I knew it was her before I even looked up at her.

But I looked up at her anyway, and as soon as I did, I flinched a bit.

“So you talked to my boyfriend and told him to break up with me, did you?” Monica asked in a false-sweet voice, glaring with such hatred that I flinched again under it.

“I told you to leave him alone, didn’t I?” Now she was nearly shouting, people were looking.

Where was Max to set her straight now, I wondered. Said that he had fixed it all, did he?

I straightened up a bit spoke for the first time.

“Look, I’m not dating Max. We’re just friends. Maybe you can’t imagine that, but it’s true.” Here my voice got a little bit more confidant. “And he doesn’t like your type anyway!”

Monica looked, if anything, more furious, and opened her mouth to say something else.

Just then, however, a firm but soft voice came from right behind me.

“Leave her alone, Monica. Go play your silly game with someone else.”

I looked up, thankfully, I hope, at Jake, then turned and fled.