CHAPTER 44: ARE YOU DATING?

I scooped up a forkful of cafeteria mac and cheese, the kind that’s more glue than food, and glanced at Nina across the table. She was picking at her salad, her eyes still bright from laughing about Selma and Becky’s Mean Girls audition.

My brain kept replaying that moment in class where I’d swooped in to save her from the clique trap. It felt good, but also... maybe too much?

"Was that, uh, okay?" I asked, my fork hovering mid-air. "Me jumping in like that? With Selma and Becky?"

She looked up, her head tilting slightly, a leaf of lettuce dangling from her fork. "Okay? Kofi, it was awesome." Her voice was firm, no trace of her usual teasing. "I was drowning back there. They were trying to rope me into some dumb party I’d rather die than go to. You were my lifeline."

I felt my face heat up and shoved the mac and cheese in my mouth to hide it. "Cool," I mumbled through the bite, hoping I didn’t sound as awkward as I felt. Her saying that made my chest feel weirdly tight, like I’d done something that actually mattered.

She grinned, leaning forward a bit. "You’re getting good at this whole ’pillar’ thing, you know. Saving me from social disasters. Maybe I should get you a cape."

I snorted, almost choking on the cheesy mush. "Yeah, right. I’d trip over it and end up in the hospital again."

She laughed, loud enough that a few kids at nearby tables glanced over. "So funny, no capes then. But seriously though, thanks. I mean it."

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything without sounding like a total dork. My eyes wandered around the cafeteria, trying to focus on something else before my face caught fire again.

That’s when I spotted her—Ruby, Jake’s crush, weaving between tables with a tray in her hands. She looked lost, her eyes scanning for an empty spot but not landing anywhere. Her shoulders were hunched, like she was trying to make herself smaller.

’Guess she doesn’t want to sit with strangers,’ I thought, my brain flicking to Jake’s hopeless puppy eyes whenever she was around. The guy was a nervous wreck about her, and I’d promised to help him. This could be a chance to gather some of that "battlefield data" I’d been preaching about.

"Hey, Nina," I said, nodding toward Ruby. "Is it cool if we call Ruby over? She looks like she’s struggling to find a spot."

She followed my gaze, then shrugged, her smile easy. "Yeah, sure. The more the merrier, right?"

I hesitated for half a second, wondering if this was a dumb move. Ruby was shy, and I barely knew her beyond Jake’s ramblings about her claw machine skills and that history project. But the system mission to help Jake was still active, and I wasn’t about to let mild social anxiety stop me. Not today.

"Ruby!" I called, loud enough to cut through the cafeteria noise but not so loud I sounded like a desperate weirdo. At least, I hoped not.

Ruby’s head snapped up, her dark ponytail swinging. Her eyes locked on me, wide and a little startled. For a second, I thought she might bolt, but then she gave a small wave and started walking over, her tray wobbling slightly in her hands.

"Hey," she said as she reached our table, her voice soft but clear. She glanced between me and Nina, her cheeks faintly pink. "Uh, is it okay if I sit here?"

"Totally," Nina said, scooting over to make room. "We’re not, like, a secret club or anything. Pull up a chair."

Ruby smiled, a quick, shy thing, and set her tray down. She had a sandwich and a bottle of water, nothing fancy. "Thanks. It’s just... kind of crowded today."

"No kidding," I said, glancing around at the packed cafeteria. "It’s like a boss fight in here just to find a seat."

Ruby blinked at me, then let out a small laugh, her shoulders relaxing a bit. "Yeah, exactly. Like trying to clear a level with no checkpoints."

My eyebrows shot up. ’Did she just... make a gaming reference?’ I shot a quick glance at Nina, who was smirking like she knew exactly what I was thinking.

"Nice one," I said, leaning back in my chair. "Didn’t know you were into games."

Her cheeks went pink again, poking at her sandwich. "I mean, a little. Mostly stuff like Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley. Nothing hardcore."

"That’s cool," Nina chimed in, her voice bright. "I tried Animal Crossing once, but I got way too stressed about paying off my house loan to a raccoon."

Ruby laughed again, louder this time, and I could practically hear Jake’s voice in my head going, ’She’s got this little dimple when she really smiles.’ There it was, right on her left cheek. The guy wasn’t wrong.

"So, uh," I said, trying to keep the conversation going without making it obvious I was fishing for info. "You usually sit alone or...?"

She shrugged, her eyes on her tray. "Sometimes. I don’t really have a set group. I just kind of... float."

"Floating’s not bad," Nina said, her tone casual but kind. "But you’re welcome to hang with us anytime. Right, Kofi?"

"Yeah," I said, maybe a bit too fast. "Totally." I was already thinking about how to relay this to Jake without sounding like a creep who’d been studying Ruby’s lunch habits.

"Thanks," she said, her smile a little less shy now. "That’s really nice of you guys."

We ate in comfortable silence for a minute, the cafeteria noise filling the gaps. I was trying to figure out how to steer the conversation toward something Jake could use—like, did Ruby like history projects in general, or was it just the Egypt one?

Then all of a sudden Ruby leaned forward, her ponytail swinging slightly. "So, uh... are you two, like... a thing? Dating or something?"

Dead silence.

My fork froze mid-air, a chunk of mac and cheese dangling precariously. Nina’s eyes widened, her lettuce slipping off her fork. Ruby’s cheeks turned pink, like she just realized she’d lobbed a grenade into our lunch.

I choked—literally. A piece of cheesy mush lodged in my throat. I coughed hard, grabbing my water bottle. Nina’s hand shot out, patting my back, but she was biting her lip, clearly trying not to laugh. Ruby looked mortified, her hands twisting around her water bottle.

"Oh my god, I’m so sorry!" She squeaked, her voice barely audible over my hacking. "I didn’t mean—I just thought—"

"It’s fine," I wheezed, finally swallowing the offending bite. My face was probably redder than the cafeteria’s mystery meat. "We’re, uh... not—"

"—dating," Nina finished, her voice smooth but with a teasing edge. She leaned back, crossing her arms, her grin returning. "Just friends. Right, Kofi?"

"Yeah," I said, way too fast, my voice cracking like I was 13 again. I shot her a glance, and her eyes were sparkling with mischief, like she was enjoying my suffering.

Ruby exhaled, her shoulders relaxing. "Okay, cool. I just... you guys seem really close. Sorry, that was super awkward."

"Nah, it’s all good," Nina said, waving it off. Her foot nudged mine under the table, and I nearly jumped. "Kofi’s just my designated hero, saving me from mean girls"

I looked at her, man, this girl.