Chapter 61
Ema's
I walked into the school cafeteria and made my way through the noisy crowd of students. I found Lia sitting at our usual table and sat down across from her. I had a tray of food in front of me, but I wasn't really hungry. I picked up my fork and spent most of my time just poking at the food, moving it from one side of the tray to the other. Despite the heavy things on my mind, Lia and I were both laughing. We were talking about something stupid one of the teachers had said earlier in class, and for a moment, I felt like a normal teenager again.
As our laughter died down, Lia leaned in closer across the table. Her expression changed, and her voice became soft and full of concern.
"How are you really doing, Ema?" she asked. "You have been very quiet lately. I can tell that there is a lot on your mind."
I looked at her and tried to give her a reassuring look. "I am okay," I said, smiling a little bit. "Really, Lia. I am doing fine."
