“Jack and I broke up.” Amber spoke simply, a hint of bitterness in her voice. I turned to Maegan, expecting a fake, neutral reaction. Maegan and Jackson are cousins, sharing the holy bond of blood. Her face mimicked Amber’s. I held my breath, glancing at Becca.

“What happened?”  Becca asked, letting me release the breath my anger was choking on instead of letting it out in a rant.

We all looked at Amber as she opened her second milk carton. “He was just clingy. Wouldn’t leave me alone for five seconds.” I think we were all expecting something much more exciting than that. I can’t blame her though, it’s not like you can get juicy drama from 12-year-olds. Plus, it had barely been a month.

Becca shrugged off her story. “It wasn’t going to last anyways, let’s be honest.” she started laughing, making what she said less a of a blow than it should’ve been. It made me think about another couple in the school.

Maegan pulled a strand of hair back behind her ear. “He’s a jerk. Don’t worry about him.” she muttered, moving her hands back to the lunch table and shaking her head.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Not only did she take a side, but she took Amber’s side! I couldn’t bite back my words anymore. “After hearing one side of the story, you side with her?” The cold tone in my voice reflected the way I felt about her. We all thought we were old in middle school, but she was going overboard.

I got a bewildered glare from Amber, a surprised look from Maegan, and from Becca -- a look that hid what she felt about my statement. I assumed she was mentally agreeing with me and took their silence as a cue to keep going.

“Not only was her story boring, but it’s biased. She could’ve changed everything about it to make her the good guy.” I was getting louder, but the volume of the lunchroom hid my argument from other tables. Knowing that the teachers wouldn’t take my side or listen to my reasoning, I stifled any shouting. “The story is PG compared to most break ups. It’s even normal for a couple to want to be near each other. It isn’t like he was caught cheating on you, Amber.”

“Well I-” Amber tried to interrupt, but I stopped her.

“Becca’s response was perfectly neutral, even when she didn’t need to stay neutral. If you’re gonna defend anyone, it should be your flesh and blood, Maegan. If not that, at least hear Jack’s story before you call him the bad guy.”

Maegan looked offended. “But she’s my friend!”

“He’s your family!”

If they responded, I didn’t hear it.