When Nina finally came back into the classroom, the whole room went quiet again. She walked over to her desk without looking at anyone, but I could feel every single person turn their head to watch her, and then turn to watch me. It was so awkward I wanted to sink into the floor.
'This is my life now, I guess,' I thought. 'The star of the class soap opera.'
I tried to listen to the teacher, I really did. But my brain just wasn't working. My jaw ached every time I moved, and all I could think about was Nina kneeling on the floor next to me. I thought about what she said, about how she considered me a friend. It felt like a puzzle piece I didn't know was missing had just been jammed into place. It explained a lot, but it also made everything way more complicated.
The rest of the class before the break was torture. I just stared at my book, pretending to read. I could feel Nina's presence across the room, and I knew she could probably feel me. It was this weird, tense silence between us, and everyone else was watching, waiting to see what would happen next.
When the bell finally rang for break, I just stayed in my seat. I was not about to get up and give people another reason to stare at me. I just wanted to be invisible.
Nina was at her desk, quietly eating some food she'd brought from home. I was trying really hard not to look at her, but then the classroom door swung open and two girls walked in. They were loud and had that gyaru style. I recognized them as the girls Nina sometimes hung out with. They made a beeline straight for her desk.
"Nina!" one of them said, way too loud. "Oh my god, we came as soon as we saw the texts!"
The other girl slammed her hands down on her desk. "Spill. Right now. We saw the picture of Tyler walking out. Is it true he actually punched that loner kid?"
I flinched. 'I know its true but being called a loner is a bit...'
Nina looked up at her friends, and she did not look happy. "Can you guys please be quiet?" she whispered, glancing around the room. Her eyes flickered over to me for a split second before she looked back at her friends.
"Who cares? This is major," the first girl said, pulling up a chair. "So, does this mean you're finally done with Tyler? Because honestly, him punching a guy is kind of hot in a psycho way, but you can do better."
"I don't want to talk about this," she said, pushing her food around in its container.
Her friend completely ignored her. "Listen, if you're single again, you have to get with Vex from West High. He was asking about you last weekend. He's captain of their soccer team!"
"I told you, Selma I'm not interested," she said, her voice tight.
"Why not?" the other friend, Becky, whined. "You can't be single, that's social suicide. We have to find you a new boyfriend before everyone thinks you got dumped."
I just sat there, listening to them, and it all clicked. This was exactly what Nina had screamed at me about in the hallway. Her friends weren't asking if she was okay, or what happened. They were just trying to push her onto the next guy, like it was some kind of game. They didn't even seem to care how she felt about it.
'So she wasn't lying,' I thought. 'This is real. They really do this to her.'
"I'm not a project you guys need to fix," she said, her voice getting a little louder. "I'm not moving on to the 'next guy.' I'm tired of it."
Selma and Becky just looked at each other, like they couldn't understand what Nina was saying.
"You're just upset right now," Selma said, patting Nina's shoulder. "You'll feel better once you have a new, cute boyfriend to post pictures with. Just think about it, okay? Vex is waiting."
They kept talking for a few more minutes, but Nina just went quiet, staring down at her desk. She didn't say another word to them. Eventually, her friends got bored and left, saying something about meeting up with some other people.
After they were gone, the room was quiet again. I looked over at Nina. She was just sitting there, not eating, with this miserable look on her face. She looked so alone, even though she was one of the most popular girls in school.
And for the first time, I think I actually understood. I got why she was so upset, why she hated that reputation. I felt like a total ass for throwing it in her face yesterday.
I wanted to say something, but what was I supposed to say? 'Hey, sorry your friends are jerks'? That probably wouldn't help. So I just sat there, quiet, watching her from across the room.
A few minutes later, Jake slid into the chair at the desk next to mine again. He leaned in close, like we were co-conspirators in some secret plot.
"Dude," he whispered, his eyes wide. "What the hell was all that about? First Tyler decks you, then Nina's crying over you? You gotta tell me what's going on."
I sighed, rubbing my sore jaw. "It's nothing, man. Just drop it."
"Nothing? Bro, that was not nothing," he insisted, his voice buzzing with excitement. "The whole class is talking. Did you guys break up? Are you her secret boyfriend? Did Tyler find out?"
"We're not anything," I said, my voice probably a little sharper than I meant it to be. "And there's nothing to find out. Just back off, okay?"
I didn't want to talk about this with him. I especially didn't want to talk about what Nina had told me. That felt… private. It wasn't gossip fodder for some guy who clearly got his kicks from other people's drama.
"Whoa, okay, chill," he said, holding his hands up. "I'm just trying to figure it out. You got to admit, it's confusing. One day, you're the quiet kid in the back, the next you're in the middle of a love triangle with one the most popular girls in school."
'Love triangle?' I thought. 'Is that what this looks like to everyone?' The idea was so ridiculous I almost laughed, but it would've hurt my jaw too much.
"There's no love triangle," I said, tired of the whole conversation. "Look, it's complicated, and it's not my story to tell. So just leave it alone."
He was quiet for a second, tapping his fingers on the desk. I could see the wheels turning in his head. He wasn't going to let it go that easily. He was like a dog with a bone.
"Okay, okay, I get it. You don't wanna talk about the drama," he said, shifting his approach. He leaned in even closer, his voice dropping to a serious whisper. "So, just tell me one thing. And be honest, man."
I looked at him, wary. "What?"
He looked me right in the eye. "Do you like her?"
I just stared at him.
"You know," he pressed on, "like, like her like her?"
The question caught me completely off guard. It was like he'd reached into my chest and squeezed something I didn't even know was there. My brain, which had been racing all day with drama and apologies and pain, just… stopped.