“But he said he’d text me today,” Lexi pouts. I peel my gaze away from their table, focusing back on my best friend. The two of them are so cute together it’s practically nauseating. Their heads are bent close together, whispering to each other. As always, the new couple looks to be lost in their own world.

Mackenzie Brown, Sean's girlfriend, is also in the table with them. The number of times he did in the past week alone makes me want to claw my eyes out. Otherwise, he would’ve caught me staring. He's sitting with his best friends Sean Murphy and Brandt Thomas, along with a few guys, laughing and showing off those damn dimples. Staring at him, a familiar ache twists in my chest. My eyes have already betrayed me, straying back to his table, for the third time since I walked into the cafeteria. So I’m taking a break.Īnd the cause of all of that? Well, he’s right across the room.īut it’s too late. I can’t be around them in both conditions, or else, I’ll just mess up. But what can I do? I’m distracted and miserable these days. I miss the kids I teach and look after a few nights a week. But if someone asks me what those projects are, I’ll probably draw a blank.Įven my usually thriving babysitting-slash-tutoring job is currently on a hiatus. As the president of the Community Service Club, I should be on top of our latest projects. I can’t count the times I’ve been called on by my teachers for answers only to end up staring blankly at them.ĭon’t even get me started on my extracurricular and after-school activities. I find it hard to concentrate in my classes. My grades are dropping and I’m in danger of failing.

Pathetic, but my health isn’t the only thing suffering. But I just can’t force myself to gain my appetite back. A few pounds more and I’ll be dangerously close to being skinny. It’s to the point that when I checked my weight this morning, I realized I’ve lost almost ten pounds. My appetite has been low for more than a month now. We’re having lunch at the cafeteria but I can barely manage to eat. She’s been complaining about her college boyfriend since this morning, so I just tune her out and continue playing with the fries on my plate. Do you think he’s going to break up with me?” Lexi Santiago, my best friend, whines from across the table.

To Arya, Sansa and Ollie, we miss you every day… Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. The characters in this book are entirely fictional. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Kiss and Make Up by Madeleine Labitan