can be elite?”

Was that a serious question? I didn’t want to be elite or however else she described herself. Besides, Cupcake and Felix were just as elite as her. And Kennedy’s personality was a thousand times more elite that Isabella’s.

“Come, come,” she said like there was no possible excuse to what she’d said. “And I’m sorry, Kennedy. I forgot to tell everyone and I was only able to save one seat.”

“Really, Isabella,” I said. “Monday would be better…”

“But Daddy insisted.” She stuck out her lower lip, like that would somehow affect my decision.

Ew. I heard Kennedy pretend to gag and tried not to laugh.

Isabella cleared her throat. “Trust me, Sissy. You don’t want to upset Daddy. If I tell him that I invited you to sit with me and you refused…well…you don’t want to see what happens when he gets mad.”

My heartbeat kicked up a notch. No, I really didn’t want to know what her father was like when he was mad. My father. Yeah, I was definitely going to be sick.

“You could sit with us,” Kennedy said. “There’s a seat right there.” She pointed to the one on the other side of me.

“No. I sit at that table.” She pointed to the Untouchables’ table. And for the first time I looked over too. Matt was staring at me so intensely. The two seats across from him were empty. Which meant…I’d be sitting with Matt at lunch for the first time since we started secretly dating. And now that we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend? That didn’t seem like such a bad thing. I wouldn’t be alone over there. I’d have him.

“It’s just a table,” Kennedy said.

Isabella ignored her and looked back at me. “Last chance, Sissy. Or Daddy will be hearing all about this.”

I lifted my salad off the table. “Okay.”

“You don’t have to sit with her,” Felix said and grabbed my arm.

It wasn’t that I wanted to sit there. I didn’t. Not even if it got me closer to Matt. But I had to go. Because I was already scared of Mr. Pruitt. “It’s just for today,” I said. I looked at Kennedy and hoped she could read my mind. I didn’t want her to think I was ditching her. I’d figure a way out of this from here on out. But today? I might have to spend all weekend with the Pruitts. I didn’t want to start that off on bad terms.