Ch.1
"Another disappointment." Flaky thought to herself, while gazing down at her eggplant parmesan. It used to be one of her favorite meals, but it seemed less appetizing every time she ordered it. Instead of trying something different, the nostalgia persuaded her to get the same things, over and over again. "Maybe it'll taste better this time." But it never did.
"At least I'm with friends."
She quietly listened as they chatted, while she stared at her displeasing plate. Flaky didn't enjoy wasting food, so she reluctantly ate it, very slowly.
The runt of girl had thin fingers and pale skin. She was a frail thing, with a rectangular body. Her stomach was flat, and so was her chest. She had thick, dark-red hair that reached down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were dark brown, and there was a light dusting of freckles underneath them.
While the others spoke about work or relationships, Flaky fussed with her shirt. With all the fidgeting she did, the girl worried it would crawl up and expose her skin. She was incredibly self-conscious and easily embarrassed. She was already quite warm, but decided to slip on her jacket, to lessen her concerns. It was large on her small frame, so it reached down and covered plenty of her back. Although she felt a bit toasty now, the covering gave her an ounce of reassurance, and allowed her to relax.
She remained silent and watched her friends' laughing faces. She accepted the invitation to dinner, even though she rarely contributed to the conversation. Flaky wasn't particularly interesting. She didn't have anything funny or amusing to offer. The redhead had tried to chime in on a few occasions, but they were fruitless attempts.
"You're too dull." She would think to herself. "You know you're not entertaining like them. Don't even bother trying." So she continued to stay quiet.
"Cuddles! Oh my God, pay attention. You're going to catch fire." Petunia warned the boy as she pushed his hand aside. He was reaching across the table for a napkin, but his sleeve lingered dangerously close to a candle. As an extra precaution, Petunia moved the flaming wax further from him.
The blond boy smiled sheepishly. "Sorry!" He apologized while retracting his arm. "I'll try not to set the place on fire. Although, that's gonna be pretty tough-"
"Don't." Petunia sighed, already seeing the joke from a mile away.
Despite its predictable ending, and his friend's protest, he finished his sentence anyways. "Because I'm so damn hot." He boasted humorously.
Flaky smiled at their exchange before pushing her chair out. "Excuse me," The girl chimed as she rose from her seat.
Petunia threw a playful glare over to Cuddles. "Look what you did, you scared her off." She remarked with a smile.
The redhead turned back to them and chuckled nervously. "Oh no, he didn't do anything wrong. I'll be back." She reassured them before departing for the restroom.
The blue-haired girl proceeded to exchange a glance with her male friend. "I love her to death, but she's so..." She waved her hand around as if she could pluck the right word from the air.
Cuddles attempted to guess. "Shy?"
"Well... Yeah. She's just really awkward." Petunia stated while twisting her fork in her spaghetti. She paused and took a second to wipe some sauce off the border of her plate.
"I know. I don't wanna make her feel uncomfortable, but..." He rubbed the back of his head. It was difficult to have a good time when someone was constantly uneasy.
"Flaky's kind of quiet." The boy added. "I feel bad that she just sits there and listens to us the whole time."
"Me, too. I hope we're not boring her." Petunia murmured.
"Wait. Boring?" That sounded like a nightmare to Cuddles. Apparently they couldn't wait for their shy friend to jump into the conversation. They'd have to prompt her first. "Let's focus on Flaky when she comes back." He suggested. "What kind of stuff should we ask her?"
"Well..." Petunia grinned and made a steeple with her fingers.
He seemed worried by the glint in her eyes. "You're, uh... Don't scare her off, now."
"I won't!"