Page 30 of Ashes and Lilies
I thought I’d been prepared for this consequence.
“S-sorry,” I interrupted her, apologizing. From experience, I knew that arguing would only make things worse. My hands shook as I tried to mop up the mess with the few napkins I had. “Give me a minute, I’ll—”
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” a polite, feminine voice cut into the conversation, and I bit my lip as I glanced up.
Sure enough, Jiayi Chou stood nearby in her signature frilly black dress and red flats. Her red-streaked hair was curled away from her face, framing her expression as she leveled a chastising glare at the blonde.
She returned Jiayi’s look with equal amounts of disdain. “What are you doing here?”
Jiayi raised her eyebrow as her vision lazily trailed over the other girl. She tilted her head. “Heather Rais,” she began, and theblonde was startled, seemingly surprised that Jiayi knew her name. “Please explain why, when I’ve arrived to have lunch with my roommate, I must witness you back to your antics?”
“You have a roommate?” The blonde—Heather—sputtered. But she regained her ground quickly enough. “She started it. This is our table. My parents have paid good money for—”
“There are no assigned tables.” Jiayi strolled past the three of them and put her bag on the chair across from mine. “Now go away and start mischief elsewhere.”
Heather and the two others looked at each other. They appeared to be on the cusp of an argument, but something about Jiayi’s presence held them back. Then, to my utmost surprise, they turned and left.
Jiayi sat down and, without looking at me, used her handkerchief to clean up the rest of the spilled liquid. Once finished, she proceeded to unpack her tiny lunch.
I was too stunned to do anything besides sink back into my seat.
“T-thank you,” I said, my voice faint as I toyed with the edge of my braid. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I was grateful.
“You shouldn’t allow people to push you around. It makes you look weak, especially when it’s someone on their level,” Jiayi replied, organizing her lunch into little piles. “When are you coming back?”
“Soon, I think,” I replied. “I have a few loose ends to tie up on my job.”
Should I explain the ghost to her? Would she understand?
She was probably relishing her freedom without me. “I’m sorry,” I added.
There was a brief silence, and I raised my gaze. Jiayi was looking at me with a curious expression. “Why are you sorry?”
“Because you have the room to yourself,” I told her. “And I’ll be back to being in your way.”
She hummed, picking up one of her finger sandwiches. “You’re very strange.”
How was I strange? I looked toward the double doors. Where was Miles?
“Why are you here now anyway?” she asked, wiping her mouth with a dainty lace handkerchief. “You usually don’t meet Finn until dinner. Are you two eating earlier?”
I stopped looking toward the door and glanced at her. I had no idea she’d noticed.
Had I ever told her Finn’s name? I didn’t remember.
“No.” I looked down. Regardless, the mention of my ex-best friend dampened my mood. I should probably forewarn her, just in case Finn showed up looking for me.
“Finn and I aren’t friends anymore,” I informed her. “He did something… bad. So, if you see him around, you don’t have to be nice to him.”
In fact, I hoped that she wouldn’t be.
“That’s a shame,” Jiayi mused. “Hopefully it’s a misunderstanding. You said that you’d been friends for ten years. That’s a long time.”
My heart, which had previously settled, jumped into my throat.
“Our entire relationship was based on a lie,” I whispered, unable to focus on her anymore. “I can’t forget that.”
She responded a short moment later. “Well, if that’s true, then he must be an awful person. Did he tell you why he lied?”
