If they actually pissed off the instructor, they might end up skipping this meal entirely.
The first squad hit the mess hall right at noon.
Each squad was given exactly ten minutes to eat, which was already considered generous.
"Don't complain. When we eat, we only get five minutes."
"You're only getting extra time because you're rookies and students."
By the time it was Claire's turn, the earlier groups were already filing out.
Everyone grabbed a tray and loaded up on food. They crowded around the large circular tables, eating in complete silence while keeping one eye on the giant clock on the wall.
Getting the food already ate up precious minutes, and they still had to clear their trays afterward. Originally, they were supposed to wash their own dishes.
But knowing some students would do a terrible job, the next shift might end up eating off dirty plates.
So, the chief instructor ordered them to just clear the food. As for the washing, a rotating roster of students would handle kitchen duty every day.
No one had to worry; everyone would get their chance to scrub the dishes!
While Claire ate, Ethan Monroe deliberately grabbed his food and sat right next to her.
Claire noticed Ethan staring, but she couldn't quite figure out why.
He seemed to be studying her every move.
Was he really that fascinated by her?
Meanwhile, Ethan was frantically composing an observational report in his head.
-Claire eats quickly, but her table manners are impeccable.
-She is clearly very well-bred!
He drafted another eight hundred words of pure analysis in his mind.
"Hey, Boss, do you have a crush on our academic star? You follow her everywhere," Tabitha Prince joked.
Priscilla Hastings, who had been focused on her meal, immediately snapped her head up at those words.
The other two girls, Lily Lowell and Macy Wade, also glanced over at Claire and Ethan.
They weren't exactly close friends, so making jokes like that felt a bit out of line.
Ethan remained unfazed. "You're overthinking it. Am I not welcome to sit with you all?"
"Well, it's not that." Tabitha couldn't exactly say he wasn't welcome.
Lily chimed in with a teasing smile "Actually, Boss and Claire make a great fatch, ven if you guys
right
started dating right in front of us, we wouldn't mind!"
Seeing that Lily was about to keep going Claire cut her off "If you guys squad go leadedRead
are into the
and Shoot your shot. You don't need to hold back on my account."
"He's a great guy. It's totally normal for people to like him."
Priscilla was speechless. That was a classic Claire move-dragging everyone else into the mud while slipping away clean herself.
Tabitha wanted to argue back, but Claire had already stood up, taking her tray to the trash bins.
Ethan stood up as well. "I'm done. Good luck finishing up."
Lily looked over at Tabitha. "Wait, what was that about? Are we the plague or something?"
Why did it feel like he was trying to escape them?
Were they really that terrifying?
"Maybe he's afraid we actually like him."
Lily felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
Sure, she didn't have a crush on him, but he didn't need to treat them like a venomous snake, did he?
She was just making a casual joke. Did she actually hit the nail on the head? Did Ethan really like Claire?
Macy stayed quiet for a moment. "Let's lay off the jokes. Claire didn't look too happy about it."
Priscilla agreed. "He didn't look thrilled either. Just drop it. There's nothing going on between there and if people keep gossiping, it might actually make things awkward."
Tabitha pouted. "Fine, fine. I was just running my mouth. Who knew they'd take it so seriously?"
To her, it just seemed like the two of them couldn't take a joke.
Lily, who had also been joining in, decided to keep her mouth shut too.
Priscilla hurriedly cleared her tray and rushed out to catch up with Claire.