People learn to love their chains.
                        -🐉Mother of Dragons🐉
       
       💎This chapter is dedicated to the ever supportive The_anonymous_lady .
       Courtney listened attentively to Kate as they headed to the dining hall. " OMG! You should have seen Tina's face! She was beet root." The aroma of freshly baked goods invaded their noses before they even turned the corner.
    "Good afternoon Mrs.T. Do you have that thing you call Truman special on today's menu? I am so craving for some!"
   "Good afternoon to you too darling. I do have some of that for my special customer."
    "Well then, we will take two servings,each." Kate pointedly looked at her best friend. Last time she ordered that, Courtney didn't know what it was so declined to take it. Turns out, she liked it after all so she ended up finishing off the two servings of the rich dish from Kate's plate.
    " Oh come on,Katy! You sure hold on grudges for someone so happy go lucky. It was last year! Drop it already."
     "No I won't. You don't mess with my food and expect me to just let go." Kate shot back stubbornly as she scanned for a space to enjoy her meal.  She heard Courtney muttering something which sounded suspiciously like such a drama queen. She was about to sass back when she saw the person she had nearly forgotten sitting all alone with only the pile of good food as a company.
    "Ooo, there is Zara. Let's sit by her. She is alone right now." Kate dragged a protesting Courtney to the bench seats Zara occupied in solitary.
    "Mind if we sit here?"
       Shrug.
"So. You must be the new student. My name is Kate."
   Zara looked up to the invader of a much needed quiet lunch. It was in the form of a girl with features as soft as a baby and an angel combined. Here I thought I gave off a demonic aura to keep them away. Guess opposites do attract after all.
   "Nice."
    "And this here is Courtney."
  "Okay" Doesn't she get a hint?
   Courtney was watching the exchange quietly. What a bitch. So she thinks she is better than us. Kate, please, let her be. I know you have thick skin and an even thicker patience. Trust me if she is like this, we aren't missing out on much, she is.
    " So Kate, have you heard from Hannah?"
    "Nope. But I am pretty sure she is in that vacation home of hers with her mom. I heard her mention it when we hang out last month."
    "When is she coming back?"
    " I dunno."
      "Well, I hope she stays wherever the hell she is."
      "Courts please. Why don't you just give her a chance?"
     "Because I see what you don't. She doesn't deserve a friend like you. A lot of people don't deserve your kindness. You are such a generous soul." Her eyes darted towards Zara. The girl was in her own world. Wow. She sure is going out of her way to be disliked.
   Kate saw what her friend was trying to do. But she wasn't going to let her succeed. She was about to attempt a conversation with Zara when a deep masculine voice interrupted her.
      "May I join you beautiful ladies?"
Kate and Courtney both looked up with wide eyes. Light brown eyes filled with amusement, thin lips tugged upwards from the right side, sandy blonde hair with streaks of brown here and there that looked like fingers had been run through one too many times and a body just like an Abercrombie model's, that's what they saw while Zara just saw an ever annoying Nathanael.
     "I will take that as an okay." He sat himself beside Zara with his legs propped at either side of the bench when the silence stretched on.
     "What are you eating, my favorite girl in the whole wide world?"
     Kate's eyes got much wider if that was possible and Courtney's left eyebrow arched upwards and she sat leaning on her arms which were crossed above the table.
    "What do you want?"
   "Geez. Who pissed in your cereal this morning?"
   Zara shoved the food in her mouth quickly yet gracefully which was a rather difficult combo to pull off. The plate was clear in no time. "Excuse me but I have places I need to be."
      She stood from the table just as gracefully and went away.
    Both girls were struck in awe. They looked back at Nathanael as if inquiring of Zara's behavior but he just shrugged. Kate took a gulp from her bottle to wet her throat.
  "Don't mind her. She gets like this when she is on her period."
    Water spluttered out of Kate's nose and mouth and she coughed violently while Courtney chewed the inside of her cheeks to refrain from barking out a laugh.
   "Are you okay?" Nathanael's hands shot out towards Kate and hesitated before finally resting on her shoulders, shaking her a bit. Courtney thumped her fist on her friend's back repeatedly until she cooled down.
    "I am sorry. It was a bad joke on my part."
  "It's fine. I am fine."
"Oh, okay. I will be going now. I just wanted to see what Zara was up to.  "
He then walked away, much like the way that his sister had.
               ~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~|~
      "Hey beautiful, I heard you are new and I am taking it upon myself to introduce you to everyone. So what do you say, wanna come over to my party later? We will get to know each other plus I am pretty sure we have Chemistry together." Zara stilled in her pose where she was taking things out of locker to leave the school. She sucked in a deep breath and her heartbeat sped up. She had gone far too much to let this little thing get in her way. She stayed where she was until she was sure she could do it.
   "Not interested."
     "Now come on you don't have to be like this. I just want to get to know you."
   She straightened up and turned to give the blue-eyed quarterback a cold look.
   " I said I am not interested. Goodbye." She turned on her heels to leave but a strong hand seized her shoulder. She moved from under his grip so fast as if his hand scorched her.
   She met his eyes again, this time with fire and hatred shooting out of hers.
     "Don't ever, I mean ever lay your hand on me again."
He raised his hands in mock surrender.
"Okay,sheesh! Chill out."
  "Luke Harrington report to the detention supervisor immediately."
  "Dammit, I totally forgot about that. Duty calls. See you around." He added,"Never mind." When he saw her expression and
left.
    Zara surveyed the parking lot and finally was satisfied when she saw her brother's electric blue Mustang before she got into her own car. She swiped out her phone from her pocket and typed a quick message to her brother.
      I won't be around for dinner. Tell mum not to wait up. I will be home at 10.
   She backed out of her parking spot drove,away from her house and to the other side of town.
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   Where is Zara going now? Well, y'all need to flap your wings for more. I really do appreciate people voting and commenting. A big shoutout to ocelot101 for your intrigue. I will be grateful for accepting my work so easily.