Chapter 1 Sharing Food
Abby's POV
Finally Dinner time, I am starving. Charlotte, Izumi and I meet up in the cafeteria to have dinner. I wasn't going to even bother to wait for the boys I dug into my chicken. Today for dinner we had the option of rice with chicken or fish and your choice of vegetables. If we wanted to we could also get a side of bread or chips. I chose bread. " Izumi, it's been over a week. You got to talk to him." Said Charlotte before biting into a fork of veggies.
" I know but I still feel bad that I kicked Parker." Izumi says.
Parker Ramirez, very popular also very sweet, was Izumi's date to Fake Prom. But things happened we had to leave early for more important things. Such as saying our best friend Toby, even if that plan didn't work out to well. Bottom line Izumi had to kick him in the shin in order to make our escape. " Your going to have to face him at one point." Charlotte said.
She spoke to soon, as soon as she said it the boys showed up. Quinn tries to squish in next to her pushing Izumi closer to me. I made some space for her, Toby sat down next to me. It feels almost route, we talk about noses and laugh. Toby , A.K.A the bottomless pit finishes his food and starts working on mine. At this point I alway grab more food then I should because I already know I am feeding for two. I don't even flinch when he stabs his fork on my plate and fighting me for my food. I used to complain, now I don't even say a word about it.
Izumi stairs at us, she finally comments. " This isn't the first time i noticed and it probably won't be the last. But, Abby why do you let Toby eat your food?"
As soon as the words come out of her mouth I ask myself, why do I let him eat my food? He already ate his. If he really wanted to he can get more. " You don't even try to stop him." Izumi points out before I can't respond back.
It's true I don't try to stop him. Why don't I? Toby and I have stopped eating staring at her. His fork still hovers over my tray. I turn and stare at him, he looks at me waiting for an answer. An answer I barely have. The truth is it should bother me that eats off my plate. That he is eating my food meant for me. It should upset me I always have to get extra food just to make sure I get a bite to. But… it doesn't. I stair into his eyes, a year ago I thought of Toby of just some boy that goes to my school, now I am proud to say he is my best friend. Charlotte and Izumi will always be my best friends but Toby he is a different type of best friend. We get each other on a different level that the girls could never understand, at least I get him on that level.
I realized I have been staring to long and everyone still waiting on an answer. I feel blush trying to crawl onto my face I push it down hard and say " Umm, well its just how our friendship works. It always has, he is going to take my food no matter what. Why stop him?"
Without any other comment I eat my food. No one else moved they all stare at me even Toby. I pick up a piece of bread and turn to Toby and say " I got the bread for you, are you going to eat it or not?"
That seems to snap him back. He grabs the bread with a smile and eats it. " You two are wired." Quinn says.
I can't believe I liked him. " I still don't get it? Does Abby's food taste better?" Charlotte says staring at us.
" You don't have to get it." Toby says. "But, It really has nothing to do with her food."
There it was. Jennifer had always taught me to read between the lines there is always more hidden in plane site then people expect. Toby's comment alone set off something we both understood but no one else could see. I remembered the first time he took my food. Toby was hungry, I got mad and told him to get his own food. That's when it sparked. It wasn't about being hungry anymore. The smile that would spread across his face after every fuss I would make for him taking my food. I grew to like that smile, I grew to like a lot of things about him. I keep those thoughts mostly to myself.
Now I purposely get certain foods, since I know a certain someone will be eating off my plate. I may or may not have listen when he talks a pic out his favorite foods. I do so to see that big smile go across his face. For the most part Toby is a happy person, but his home life is hard, which gives him a lot of stress and it shows sometimes. If I can even for a moment that sadness away even for a second, by grabbing his favorite things to eat then it's all worth it. I guess that's the answer thats what its really about. Those little things, the things they have yet to notice.
Toby and I smile at each other, and I just push the tray closer to him so it's in the middle of us both. Everyone else gives us a confused look. They seem to shrug it off no point in looking into it deeper. I laugh at myself, they just don't understand the secret language Toby and I have. Maybe one day they will get it.