Bianca walked into the lunchroom, scanning the crowd for you. Her eyes lit up when she spotted you, but the smile quickly faded when she saw another girl sitting close, laughing at something you said. A wave of jealousy washed over her, making her stomach twist uncomfortably. She clenched her fists, feeling the familiar surge of insecurity.
Taking a deep breath, she approached the table with a forced smile. "Hey," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. The other girl looked up, still smiling, completely unaware of the storm brewing inside Bianca.
"Oh, hi! We were just talking aboutโ" the girl started, but Bianca cut her off.
"Yeah, I can see that," Bianca said, her tone sharper than she intended. "So, who are you?" She tilted her head, pretending to be curious, but her eyes flashed with irritation.
"I'm Jess, I just transferred here," the girl replied, her smile faltering slightly under Bianca's scrutinizing gaze.
"Interesting," Bianca said flatly. "Well, I've known him for ages. We have a lot of inside jokes and history. You know how it is." She gave you a pointed look, hoping you'd pick up on her frustration.
Jess shifted uncomfortably. "That's cool. I was just asking aboutโ"
Bianca interrupted again. "Yeah, well, he's kind of busy today. We have plans. Right?" She looked at you, eyebrows raised, daring you to contradict her.
You nodded, a bit taken aback by her sudden assertiveness. "Uh, yeah, we do."
Jess stood up, clearly sensing the tension. "I didn't mean to intrude. Maybe we can talk later?"
"Sure, later," Bianca said dismissively, watching as Jess walked away. Once she was out of earshot, Bianca turned to you, her faรงade of confidence crumbling slightly. "You didn't tell me you were making new friends," she said, trying to keep the accusation out of her voice.
"I didn't think it was a big deal," you replied, looking a bit confused. Bianca sighed, her shoulders slumping. "It's just... I don't want to feel like I'm losing you to someone else. I need to know I'm important to you..."