I walked over to my locker; that took me ages to find. We had finished our evening classes, and it was nearing six at night. Dinner was at seven, and I was literally starving. As I closed my locker and walked down the hallway, I could feel the presence of Knox, his friends, and Jerem; tailing me.
“Can you guys like- stop following me?” I whined, turning around, facing the boys. They abruptly stopped in their footsteps and stared at me. “What? Is it like some sort of custom to follow and tail new students around everywhere they go?” I groaned in annoyance, rubbing my temples with my left hand. Knox smiled at me and tilted his head, not saying anything. Jerem looked at me. I looked at him. “Well?”
“We’re all going to dinner with you either way, so like,” Jerem gave me an apologetic smile. I rolled my eyes and continued walking, this time, I opened up my book. Little Women. I never understood the title. I flipped through the first few pages relatively quickly, because I had already finished the first chapter. I had started to like this book, although I was made fun of reading it from my previous classes; several times. The teacher walked up to me and took my book, but I was able to get it back at the end of class.
When she returned it to me, she told me I had good taste in classical books. She gave me a list of recommended classics and I gratefully took it. I think it was in English class, and her name was Mrs. Putts. I liked her. I flipped through another couple of pages, before nearly knocking to a wall. Thankfully, Jerem pulled me back by my uniform jacket and I paused, lowering my book.
“Oh. Uhm. Thanks.”
Jerem smiled at me, a warm one plastered on his face. I tried to smile back, just like his tender one; but failed to. My smile simply reflected the Cheshire cat. Gums exposed and teeth white and uncovered.
“Is the book that good?”377Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vhr5GMeFQ
I nodded, closing it and holding it to my chest. We both sat on a bench in the hallway, waiting for the cafeteria gates to open. I opened it back up, burying my face in the thick book, reading through each sentence; occasionally rereading some. I heard rustling of paper and looked at Jerem. He had taken out a stray piece of paper, probably ripped from one of his textbooks. He began to fold it.
“Who wrote that?”377Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzuCCgEBCs
Jerem continued folding as he asked the question. Clearly intrigued.
“I’m reading Little Women.”
I replied, my eyes still fixed on the page. I looked back at him as he raised an eyebrow.
“No, stupid; of course, I know it’s Little Women. Isn’t that by Alcott? One of those old dead authors?”
I attempted another smile. Nodding, I flipped to the back of the book.
“That’s her.”377Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Zgus96bDe
I pointed at the small portrait in black and white. A female was smiling back at me. Jerem leaned over my shoulder and nodded in amusement. He huffed and leaned back against the wall, holding up what seemed to be a paper crane. He took out another piece of paper out of his jacket pocket after setting the previous folding down on the bench. He began folding it into intricate shapes. The paper started to take on the form of a bird.
“Who taught you how to make those?”
I set his book down and crossed his legs upon the tiny bench.
“Well, my grandmother. She taught me how to make these birds when I was a child. She was.. incredibly patient.. taking time to show me every step and encouraging me along the way.”
I spotted Jerem’s small smile.
“I find comfort in the art of paper folding. It’s a way for me to relax and clear my mind, even in the midst of a busy day.”
With one final fold, Jerem completed the paper crane. He held it up and I admired his handiwork, marvelling at how a simple sheet of paper could be transformed into something beautiful. A loud bell rung throughout the halls, and I nearly fell off the bench. Jerem jumped up and pulled me along with him as a handful of students began piling into the huge cafeteria. He dragged me to the table he usually sat at.
“The others will join soon.”
I nodded, wondering why he wasn’t sitting with them when I had first met him. He set down the two paper cranes in front of me, as I put my book down beside me on the table.
“For you.”
I looked up at him, exposing my gums again as I cheekily smiled. He chuckled and shoved my head to the side playfully and I laughed. It was slightly cheesy, but I took it anyway.
“Maybe if you blow them hard enough they’ll fly.”
Jerem teased. I knew full well it wouldn’t, but mockingly blew at the tip of it. He just stared at me and then burst into a fit of laughter. I tilted my head and got up. Being the hungry boy I was; I pushed him aside and lined up for a tray of dinner.
As I approached the serving area, I grabbed a tray from the stack on the counter. It was a plain white tray, with sections for the main course, sides, and a drink. I followed the line of students, moving past the steam trays filled with food. The cafeteria workers were busy doling out portions of chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, and random rolls of filled meat or vegetables. The setup was different from lunch, but I still scanned over the food. I looked around, trying to find the lunch lady I had conversed with earlier today. As I reached the front of the line, a dull looking lady greeted me with a grunt.
“Whatcha want?”
She sneered and wiped her face with her arm. I grimaced and quickly gawked out a reply.
“I’ll have the chicken, please.”
I pointed to the tray of golden-brown pieces. She nodded and used tongs to place a slightly generous portion of chicken on my plate, followed by a scoop of mashed potatoes and a spoonful of green beans. She tossed a random juice box on my tray, and it nearly toppled over from the weight. I quickly thanked her and picked up a small container of gravy. I finally made it through the mess of students and back to the table Jerem had told me to sit at.
As I seated myself down on a chair, an arm slumped around my neck, and I was huddled into someone’s chest. I choked as I let go of my tray, making it clatter on the table. Thankfully, nothing spilled. I heard a thundering laugh. Knox. I aggressively pulled away and held my arms out at arm’s length.
“This far. We stay this much apart. Anywhere closer, I will throw a punch square in your face.”
I scrunched my nose and stared dead into Knox’s eyes. He gave me an amused smirk and I looked away. Picking up my fork, I poked at the chicken. Jerem clumsily seated next to me, and chatter ensued. Knox slung his arm around my chair and pulled me closer to him, smiling at me. I grumbled and pushed myself away from him. My chair didn’t budge, so I just remained there, as I shoved the chicken and potatoes in my mouth, savouring the flavour. Just like earlier, the doors slammed open; and the same group of boys that threatened to kill me during lunch entered. As they walked over to an empty table, they high fived many other students, smiling that ugly smile of theirs.
Knox rubbed my back and I squeaked, jerking forward. I shot a glare at him, and he just shrugged.
“Trying to comfort your little twig figure from those people.”377Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrncrLbOjyr
He calmly spoke. I don’t need comfort. God. I stared him down before going back to shoving food in my mouth.
“I’ll pay you two pieces of chicken to stop with this touchy shit.”377Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJo44mJXuJA
I spat out. He shrugged and gave me a bored look. I threw two pieces of chicken on his plate, and he scarfed it down in no time, pulling his arm away from me. I let out a sigh and rubbed my temples. Let’s just hope.. that these years would go by quickly.
377Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQT371dzF7N
A/N: My upload schedule is a mess
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