Jake leaned in close to Tommy, a mischievous glint in his eye. "I bet you ten bucks she won't do it," he whispered, unable to contain his amusement at the absurdity of the situation. Tommy chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're on," he replied, equally entertained by the spectacle before them. "But I have a feeling this is far from over," Tommy mused, curiosity evident in his voice. "Jackie cares too much about her image to apologize to someone she considers beneath her." He paused for a moment, observing Jackie with clenched fists and eyes filled with conflicting emotions as she stared at Cassie. "But then again, Cassie is the one person Jackie truly cares for..." His voice trailed off, his gaze still fixed on the unfolding drama, intrigued to see how it would all play out. Cassie stared at her cousin, her eyes narrowed with impatience. Her right foot tapped rhythmically against the white tiled floor of the cafeteria, each tap echoing her growing frustration. She sneere

"I said I don't care. If she wants to go to The Oasis, let's go there," he said, his expression void of any emotion, though a flicker of anger flashed in his eyes. Jake and Tommy stared at Caleb, disbelief etched across their faces as they tried to comprehend why he was agreeing to such an absurd idea. Caleb, however, wasn't swayed by Jackie's taunts or her insinuations about his inability to afford such a place. Tommy shot a glare in Jackie's direction before turning to Caleb. "You don't have to do this, buddy. We're perfectly fine eating here," he said earnestly, his concern clear in his voice. Jake nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's no big deal." He then shot a pointed look at Jackie. "Those who don't want to eat here can go." Turning back to Tommy, he muttered under his breath, "You need to get a dog lead for your woman—oops, I mean bitch lead. She's too much. How do you put up with her?" Tommy ignored Jake's comment, though a slight frown creased his forehead. He loo

"Unbelievable!" Tracy's hissed under her breath, as she watched Caleb and Cassie, her thoughts consumed by a toxic mix of disbelief, envy, and wounded pride. She had expected Caleb to be devastated by their breakup, believing herself to be of far greater value than he seemed to realize. Yet here he was, not a hint of sorrow in his demeanor, but rather moving on with his life as if she had never mattered. The realization irked her to no end. To Tracy, Caleb's apparent ease in finding happiness with another woman felt like a direct insult to her worth. She had expected him to mourn the loss of their relationship, to pine for her in her absence. But instead, he had swiftly moved on, leaving her to grapple with the sting of rejection and the unsettling notion that perhaps she hadn't meant as much to him as she had believed. As she continued to watch Caleb and Cassie, Tracy's resentment simmered beneath the surface, fueling her glare with a bitter mix of jealousy and wounded pri

As Caleb's gaze flickered back and forth between Tracy and Kenneth, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled in the pit of his stomach. Normally, Tracy and Kenneth would have already approached him, their voices raised in accusation and anger, ready to cause a scene as they often did. Yet, to Caleb's surprise, they remained seated at their table, engrossed in their own conversation. The absence of their usual dramatic outburst left Caleb feeling perplexed. He couldn't help but wonder what they were plotting, their hushed whispers and furtive glances fueling his suspicions. Were they biding their time, waiting for the opportune moment to strike? Or had they concocted a more insidious plan that didn't require a public confrontation? Despite his attempts to focus on his meal and the conversation at his own table, Caleb's mind couldn't help but dwell on Tracy and Kenneth's behavior. He couldn't shake the feeling that something sinister was brewing beneath the surface, and he

Tommy and Jake exchanged puzzled glances, their eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Caleb's casual demeanor left them bewildered. Wasn't he concerned about how he was going to foot the bill? It wasn't just Jackie who seemed to have lost her mind; their buddy appeared to have lost his as well. Jackie's initial shock at Caleb's calm demeanor quickly turned to frustration, and then to a simmering anger. Her plan to rattle him by ordering an excessive amount of food was backfiring spectacularly. She had expected him to be visibly flustered, to squirm under the pressure of footing the bill for such an extravagant meal. Instead, he seemed completely unfazed, as if her antics were of no consequence to him. As she watched him casually peruse the menu, Jackie's mind raced with disbelief. How could he be so composed in the face of her deliberate attempt to provoke him? She had hoped to see him sweat, to witness a flicker of panic in his eyes, but there was none of that. Instead, he appeare