Venom moved up in line as he slid the tray over the railing, perusing the contents available for today. So many things caught his eye. Spaghetti, burgers, tacos, sloppy joe, etc. Carefully he thought about each and every item.
Sloppy joe would be really messy. And the last thing I need is to get shit all over my new jacket. he looked over his varsity jacket, complete with the school's emblem, the sports team's logo, and the combination of green, black, and yellow colors. Still, in all the years he's been in this place never would he have imagined getting a nice varsity jacket. Life was great right now.
The tacos here break more easily than fine china in an earthquake…and it might get on my jacket. The burgers would be great, but they put way too much ketchup in those packets. Crap spreads out of the bun and takes the taste away. Actually, y'know what? I know what to have.
"What'll have?", the lady croaked as she adjusted her glasses to see the young man better.
"Spaghetti and meatballs with a salad and an apple please.", he replied.
"Right.", she used a utensil to grab the dish and plop it into a bowl, handing it to the young man as she grabbed the rest and handed it off to him. The salad being in a square plastic container and the apple not being stored anywhere. Placing the things on his tray, he pulled some money out of his pocket and handed it to the lunch lady.
"Keep the change.", he reminded her as he turned around and spotted his table. As he came closer, the group noticed him and one of them patted the seat next to him. "Right here, James", a blond man with sunglasses and long, combed back hair called to him.
Sitting on the bench-like seating compartment of the table, Venom placed the tray down and shuffled his back off before whipping it around and unzipping it, reaching in for something. "Ooo! Let's play,
"What's in James' Backpack Today?"! My guess is…Oreo's!", one of them cracked a joke while having the biggest grin on his face. He had short brown hair made into a faux and a slight beard growing.
"Wrong, Pequod.", he pulled out a green soda bottle. "It's Sprite!"
"Aw man!"
"Why do you keep guessing? You know you'll never win.", Ocelot spoke up, his hair having a buzzcut after losing a bet. Such a shame his mullet had to go. It explained his sour attitude.
"Hey, he promised that if I guessed right I could have it! I ain't giving up on that offer!", Pequod retorted to the cat man. "It's a chance to get free food."
"A nearly impossible chance.", Kaz snorted.
"Shut your face Miller! Watch, one of these days, I'll get it right!", Pequod slammed his hands on the table and pointed at him.
"The day when Pequod guesses right is the day when pigs will fly, and I will stop wearing these glasses. Hint: it means never.", Miller advised to the man, tapping the rim of his sunglasses and laughing afterwards with the whole table.
"Hey now…c'mon you gotta give this guy credit. The last thing he'd expect Boss to pull out is some trashy lemon-lime soda.", Jack spoke up, insulting his twin brother with a smug smile on his face.
Venom just about spit out the very drink at his words. Coughing, he recovered and spoke in a strangled voice, "Don't talk shit about Sprite! It's the holy chalice of sodas!"
The group just laughed, unaware of the presence that passed them. They continued on with their conversation. "So yea, soon enough once we're out of here, our little brothers David and Eli will be freshies!", Jack sighed. "They just grow up so fast.", he teased in a high voice, chuckling.
"Wonder if they'll survive.", Pequod speculated as he took a sip from the milk pint.
"David will be fine. If anyone tries to mess with him, he can more than handle them. He was even able to beat both of us in CQC. Eli on the other hand…", Venom bit his lip and stared back before taking a bite of the apple. "He's a cocky lil shit. All bark with no bite."
"Oh come on James, he's not that weak.", Jack complained at his twin's taunting of Eli. "Eli can fight well too."
"I know. But he's going to be too busy whining and talking to even throw a punch."
A slight whoop went among the group. "Dayumm man. No survivors, not even for your family.", Pequod could feel himself about to erupt in laughter.
Once more the presence passed behind Pequod, Jack, and Ocelot, who had their backs to the cafeteria line. Venom took notice of the person, immediately catching his attention. It was a girl…a really good looking one too at that.
She wore a see-through varsity-type jacket that was black with a white crop top t-shirt with some band logo on it and jeans that were up to her upper waist. The girl had brown hair that was tied into a ponytail in the back of her head and gray eyes.
