The walk to the cafeteria couldn't have been more uncomfortable.

Wren had made sure to invite Tyler and Angelese to sit with us just as she had promised the other day, so there we were, all wrapped up in a sheet of awkwardness and tied up in a ribbon of "kill me now" as we made our way towards the Caf. I stuffed my hands in my pockets, trying my best to avert all eye contact from Angelese. Wren served as a wall between us as we walked, which Angelese didn't hesitate to peer over multiple times.

"Where's Tyler?" Wren asked out of the blue, popping the bubble silence consuming us. She flicked her eyes towards me momentarily, waiting on a response. But before I could shrug or let alone reply, she turned her head towards Angelese, dismissing my gaze completely with a playful grin.

After receiving her notebook from me this morning, she was practically beaming today. It was a nice thing to see to say the least, like another piece of her had been restored.

"He's uh, just helping out a friend," she replied, a little more flustered than usual.

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at her, snapping my head to the side the moment Wren noticed my little too prominent look of disbelief. She shot me a shy smile, a playful twinkle lingering in her bright hazel eyes.

"Alright then," she chirped, the undertone of her words reflecting my suspicion. As we entered the cafeteria, Wren slid into the end of the lunch line, snatching a bright red plastic tray from the tall pile at the end of the long metal racks extending from the front of the line.

I stole an uneasy glance at her, a signal to which she didn't seem to understand at all.

"Are you also buying lunch?" she asked instead, replying to my cry of help with a mere smile. She leaned over to grab another plastic tray, suddenly beckoning for Angelese to take it.

She simply shook her head, her light green eyes almost seeming to be pleading for something as turned to face me. I quickly shot my head to the side, focusing on Wren instead.

"Is it alright if you grab a table while I get some food?" Wren asked, suddenly flicking her hazel eyes towards me. I squirmed awkwardly in my spot, my mouth opening and closing as I tried to formulate a thoughtful sentence to express "no thanks", in the least offensive way possible. And given the circumstance, and my inability to "think fast", that was practically impossible.

To my luck, a girl, who was wearing a baby pink hijab, tapped me on the shoulder, drawing the attention from me to her. I recognized her as the girl who told me about Wren's locker the first time that incident came along.

"Are you in line?" she asked, making a show out of the bright red tray in her hands. Her dark brown eyes flicked from Angelese to me, and soon enough, I found myself wanting to grab a lunch from the Caf.

"No, go ahead!" Angelese suddenly blurted out, discreetly pulling my arm towards her. I stumbled at the unexpected motion, earning a look of concern from Wren. Her eyebrows knitted as she turned towards me, her lips parting for a moment before closing once more. I took a step away from Angelese, pulling away from her grasp.

"We're gonna go find a table!" she exclaimed, pulling me towards her once more as she began walking away. Without thinking, I slid out of her grasp, finding my back already turned to Wren.

Angelese led me to an empty table near the massive windows of the cafeteria, watching me carefully with her big green puppy-eyes. I remained silent, making sure to turn away from her completely as I unzipped my backpack.

"Vince, you can't ignore me forever." she pleaded. "You have to talk to me."

I simply shook my head at her, letting out a small sigh as I brought out the jam sandwich I made for myself this morning. I should've just decided to buy lunch today.

"Vince, please, it shouldn't end like this, I'm sorry you know." Her voice was weak as she spoke, her words faltering as if she was on the edge of tears.

Not wanting to make a girl cry, again, I finally brought my chin up, lifting my gaze to meet her pale green eyes, yearning for sympathy. It took a lot to not get up and walk away then and there.

"I don't see what there needs to be said, you've already done enough Angelese." I said, taking a bite of my sandwich. Upon my words, Angelese's expression twisted into a look of pure shock.

"What do you mean?"

I took a deep breath, letting out a long sigh as I took another bite, ready to leave if need be.

"For starters, you bullied Wren, stole her notebook, and gave her this false sense of security of being someone who actually cared about her. Then, you went on, to say how she deserved everything that happened to her, even though she had no control over it. Yet, here you are, acting as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. I don't see why I need to explain how wrong that is morally."

Angelese simply stared at me in silence, her lips quivering as she attempted to retaliate.

"I-I don't care," she retorted, adjusting the bridge of her glasses, "Why don't you think about how I feel in this situation?"

I quickly lowered my head, stopping myself from gaping at her.

"I'm not comparing your experiences with hers, I'm just-"

"Wait, did you tell her?" she cut in, her eyes wide with fear. I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows at her in response, not even bothering to shield my annoyance.

"Is that the only thing you're concerned over?" I asked, my words glazed with frustration. "You thought that that pain that you've caused to Wren wouldn't have any consequences?"

Angelese flinched as if my words had delivered a physical blow to her chest. She opened her mouth to defend herself, only finding herself to be cut off by my words.

"I didn't tell Wren anything yet," I declared, throwing my sandwich back into my lunch bag. I tossed back inside my backpack, swinging my legs over the table bench. "Because I was hoping that you would own up to your mistakes, and tell Wren what happened yourself."

Just as I rose from my seat, Wren appeared out of thin air, balancing her lunch tray on the surface of her palm, just by her head. She gracefully placed two packets of cookies, packaged in a clear plastic wrap, on to the table, bending her knees and dipping her head in an elegant bow.

"I figured you guys may have wanted something from the Cafeteria, so I bought cookies," she announced, flaunting a little twirl before taking a seat herself. I couldn't help but smile at her actions, feeling the once prominent wave of irritation dissipate into thin air.

"Uh, thanks," I muttered, grabbing a package off the table. "How much do I owe you?"

Wren simply shook her head, a bright smile still dancing over her lips.

"Nothing!" she assured me, her smile only growing wider on her face, "By the way, where are you heading?"

In my peripheral vision, I could see Angelese's nervous gaze fixed on me intently, to which I dismissed without hesitation.

"I forgot I needed to hand in an assignment," I muttered, not even sounding convinced myself. The look on Wren's face told me that she didn't buy it, but, she nodded her head nonetheless.

"Can't you eat lunch first before you leave?" Angelese suddenly cried out, her eyes still pleading for me to stay. She looked guilty, like a desperate prisoner waiting for me to bail her out.

"No, it's urgent."

I couldn't help but notice the conflicted look over Wren face as I turned away, something that didn't exactly sit too well with me either. Deciding to keep it to myself, I walked straight out of the cafeteria, letting out a sigh of relief the moment I did.

Suddenly, as I made my way up the stairs, I was stopped by a tall figure, with a bright yellow beanie hugging his head. So much so, that I hardly even noticed the blonde dreadlocks peering out over his forehead.

"Hey man, can we talk?"