Jeanie grabs his hand as he’s about to leave, shaking her head. “Wait, you’re right.” Her attention moves to me and her eyes narrow. “You leave, Natalya.”
I’m so shocked I stare at her with my mouth open, wondering if she’s being serious. After she doesn’t say another word, staring at me expectantly, I shake my head. “You’ve got to be kidding, right?”
Jeanie shakes her head. “No, Elias wants you to leave, so you should.”
“Jeanie,” Kerry says her name. “We don’t even know this guy.”
“I want to eat with Elias, so Natalya needs to leave.” She glares at me. “Leave.”
I swallow hard, glancing at my two other friends who fall into silence. It feels like they’ve stabbed a hole in my chest and twisted the knife. We’ve been friends for years and suddenly a boy comes along who doesn’t like me and they’re kicking me off our usual table.
Elias smirks cockily at me. “Right, run Gurin. Leave.”
My brow furrows as I wonder how he knows my surname. Jeanie only told him my first name. I grab my lunch tray and stand, glancing once more at the three girls who I’ve been friends with for years. “Pretty fucking low, Jeanie. All because you have the hots for the new kid.”
Elias stands then, baring his teeth at me. “I will run this place and make life hell for Gurin. Leave,” he growls.
As I search his ice-blue eyes, I wonder what I’ve done to inspire hatred from a boy I don’t even know. It’s impossible to understand, so instead of saying another word, I turn away and walk toward an empty table near the back. Once I’m almost at the table, someone calls my name.
“Hey, Natalya.”
I turn to see Adrianna sitting nearby, watching me. I’ve spoken to her briefly in physical education and she’s always been friendly, even if we’re not friends.
“Hey,” I say, clenching my jaw as I try not to let the pain in my chest draw tears. All I really want is to eat fast and go back to my room to sob into my pillow.
“What was that all about?”
I shrug. “New kid doesn’t like me and Jeanie cares more about hot guys than her friend.”
Adrianna pats the seat next to her. “You are welcome to join me, Giorgia, and Camilla.”
I glance at the other two girls sitting at her table, who I’ve never spoken to but know by name.
Camilla smiles at me. “Yeah, that’s pretty shitty what Jeanie just did.”
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and then nod. “Sure, thanks.” I place my tray down on the table and sit next to Adrianna, shifting uncomfortably. “I’m not sure what I did to piss Elias off, to be honest.”
Giorgia shakes her head. “Jeanie’s the one in the wrong. She should have told him to fuck off.”
I smile. “Thanks for letting me eat with you guys.”
“Sure thing.” Camilla’s eyes turn angry. “I hate bullies with a vengeance. Especially Jeanie.” Her jaw clenches slightly. “Even though you’ve been friends with her for years, you never got involved in her antics.”
It’s true. I’ve always been too involved in my studies to be bothered with Jeanie’s constant obsession with school hierarchy and making the new kids feel like shit. However, I’ve never been one to stand against it either.
As I gaze over to the table I’ve sat at since I was eight years old, I notice Jeanie smirking at me as she whispers something to Anita. They all laugh and I feel heat flood through my entire body.
“Assholes,” I mutter.
Adrianna nudges me gently. “Ignore them. You don’t need girls like that in your life.” She clears her throat. “You are welcome to hang out with us whenever you want.”
Camilla raises a brow. “As long as you aren’t too cool for us.”
I shake my head. “Why are you guys being so nice to me when I’ve always hung out with a bully?”
Giorgia shrugs. “Because I can sense a kindred spirit a mile off. It’s a bit of a gift.”
I smile, sensing that I’m going to get on well with all these girls. It’s a shame it’s taken this long for me to speak to them, since they’ve attended this school as long as I have. “So, I don’t really know much about any of you. Where are you all from?”