The rest of the group's conversation just seemed to fade out as he focused on this girl. He had never seen her before. Not around this town, this school, nowhere. He didn't even notice her until now. It seemed like she just popped into existence. Hell, he never saw her during the summer semester. So where did she come from?
He watched as the girl was seated at a far table all by herself, eating the salad before her alone. He soon felt something near his face, a snapping noise, and soon enough, a pat on his cheek that was about to become a slap.
"Hello Houston, earth to James! Do you read me? This is Pequod!", he called out to the spaced out man. He sighed, turning his hand so the back of it was in the direction of his face, he winded up and almost connected with his face.
Quickly, Venom snatched the hand inches before it reached his face. Pequod freaked out and slipped his hand through his, grabbing ahold of it like he just tried to cut it off. Venom slowly rotated his head around to face the group, who were all visibly curious.
"Bro, what the hell is up with you? It was like your mind just walked out of your head and down the hall.", Pequod noted, shaking his hand from the death grip he just received.
"Sorry.", Venom replied, unchanged from the blank stare from before.
"Just what were you looking at anyways?", Jack raised a brow and turned towards the direction, noticing the girl. "Oh."
Ocelot and the others did the same and an unanimous and prolonged "Oh" rang out between them. Pequod grinned like the cat that got the canary.
"James has a crush.", the aspiring pilot teased in a singy-songy voice.
"No I don't! I don't even know this chick!", he scoffed before taking a sip of his Sprite.
"Admit it. You like her. You think she's hot.", Pequod just wouldn't stop.
"So what if I do? You stared at her for a bit too.", Venom refocused the subject onto Pequod.
"That's cause I think she's hot. Even if none of us know her. Off topic but who is she anyways?", Pequod turned to Jack expecting he had the answer. Luckily enough, he did. Er…he did…somewhat.
"She's the new girl here at school.", he simply stated out right without saying anything else. Pequod made an unamused face and rolled his eyes.
"Well no shit, Sherlock. None of us saw her before until now.", Pequod scrunched his brows in annoyance. "I wanna know the details."
"Adam? You know anything? You're the guy who's got the whole schpiel on everyone here.", Jack turned his attention to Ocelot, who was constantly adjusting his lips in a thinking manner. Ocelot then pulled out a stick of gum, taking it out of the wrapper and tossing it into his mouth to chew it.
"Yea. I do.", he nodded in between his chews. The whole group then shifted to huddle around the man, waiting for his wisdom to be heard.
"Do tell, good sir.", Pequod did a mock British accent as he turned to Adam.
"Like Jack said. New girl. But I've heard some things around the block that aren't exactly nice about her. It's a case of the new girl being fresh meat to pick apart.", he bit his inner lip at the thought. Pequod leaned in closer, his curiosity being displayed in full at his words as his brows were partly raised and partly lowered, his mouth agape slightly and his head turned with his ear in Ocelot's direction. The rest seemed to lean in closer, knowing Ocelot would get a little quieter.
"So what's the dirt on her then?", Miller inquired at a low volume.
Ocelot's eyes shifted around to check if anyone was listening in. He then returned to the group and was even softer in volume. "Apparently, word from the grape vine is that she's really antisocial."
A tilting of the heads commenced. "Like…really antisocial."
"How?", Venom asked.
Ocelot held up a finger. "Hush. I'll get to it. Save the questions for later."
He then continued. "Apparently, she rarely talks to anyone or anything, nor does she even acknowledge you if you're near. She ends up writing and doodling a lot in her notebook. Some people tried to open up to her but she doesn't even respond, and just walks away if they keep talking. Plus, rumor has it that she pushed or even hit some guys that tried to talk to her."
Another shifty glance around the room. "What's more is that she always works solo in class, even if it's a group project. Normally you think behavior like this would require some sort of…help, right? Well, wrong. She doesn't need any assistance at all. And why is that? She's really damn smart. Even if it seemed like she wasn't paying attention the whole time, when she gets asked a question she gets it right. Like, 100% right."
Pequod's mouth dropped to the floor, especially after the next statement. "What's more is I can confirm all of this, except for the hitting and pushing thing cause I haven't seen it. She's in my calculus and anatomy class, and I've witnessed most of those behaviors. That's how I know. And that's what I got on her so far."
