Okay, she could not avoid this.
Lily had tried to find a new place to find refuge after the whole messy confrontation with future Jackson and Calen, but somehow she kept either running into Armando or her best friend. It was really hitting her how deeply entrenched she made her crush a part of her life. It was not enough that she had to figure out how she got into this time traveling stuff, she had to deal with the very people she was trying to avoid. Calen was confused as to why she was avoiding him, if his incessant call were anything to go by.
"Why are you avoiding me?" He interrogated her.
"Oh, because." Was her very concise answer. It was not like she could tell him that it was because she had run into his older self and that she was questioning reality. He would think that she was crazier than she already was.
"Lily--" He was going to implore her to see reason or to rely on him, she just knew it.
"Gotta go. Bye!" She promptly hung up, collapsed into her pillows and screamed.
She thought that she would at least have a week of reprieve so she could gather her thoughts. But as she was starting to realize, she had the worst luck and was made to suffer. It was like someone married Murphy's Law to Irony and life was the officiate. She just didn't understand how all three of those guys decided then and there that it was the best time to bother her. After she had left her class, she plodded along mindlessly towards the lunchroom hoping that the chalky meal could end her misery. Then she found herself being grabbed by, of all people, mister love interest himself.
Armando had dragged her off to the side of the lunchroom doors and began ripping into her.
"Did you say anything to Trina?" He had hissed at her.
Lily didn't get what he was getting at. Or she might have, but their interaction was innocent, she swears. "I just said 'hi'? Like I usually do."
For some reason, this made him more angry. "Could you just stop bothering my girlfriends?" He demanded of her. "It's getting really annoying."
Lily became aware of the students passing by them. She kept her eyes averted, but she was convinced that all conversation was focused on this current confrontation. She wanted to die from the mortification. Why was Armando being so mean to her? She didn't even talk to Trina. She only bumped into her.
"I didn't bother her," she grounded out, her teeth clenched as she was too humiliated to speak at a higher volume. "I just said hello, and we both went in separate directions. You're acting like I followed her to class."
At that moment, Lily wanted to slap herself.
Armando gave her a nasty smile. "Isn't that what you always do though? Why was today different?"
Again, Lily was taken aback. She had never dealt with this side of Armando before, so she was at a loss to how to respond. Its' not like she had no backbone. She could get into the most heated screaming match with the best of them, but that was only when stupid jerks provoked her. What was she supposed to do when one of those jerks were one of her dearest friends?
"Lils!" Came a welcomed voice. Calen slung his arm around her shoulders. He gave Armando a appraising stare. "You doing good Mandy?"
Armando flinched. He hated that nickname. There was a time in elementary school when the boys called him that accursed name for all of second grade. It took him punching the boy who started it--unsurprisingly, it was the jackass himself. Strangely, they held no malice towards one another and have even hung out with each other from time to time.
"Well, what do we have here?" Speak of the devil and he will appear.
"I should have brought my rosary," Lily muttered as she and the other two boys turned towards the new addition.
There he stood in all his glory.
Jackson "Jackass" Priestly sneered at the scene in front of him. Lily felt as if she was suffering from a whiplash seeing him acting like his normal self. The way his future version was in comparison to this troll version was such a stark difference she felt as if reality was tilting on its axis. Why was he so happy to see her as an adult if her hated her when he was a kid? What changed?
"Are you confessing you feelings for dear lover boy again," the other boy sneered at her. He comment cause Lily and Armando to glance at each other before they turned their attention away. Lily felt her stomach clenched tightly. This was not a new thing from Jackson. He had always teased the two of them about their feelings for each other. However, due to everything going on, it felt like too much to deal with.
"I don't have time to deal with you, Jackass." Lily glared at him. Why was he so much nicer in the future?
Jackson looked irked. More so than usual. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something? I'm positive that you are finally meeting the consequences of you stalking actions."
Lily pushed past Armando and began to stalk up to Jackson.
"And yet you matter so little to me that I can't believe that we were ever friends!" She really wanted to lay into him. Seriously, why was his older self so much sweeter to her? Yes, he was still overbearing, but he seemed like he wanted to be near her. It did not make any sense.
She watched Jackson's eyes widen and was certain that she saw a glimpse of hurt before it was replaced by a chilling anger.
"And you," here he pushed her back and away from him, causing both Calen and Armando to protest. Lily tried to regain her balance as she stumbled backward. Calen was already there to catch her while Armando stalked up to Jackson, looking down at him in disgust. Jackson sneered before peering around him to continue his tirade. "Are the most annoying b*tch I have ever met that you would do everyone a favor by disappearing."
Lily felt tears prick the corner of her eyes. It was impossible. There was not way that the future Jackson even like her. Just seeing how his younger self hated being near her mere presence was enough to prove this. She pushed herself away from Calen and scrubbed at her eyes.
"Okay." Was her curt response.
Then she fled down the hall towards the girls bathroom.
The gathering crowd looked between her retreating form and the three boys. Calen cursed, following behind his friend. He wondered if he could bribe the girls to let him sneak in there to comfort her. Armando caught Jackson move in her direction from the corner of his eye. He blocked his path with his body.
"No," was his tern command.
He leaned down towards the smaller boy until they were nose to nose.
"Stay down like the rabid dog you are." With that he brushed past him and stomped down the hall.
And the last remaining boy stood there, his face flushed and expression twisted with frustration. After a moment, no longer to bear the murmuring of the crowd, he left the school.