Billionaires Don’t Fall For Awkward Girls by Emma Dalton
Chapter Fifteen
Today is an amazing day. Because my mom made lasagna for lunch. You haven’t lived unless you’ve tasted my mom’s lasagna. Some of the kids at school—not pointing fingers at the cheerleaders or anything—turn up their noses because of all those calories, but you know something? A girl’s gotta splurge now and then. Especially where my mom’s lasagna is concerned. Which is why I count down the hours until it’s lunchtime.
The other kids must smell it too because the lunch line is as long as a river. Kara, Charlie, and Ally are already seated at our table enjoying their lasagna—I don’t know how they manage to get their food so fast. I would ask them to get me a plate so I won’t have to wait in line like this, but my daily exchange with my mom is so important to me. Even if we barely say anything to each other, it’s enough to just smile at her.
“Oh my gosh, just look at her,” a girl behind me says with a disgusted laugh. “She probably eats half the food before serving it to the students.”
“You are what you eat,” her friend says. “Just because she eats that crap, it doesn’t mean she should throw it on us. Does she want us to look like her one day?”
“She’s trying to get us to be as fat as her!” the first girl says with a giggle. “Probably to make herself feel better.”
“Seriously, ever heard of self-control? She’s a walking heart attack. She’ll probably drop dead before she makes it to sixty.”
Tears gather in my eyes as I watch my mom happily place a lasagna chunk on an eager freshmen’s tray and wishes him a good day. Good thing she’s far from us and doesn’t hear what these girls are saying.
“We should complain to the school,” the second girl says. “This is so wrong. Good thing they offer salads here.”
“I heard she cleans people’s houses. Like, how poor is she? Ugh, can you imagine something as disgusting as that touching your things?” She shivers. “Just having her in my house would be a complete nightmare.”
“Good thing fatness isn’t contagious.”
“Of course it is! She’s trying to spread her germs right now.”
They both giggle.
“She probably lives all alone with like twelve cats. How pathetic.”
I whirl around to the girls, glowering at them.
“What’s your problem?” the first girl says.
“She…she…”
“What?” the second girl says.
“She…did nothing to you…”
“What is this loser saying?” she asks her friend. “Can you even talk, freak?”
“She’s nice!” I force the words out.
Both girls’ eyebrows rise and then they burst into giggles. “Ignore her. Maybe she’ll go away.” They start talking about something else.
“I often wonder how there could be such rotten people in the world,” a male voice says.
I look up and find Easton standing behind them, glaring down at Tweedledum and Tweedledee like they’re nothing but a speck of dust on the floor.
The first girl stares at him like she can’t believe he’s talking to her. “What did you just say?”
“Did that woman offend you in any way?” he asks, tilting his head toward Mom.
The girls exchange a glance. “No, but—”
“Exactly. That woman? One of the kindest people I’ve ever met. She works hard to prepare food for ungrateful kids like you. She always wears a smile on her face and cares about the welfare of the students here. Only terrible, miserable people would talk crap about her behind her back. And by the way, she has a loving husband and daughter who think the world of her. So the next time you want to say something awful about her? Don’t.”
He pushes past them, then stops and turns to me. His eyes collide with mine for less than two seconds before he storms out of the cafeteria.
I blink after him. What just happened?
“Oh my gosh, can you believe him?” one of the girls hisses to the other. “What’s his problem?”
“Maybe he has a thing for old fat women?”
They both giggle.
“You know something? Screw this. Let’s go out to eat.” They step away from the line and disappear out of the cafeteria.
The only thing racing in my head is what happened a minute ago. Have I really fallen into an alternate reality? Did Easton Knight—my sworn enemy—just stand up for my mom?
“Hello, little lady.” Mom winks when I reach the front of the line. “Let me guess…one large helping of lasagna!”
I force a smile as she places it on my tray. “Thanks.”
She winks again. “Enjoy.”
My head is still racing with those thoughts as I absentmindedly make my way to my table and lower myself near Charlie.
