GRIFFIN eyed Felix's anxious face suspiciously, then turned to Mal, who was glaring at him.

"Griffin, leave him alone," she muttered angrily, then turned to hold her boyfriend's hand.

"And what about your parents? Where are they?"

That hit Felix like a locomotive.

And Mal knew exactly why.

However, Griffin didn't know why, and neither did Diego, nor Ava, who came to sit with them about ten minutes before.

"My... P-Parents?" Felix repeated slowly as if he was still absorbing the question.

"Griffin, stop!" Mal muttered, a little louder this time. She was shocked to see Griffin acting like that, but then again, she knew why he was acting like that in the first place.

Griffin was jealous.

And Mal didn't like it.

"What, I'm just trying to start a conversation! Isn't that what you told me? To be nice?"

"That is not nice! You know exactly what you're doing, Griffin, and you need to stop-"

"No, no, it's fine, babe." Felix began suddenly, a little more confidence filled his inside, "My parents are back in Australia. They have work, you know?"

He knew what Griffin was trying to do. And he didn't want him to win.

"Yeah. Got it." Griffin sent the boy a fake smile, then turned to Mal, then wrapped his arm around her torse yet again.

"Griffin, that's enough," she muttered again, angrily sending him a death glare.

"I... I have to go," Felix began, a sad, broken expression over his face. He got up from his seat and hurried out of the cafeteria.

"Felix!" Mal called out to him. Only to be met by silence.

He was gone already.

Mal immediately got up, slightly taken aback by what just happened.

"Griffin, why would you do that?!" Ava exclaimed, getting up as well.

Griffin stared up at them. "Do what? I was trying to do what you told me to do. Be nice, remember? It's not my fault he's so fucking sensitive!"

Mal looked down at the ceramic floor, her heart aching a little at his words.

For all she knew, Felix wasn't sensitive.

He had a great reason.

Griffin, however, would never know that. Because he wasn't interested in Felix.

He was only interested in making Felix seem worthless in front of Mal.

Mal looked at her best friend up and down, clearly disgusted by the scene. "You don't know what you're talking about, Gluck."

She sighed heavily, disappointed, then turned around to leave the cafeteria. She realized that she wasn't hungry that much after all.

Ava called her name one more time, then turned to her friend. "What did you just do? The guy is new here, you shouldn't treat him like that!"

"Oh, I don't care! He has to know who's the one in control here. Me!"

At his sentence, people around the cafeteria began whispering and muttering to each other, making Griffin turn around.

"All of you, shut the hell up!" he yelled loudly, causing the place to go silent almost immediately. He turned around again, sitting back on the table as if nothing had happened.

"Sit down, Ava. Don't make a big deal out of everything."

Ava rolled her eyes and sat down again, making sure to leave a space between her and the two boys.

"And why are you so silent, Diego? Your friend here just upset Mal's new boyfriend!" she exclaimed. Before Diego could respond, Griffin turned his head to her and sent her a glare.

"Don't call him that." he stared into nothing dramatically as he informed, "He's just a phase."

That made both Diego and Ava roll their eyes.

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