6 Self over everything else.

I blinked.

Thrice.

But the man in front of me remained stoic and kept glaring at me.

‘’What is she doing here?’’ He repeated his question. His eyes held the same ferocity as they did yesterday. His sharp jaw was clenched as he fisted his pump.

The guy who brought me here scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, he looked at me and stared back at his friend.

What was his name again?

I remained silent and glared back at the raging beast in front of me. His nose was flaring making him look funny. If it wasn’t for the silent environment around us I would have snorted at him.

Someone cleared their throat making me break my glaring contest with the asshole in front of me.

‘’Dude, who’s this chick?’’ He asked jutting his chin towards me. He had vibrant green eyes and short curly brown hair, and just like the two of his other friends, he had sharp jaws and defined cheekbones

If this was your ‘normal' high school, then they would have been the cliché three heartbreakers.

‘’Guys’’ the person beside me warned calmly, yet there had been an edge there. I understood he was angry. Been there.

‘’Why is she here Justine?’’ The asshole asked as calmly as possible but spat ‘She’ as if I was some disease.

‘’She is my friend’’ He replied clenching his fist.

Oh no.

‘’And what exactly is your little friend’s name?’’ The curly-haired guy asked scanning me from head to toe, making me squirm in place. I felt nauseous.

‘’Luke’’ Justine, I guess that’s his name warned him closing his eyes.

This was bad, I didn’t want to be a part of this group. No matter how much I wanted some company, I am not that desperate to be in a group where there is an asshole and another person who doesn’t have the decency to respect girls.

Justine froze and looked at him. I stared up at him and furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Why was he looking at me like he didn’t know what to say?

The curly guy asked about my name.

Oh.

‘’My name is Cordelia’’ I straightened and told the guys in front of me. Justine smiled while the curly guy, Luke burst into a fit of cackles.

‘’Seriously Just, was your dick in her cunt last night? That you cannot remember her name?’’ Luke asked in between his laughter. My blood boiled, I cannot believe he just said that.

Before Justin could reply, I stopped him.

‘’Don’t’’

His hardened expression softened looking at me. He looked at me with an apologetic expression. It wasn’t his fault, he just wanted us to be friends, but his friends were just complete assholes, and he couldn’t do anything about it. It soothed my heart that he was ready to fight with his best friends for me. But did I deserve it?

I didn’t.

He was a good person, I understood it by talking to him, surely our first encounter wasn’t very pleasant but he made sure I see the good inside him and I did.

I didn’t want to be the person who would get in between their friendship. Surely whatever curly guy, Luke said was disgusting, but I could fight for my own respect.

‘’I don’t think I am welcomed here’’ I stated the obvious.

‘’Looks like who do have brains’’ Asshole opened his mouth for the first time after stating his question. I glared at him.

‘’Can you guys stop?’’ Justin calmly warned, glaring at his best friends.

‘’Just, our Cordelia here doesn’t want to sit with us, let her be’’ Luke arrogantly smirked looking at me.

‘’You got that right Curly guy’’ I replied with a sweet tight smile. Justin snorted while Luke glared at me clenching his jaw.

Before he could open his mouth I cut him off,

‘’ You got it right. I definitely don’t want to eat with a guy who doesn’t have an ounce of respect towards a female and I definitely don’t want to eat with the guy who randomly without any freaking reason punches innocently people’’ I moved my raging eyes at the asshole in front of who was sitting as calmly as possible, he grinded his teeth while his breathing got heavier.

‘’Cordelia’’ Justine lowly called me.

‘’Thanks for your invitation Justine, I really appreciate it’’ I softly smiled at him, ‘’but I cannot. I cannot be friends with them and they clearly don’t want that as well’’ I apologetically smiled.

Justine closed his eyes and nodded, exhaling a sigh.

‘’Don’t ever show your fucking face’’ Asshole spat.

‘’Gladly’’ I muttered and walked away, sending Justine a small apologetic smile.

One thing I learned in the 17 years of my life is that, if you don’t fight for yourself, no one ever will. People show that they care when they actually don’t. They don’t fucking care what happens to you; they just share their fake condolences and their unneeded advice, which you didn’t ask them to give in the first place.

Self over everything else.

That’s my new epigram from now on.

With one last glance at three boys who were completely different from one another, I was out of their sight.