Laia & The Transferee - Chapter 39

“Okay, that was definitely hot,” Vivi says dramatically, even going as far as to dramatically fanning herself with her hand.

Brie laughs amidst the continuous pain that she was feeling from her headache. “Ah, don’t make me laugh!”

“I was just relaying the events from earlier,” Laia attempts to defend herself but to no avail, as the three girls opposite her were still laughing. “It’s not my fault you think it’s funny–”

Shane interjects with a hearty chuckle. “It really is. I can even imagine what Andrei looks like and it only makes me laugh even more!”

Vivi elbows her. “Shush, he’s coming back,”

True to what Vivi said, Andrei did indeed enter their room right after she warned Shane who immediately shuts her mouth.

The boy still had an angry expression on his face despite the time that had passed since his encounter with the asshat.

It didn’t help that the asshat just had to pass him with the goal of probably making his way to the cafeteria, seeing that it was already recess and Laia was supposed to ask Brie to come with her earlier if only she wasn’t distracted by Shane and Vivi.

Not that the two weren’t a welcomed distraction, Laia honestly needed some sort of entertainment after what happened earlier that both (entertained) agonized and stressed her out.

“Vi, are you coming?” Jake calls out from the door, his hand holding the asshat’s uniform collar, therefore making the other boy unable to continue walking.

Vivi turns to the three girls she was with. “Are you going to the cafeteria, too?”

Shane nods. “Yeah, I gonna buy some pizza. I overheard earlier that they were having vegetarian today,”

“Ew,” Vivi groans. “Who the hell likes vegetables on their pizza?”

“Me,” Shane deadpans.

“I am definitely judging you right now,”

“Do they have pepperoni, though? If they do we should opt for the one with the cheese filling inside the crust!” Brie suggests, already standing up from her chair.

Laia was quick to assist her friend whose legs wobbled. “Are you sure you should be walking around? How about we go to the clinic and get you checked first?”

Brie shakes her head. “Nah, I’m getting better. Nothing pizza couldn’t fix!”

The short-haired girl sighs but doesn’t insist. She knew that her friend’s head was probably still hurting but her desire to come along with Vivi and Shane to be with Jake in the process was obviously her priority.

“You sure?” Shane asks, obviously worried as well. “We can just get the boys to order us what we want–”

“I’m seriously good,” Brie interjects with a smile. “Let’s go?”

Shane and Vivi exchanged concerned glances but said nothing else. It’s not like they could insist further, either, especially with how even an intervention from Laia still didn’t work.

The four girls made their way to where Jake and the asshat were. Jake immediately places his hand on Vivi’s shoulder and pulls her closer to him, making Laia raise an eyebrow at Shane who shared the same expression.

“What are you gonna buy?” Jake asks.

Vivi hits Jake’s hand that he placed on her shoulder, making the boy winces and opt to remove it completely. “Ramen?”

“For recess? Won’t you get full for lunch?” The asshat turns to her with a perplexed look.

“I skipped breakfast earlier,”

Brie looped her arm around Vivi’s. “Why?”

“I was about to be late, hehe.”

The six laughed. Laia watched how Brie would try to catch Jake’s eyes but it was evident that the boy was adamant about avoiding her eyes.

Their situation didn’t go unnoticed by Vivi as well, who tried to slow down and give way for Jake and Brie to walk at the same pace but Jake would always catch her doing it and would place his hand on her waist, effectively making her steady her pace.

“What’s with the awkwardness?” Shane whispers, evidently uneasy.

Laia sighs. “I honestly don’t know at this point.”

They were able to reach the cafeteria after a few turns and a trip to the stairway. Laia could barely keep it together with how bad the tension was between Brie and Jake when they were at the cafeteria’s entrance.

It doesn’t help how she was already tired from that single trip.

She should definitely start jogging again or even exercising for at least fifteen minutes like before.

Or at least do some curl-ups. Maybe at least ten? Fifteen?

“… Lopez? Hey!”

Laia turns to the asshat who was currently looking at her like she suddenly had a huge zit on her face. “Are you done daydreaming in the middle of the cafeteria?”

“Technically, we’re in the entrance–”

“What do you want?”

Peace. Prosperity. Money.

Lots of money.

A house overlooking the sea?

“I guess a grilled cheese?” was what Laia was able to reply.

Laia fought the urge to facepalm. Of course, she just had to reply with the food she saw being eaten by a random student passing by.

She can only hope that the grilled cheeses being sold in their cafeteria aren’t as expensive as those sold in hotels or restaurants.

That would be both pathetic and sad, honestly.

The asshat’s nose scrunches as if he ate something bad. “A grilled cheese? Can’t you make one at your home and pack it for recess?”

Laia was about to reply when Jake pushes the asshat towards the line to the cashier, cutting their conversation (argument) off.

“At least Jake knew when to drag Sammy’s ass away,” Vivi says. “By the way, should we just wait for them, or shall we find a table?”

