Dream or Not: A Devil or An Angel

Chapter 8: Spicy Gluten Snacks

The emotions of shyness, love, expectation, and joy that Joseph used to see on Alina's face were all gone. He sensed feelings of alienation and indifference from her instead.

'She doesn't like you anymore,' a voice in his mind told him.   

'So what? I don't care if she likes me or not! A lot of girls want to be with me!' he thought to himself. Joseph's brows furrowed, and he quickly looked away from her. He stuffed a large bite of food into his mouth and said, "Even if you say we're from the same school, we're completely different. You're in Class B!"   

'This boy is impossible,' Alina thought to herself. She had no interest in arguing with him. The only thing she wanted to do was finish her food and leave the table as soon as possible.   

Joseph made the atmosphere tense, which made Sam feel helpless. However, it wasn't like he was particularly close to Alina, so he didn't speak another word to her.

The four of them ate their meals in silence.

Alina didn't have much to eat, so she finished her food in a few minutes. She quickly stood up, said her goodbyes, then left.   

As soon as she was gone, Joseph whipped his head to Sam and asked, "What's wrong with you? How could you speak for an outsider? Are you her friend or mine?"   

"It's not like that! What do you think, Howard?" Howard was a handsome boy with tanned skin who sat across from Alina.   

He sensed that he was about to be dragged into this issue, so he quickly ate his food and stood to leave. "I'm done. You can take your time," he said in an indifferent tone before turning to leave.   

"Why are you in such a rush, Howard? Wait for me!" Sam picked up his plate and quickly followed after Howard. The two weren't only classmates, but also good friends.

Joseph was left alone at the table. He scoffed as he watched them walk away, and took his time eating in silence.

Alina prepared a bowl of multi-grain porridge before she left the canteen. When she got back to the classroom, she saw Yana hunch over in her seat. She quietly placed the bowl in front of her and gently tapped her on the shoulder.   

"Yana, did you have anything to eat? I brought you some multi-grain porridge."   

Yana raised her head, and there was a red mark on her cheek. She glanced at the bowl of porridge in front of her and then to Alina, feeling embarrassed. "I didn't ask you to buy food for me."   

Alina could tell that Yana was hungry, but she didn't want to admit it for some reason. She smiled gently and said, "I know, but I thought you should have something to eat. Don't waste it and have a bite."   

Yana swallowed and pretended like she was forced to take the food. "I shouldn't waste this, so I'll eat a bit of it."   

Alina nudged the porridge closer to her and didn't say another word. She didn't want to make Yana feel more uncomfortable.   

Students in MH High School had two hours for their lunch break. In addition to the forty minutes allotted for lunch, all students had to return to the classrooms to continue their lunch break.

The school wasn't too concerned with how they spent their time during their break, as long as they stayed in the classroom and didn't disturb the other students.   

Mandy walked into the classroom with various snacks in her hands with two other girls, and they talked and laughed. When they noticed Yana eating, they were all surprised. Mandy approached her and asked, "Why are you eating here?"