Lolli's attempts to befriend Crystal didn't end after that day. Each day, Lolli would stuff one of her more complex toys into her bag to try and show off to the other students. Most of the time, they paid no attention to the girl. On one occasion, though, the toy she had brought was swiped right out of her hands. The older boy quickly ran off with the toy to show off to his group of friends. Lolli decided not to chase him. Crystal was still her target. But despite everything she tried, Crystal continued to ignore Lolli.
Usually, Crystal would push the younger girl away literally. Other times, she'd stomp away, telling Lolli to "leave her alone." As each day went by, Crystal began to accept that Lolli wasn't going to leave her alone. Eventually, she just let Lolli say whatever she wanted next to her.
Lolli would babble endlessly about the toy of the day. Crystal would never respond and was often facing the opposite direction. But despite that, Lolli was mostly satisfied. This was the case well into the school year. Lolli and Crystal spent each lunch period together. Lolli would show her one of many toys while Crystal half listened. This was until the week before winter break.
At first, lunch started off as normal. Lolli rushed to their usual table before Crystal arrived with her food. Lolli fished out her newest toy and started to explain it. However, before Lolli could get deep into the details, Crystal interrupted her." I'm not going to be here after the break," she said. Lolli's eyes widened. To say she was surprised would be an understatement. It took Lolli a moment to find her words again." What? Where are you going?" Lolli stammered.
"My parents have gone crazy. They said that 'I'm ready to go back to my kingdom.' We live in America! We don't have royalty here!" Crystal huffed before taking in a shaky breath.
"Your parents think you're a princess? That's so cool!"
"It's not cool! It's not... they've lost their minds."
"But what if you are a princess?"
"I'm not!"
Crystal slammed her hands on the table to emphasize her answer.
"I'm sure you would just love to be someone special like that. But I'm perfectly happy being here with-"
"With me?"
"No, not you! You just don't leave me alone! I don't even know why I told you this! I have to leave tomorrow." Crystal left the table and the cafeteria.