Thank You, Chris

As I walked away from the cafeteria doors, I heard somebody call out my name. I recognized his voice at once and spun around.
“You okay?” asked Chris kindly.
I smiled as best as I could manage. I felt so fake.
“Yes, I’m okay. Really.”
He put his arm across my shoulder.
“Look, I’m sorry Cody’s being such an asshole…”
“No,” I interrupted him, “Nobody should be mad at Cody, he didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Nobody’s mad at anybody,” Chris corrected me. “Cody’s not mad at you. Will you please come back to the group?”
I smiled again.
“Yeah, I was going to anyway. I just needed a minute to myself, I suppose.”
Chris nodded. “Well, everybody thought that that’s why you left, because of Cody.”
He suddenly turned around. Lindsay was behind us. I smiled.
“Thanks, Chris,” I said. I don’t think he heard me.