I stepped back and pressed the elevator button for the basement.

Lauren turned to look at me and asked, "What's wrong?"

I quickly shrugged and said, "I saw a classmate I'd rather not meet."

In response, Lauren immediately said, "Michelle?"

I widened my eyes, looking at her with a smile. "You're a mind reader. Yes, it's her. She's in the lobby, probably waiting for me."

"Oh, thank goodness you noticed in time. If she had stuck to you, it would have delayed us quite a bit," Lauren said.

"I wouldn’t have cared if she’d delayed us, but she's been bothering me for a long time, and it’s definitely not over anything good. My classmates can't stand her," I said, taking out my car keys from my bag.

"Let's take my car! Thankfully, there's a back exit we can use. Otherwise, I'd have to deal with her every day."

We found my car and got in, heading straight to the taco shop.

Business here was always good. We had arrived early and it wasn’t lunchtime yet, but there were no empty seats.

Al