“He has the ultimate power,” Ally is in the middle of saying. “Time travel. He has the choice to go back in time and save one of two people. His brother and best friend, who died when they were teenagers, or his wife, the love of his life. And remember, the guy is like seventy and has lived a life of loneliness and misery because he lost the two people who meant the world to him.”
Charlie taps her fork against her plate. “So either save his brother and lose out on love, or save his love and lose his best friend...”
“Why can’t he save both?” Kara asks.
“It’ll screw up the future. By saving both people he loves, it’ll cause a world war and the apocalypse. He’s traveled to the future and saw it.”
Kara frowns. “This book is too depressing.”
“But so intriguing!” Charlie says. “I can’t wait for book club so we can discuss it more.” Her eyes flick to me. “Dani, did you have a chance to read the book?”
My head is still stuffed with thoughts of Easton and what just happened.
“You okay, Dani?” Ally asks. “You haven’t even touched your lasagna.”
“That’s a sin!” Kara says.
“Dani?” Ally places her hand on my arm. “Did something happen?”
“I’m so confused.”
“About what?” Kara asks.
“Easton.”
“Not again,” Charlie groans.
“No, no. This is different. He…” I glance back at Mom and find her grinning as she places two slices of lasagna on a kid’s tray. “He was different.”
“What?” they ask.
I shift a little in my seat. “Have any of you…I mean, you know kids make fun of my mom, right?”
“No,” Kara says with wide, shocked eyes. “What do you mean?”
I cut off a bit of my lasagna and bring it to my mouth. “Because of her size and everything.”
“They make fun of her?” Charlie asks, sitting up like she wants to charge at someone. “Who does that? I’ll give them a piece of my mind!”
“I always try to stick up for her, but…I don’t know. I freeze up. I feel so intimidated by girls like that.”
Ally rests her hand on mine. “I know exactly how you feel.”
I give her a thankful smile. “It hurts so much,” I say, trying to battle my tears. “Every time they say those awful things, I feel like…” My hands fist on my lap. “But I’m too much of a coward.”
“You’re not,” Kara says softly.
“I am. I can’t stick up for someone I love. My tongue gets tied up.”
Ally rubs my arm. “I struggle with it too. It sucks to feel so trapped.”
“Yeah. But today…today someone stuck up for my mom. Easton Knight.”
They all gape at me.
“He told the girls off. No one has ever done anything like that before. And it’s not just today. I saw him talking with my mom last week. Having a real conversation with her and a genuine smile. Everyone else ignores her like she’s wallpaper.”
“So…what does this mean?” Kara asks.
I release a huff. “I don’t know.” I cut off another slice of lasagna and bite into it. “Easton Knight is my sworn enemy. He was so rude to me on the first day of school. He hurt me so badly I didn’t think I could ever get over it or forgive him. Then he stands up for my mom? Like what am I supposed to make of that?”
They’re all quiet as they contemplate this.
“People are multifaceted,” Charlie says. “Just because someone was rude once, it doesn’t mean they’re a rude person. Maybe there was a reason for the way he behaved.”
“Or maybe he just hates me,” I offer.
“Why would he hate you?” Ally asks.
I shrug. “Beats me.”
“Wait, so he knows she’s your mom?” Charlie asks.
“I don’t think so.”
“Where is he now?” Kara asks as she surveys the area.
“He stormed away after he told off the girls.”
“Wow.” Kara falls back in her seat. “At least now those girls won’t make fun of your mom anymore.”
I scoff. “Sure. After Easton stormed out, they accused him of being attracted to old fat women.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s horrible,” Charlie says.
“Some people…” Ally shakes her head.
Tears prick my eyes. I grab a tissue and dab them away.
Charlie puts her arm around me. “We’re here for you, okay?”
“This is why she doesn’t want the students to know she’s my mom. I hate that. I wish I could announce to the world that she’s my mom and I love her. But I’m worried it’ll hurt her more than it’ll hurt me.”
Ally rubs my arm again.
“Screw them,” Charlie says. “Screw every jerk here. You’re a good person and your mom is a good person. All of them could rot.”
I give her a thankful smile. “Thanks for listening, guys. I don’t know what I would do without you. Forming the book club was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
We exchange hugs.