"Don't take the salad," Dolly warned as she piled food onto her tray. "Trust me. That meat is greasy."
Giggling, they made their way toward an empty table.
Or at least, they thought it was empty, until they got closer.
Sitting there, alone, was a terrifying-looking girl with jet-black hair and tattoos covering her arms.
She looked like she had crawled straight out of hell.
Kara's stomach dropped.
"Jesus… what the—" she whispered.
Dolly followed her gaze and winced. "That's Erica Kim. She's… uh, kind of a bully. Doesn't like people. Maybe we should sit somewhere else."
They turned toward Dolly's usual spot, only to see the same three designer-clad girls from earlier occupying it.
"Oh shit. This is bad," Dolly muttered.
Kara took one last look at the blonde Mean Girls knockoff, then made a decision.
She pulled out the chair opposite Erica and sat down. "Sorry, but I'd rather sit with Hell's Bride than those girls."
Dolly puffed out her cheeks before hesitantly sitting beside her. "Hi, Erica! What's up?"
Erica took out her AirPods and raised a brow. "You're at the wrong table."
Grinning nervously, Dolly unwrapped her burger. "Lovely. Xie xie."
Erica rolled her eyes. "I'm Korean, you dumbass."
Kara, ignoring the tension, smiled. "Sorry, we really need to use your table today. We're trying to avoid Gossip Girls over there."
Erica pressed her lips into a hard line. "If they're after you, they'll find a way to haunt you. Whether you run or not. And I don't want to be involved."
Kara sighed, but didn't move. In the end, she stayed put, enjoying her spaghetti, her favorite meal, while listening to Dolly pester Erica about her heritage.
Then-
SPLAT!
Something wet and greasy landed on her head.
She blinked in disbelief. "Oh my God."
A guy nearby gasped dramatically, poorly hiding his laughter. "Oops. It was an accident."
Laughter erupted throughout the cafeteria as soda and spaghetti dripped from her hair onto her lap.
Meanwhile, across the room, the four of them were watching.
Gen's expression darkened. Without hesitation, he grabbed a handful of his spaghetti and hurled it across the cafeteria.
Splat!
It hit the guy squarely in the face. The laughter stopped.
Sila followed suit, chucking his soda at him.
"Bro, what the hell?!" the guy barked, wiping soda from his eyes.
Rai stood on his table, raising his arms.
"FOOD FIGHT!" he roared.
And just like that, all hell broke loose.
Kara barely had time to react before chaos exploded around her. Food flew in every direction, turning the cafeteria into a full-blown war zone.
Dolly and Erica grabbed her hands.
"Come on!"
Dodging flying mashed potatoes, they guided her out of the cafeteria, and away from the madness.