(Elias)
By lunchtime, Luca, Jackson, and I finally got a chance to hang out. It didn’t take long to notice that Jackson wasn’t in the best mood, he barely said a word. Whispers were already circling the school, rumors that he’d punched some kid for running his mouth about Avery. Honestly, I couldn’t blame him, because I would have done the same thing.
Avery was trying to include him in our conversation, but he was so spaced out that it was like he wasn’t even sitting with us. His eyes kept drifting across the cafeteria, jaw tight, shoulders tense. I could tell his mind was somewhere else, probably replaying whatever went down this morning. Luca and I exchanged a look, both of us silently agreeing not to push him.
Still, the longer the silence stretched, the more awkward it felt. Avery’s