Shane points at a nearby table. “A table. Standing around makes us look awkward as hell,”

Vivi and Brie both nod. Laia quickly made her way to the table before anyone could sit there, making the three girls who followed her chuckle upon sitting down.

“You were like a rampaging bull!” Brie teases with a grin.

Laia didn’t bother restraining a smile. “I just wanted us to get a table,”

“Babe, you didn’t have to,” Vivi flashes a smirk and subtly points at a nearby guy who brightens at the sight of her. “He got it covered.”

“Who’s that?” Shane asks, checking out the guy briefly before returning her attention back to her friends and making a “meh” face.

Vivi flips her hair. Laia wondered what her shampoo was. “A guy who likes me, I think,”

“You think?” Brie turns towards the guy who was still looking at Vivi without an ounce of embarrassment. “He’s still looking at you, by the way.”

“Ah,” Vivi makes a shooing motion with her hand. The guy’s eyes widened and left immediately. “There, no more,”

“Do you have a lot of guys who reserve tables for you?” Laia asks with genuine curiosity.

Vivi cocks her head to the side as if she was thinking. “I guess? Most of them are my acquaintances so–”

“Pizza for Shane and ramen for Vi,” Jake suddenly appears behind the girls he mentioned and placed the plates in front of them before sitting beside Vivi. “They didn’t have pizzas with cheese filling, though,”

Brie looks up. “They didn’t?”

Jake’s eyes widened at being addressed directly by Brie but regained composure quickly. “Yeah. They only had the ones without,”

“Boring!” Vivi complains even if she didn’t even order a pizza.

Laia can relate. She also complains about everything, albeit only in her mind.

“Where’s Samuel?” Shane bites into her pizza.

Jake turned towards the cashier. “He’s still waiting for Laia’s grilled cheese,”

“My– what?”

“Your grilled cheese,” Jake repeats. “You wanted one, remember?”

“Were you kidding?” Vivi asks with an evil grin.

Shane hits her with her plastic fork. “Laia wouldn’t lie about that!”

“Chill, Sha,” Vivi returns her attention to Laia who was already on the verge of either laughing or feeling bad about the asshat who she thinks had been standing by the cashier for fifteen minutes already instead of eating already. “Laia?”

“I don’t think Sammy will be mad,” Brie tries to reassure Laia with a smile. “I think.”

That wasn’t very reassuring.

Laia sees the asshat walking towards them with a tray.

And an obvious frown on his face.

Brie’s words were definitely not reassuring at all.

The asshat places Laia’s plate of one grilled cheese sandwich in front of her with a grunt. “Here’s your expensive ass sandwich,”

“Expensive–”

“I paid for it,” The asshat cuts her off. “Consider it charity,”

Brie elbows him the moment he sat on her side. “Don’t be rude, Sammy. Laia didn’t ask you to pay for her sandwich, anyway,”

“That’s true,” Vivi adds after slurping the noodles from her ramen. “She doesn’t need you to pay for anything, and we girls can absolutely pay–,”

The asshat raised both his hands in the air. “No need to go all about misogyny and all, Vi. I know that gleam on your eye when you’re about to launch a one hour monologue about–”

“You asshole!” Vivi smacks him in the head.

Shane giggles. “Do you guys remember when Vi did that speech about how, as she quote, we should get rid of patriarchy, in front of our teacher who was definitely a believer of the patriarchy system?”

“Oh, fill me in with the details,” The asshat leaned in closer.

Vivi laughs. “I still remember how he could barely keep his butt on the chair and wait for me to finish!”

Sometimes Laia forgets how they have been classmates since freshmen year, with the exception of the asshat, of course.

It’s sometimes both terrifying and exciting to think of how time quickly passes people by.

“When I was finally done with my speech which was amazing by the way,” Vivi once again flips her hair, making her companions laugh at her confidence. “He made me sit down on my chair and started having a monologue of his own regarding the importance of keeping the traditions alive and all I could think about that moment was to choke him!”

“Vivi!” Brie’s eyes widened.

“I swear!” Vivi laughs even more before lowering her voice to a whisper. “You didn’t hear it from me, but the recording I sent of his monologue was definitely one of the reasons why he got fired!”

“He got fired?” Laia asks after biting from her sandwich, which tasted good.

Great, actually, except for its price which Laia didn’t want to know.

“Yeah,” Shane replies for Vivi who was slurping her noodles again. “I heard he’s not even allowed to nearby schools after his whole monologue.”

“What year did that happen?” The asshat asks. Laia only noticed how he didn’t even buy anything for himself except for a can of cola.

She didn’t say anything about it, though.

“Sophomore?” Brie turns to her friends who nodded. “Yeah, sophomore year.”

“My sophomore year was definitely bad compared to yours,” The asshat shook his head in distaste. “Worst year, even,”

“Care to tell why?” Vivi asks.

The asshat clasped his hands together and started talking.