Everyone's eyes widened, with the exception of Venom who raised a brow, quickly glancing over in her direction. Pequod simply leaned back in his chair in complete awe. "The hell…she barely pays attention and gets shit right but yet when I do it, I end up looking like a fool and have to be the class clown to avoid getting shitcanned.", he whispered.
"Great. She sounds like a wonderful person.", Miller noted and scoffed, being completely sarcastic. "She sure likes to play hard to get. Even if you just wanna be friends, it's a challenge."
While the rest were discussing the recent information being passed on, there was one who wasn't. There was one who was in complete concentration onto the table, like some weird meditative state. The only one with complete determination in his eyes was none other than James, or as his nickname would have it, Venom. Everyone looked in anticipation in worry after finally paying attention to his looming figure.
"I'm gonna sit with her."
The friends were floored at his words, with whispered mixed reactions.
"Really?! Dude, what if she tries to hit you? You're gonna respond badly with those reflexes of yours and then everyone will see you as the douchebag who beat up a girl!", Jack mumbled to him under gritted teeth.
"She won't. Just watch me. I'll sit with her every day from now on. We'll be friends soon. You'll see. Starting now, I'll make progress." Venom had no intention of giving up.
"Well good luck dude.", Pequod held out his fist to bump, which Venom responded to. "Hope it ends up well. Try and see if she'll wanna join our group soon, kay?"
Miller whipped towards Pequod. "Are you insane? We're all guys! Well known, popular guys! She's gonna murder us you idiot!", he hissed.
"I don't know…maybe James will accomplish it. If he was able to get David out of his shell, I imagine this girl is the same rodeo.", Ocelot watched as Venom grabbed his things and started moving towards her table.
Venom took a seat directly across from her, placing his tray and backpack down and unscrewing the cap on his Sprite, taking a large gulp before letting out a sigh. He felt the blank stare of her eyes on him. James returned the stare, making eye contact with her before making a friendly smile.
"Is it ok if I sit here?"
No response. Like…at all. Seems Ocelot was right on this. She was pretty antisocial. All he got was a squint before she returned to her notebook and continued writing. Not even a simple "yes" or "no".
I'll take that as a "no". Well, too bad missy., he returned to his lunch as he began to finish up the spaghetti and salad, the apple remains sitting on the corner of the tray. Biting into a spindle of spaghetti with a meatball at the end, his gaze was initially placed at his food before it shifted to the girl, then to her notebook.
The notebook kept his attention, that's for sure. He noticed on one of the pages there was a sketch of very detailed butterfly resting on top of what looked like a woman's hand. And the anatomy was pretty accurate. The current sketch she was working on was a lot different. Rather than a natural scene like the completed one, it was way more mechanical. It actually looked like those giant robots he saw on television sometimes.
As he kept shoveling food in his mouth after intervals of chewing, swallowing, and drinking, James stared intently at the drawing. He then noticed out of the upper corner of his eye that the girl was alerted and immediately gathered her arms around it to form a barricade, blocking his view. His stoic expression kept strong as his vision was refocused on her.
Now that he had a better look at her face, it was clear that his initial thoughts of her being pretty were confirmed. It seemed like she didn't really wear a lot of makeup besides some eye-liner and basic natural blends to hide any imperfections like acne. In fact, she was kinda beautiful. He hadn't seem someone of this league in terms of appearances since he met Eva.
Meanwhile, from across him, his group of friends watched intently at the silent exchange between the two parties. With her resistance to his glares, and his constant staring contest with her and her things, it was like some battle of the wits between Magneto and Professor X or something.
Finishing his bite of the salad, James finally spoke up again. "Y'know, I'm not that good at drawing."
He didn't get a response from her, except for maybe a grunt or exhale. "Not that creative either. I've written ideas before but they were meh. Not really the type of guy for that kinda stuff."
Again, silence, only she seemed to be a little more agitated at the fact that he just kept talking to her, so her focus on the drawing was increased tenfold in order to zone him out. Another period of quiet between the two, nothing being heard but the clamors of the other students.
Venom inhaled deeply. "The only place I truly shine is sports. That's where I get creative. I may not be able to make cool stories or pictures, but I kick ass at making a show for the audience while getting our school some wins. My coach actually consults me a lot for tactics. He says they're insane, but yet genius at the same time."
Her scribbling only seemed to get more intense the more his words reached her. James simply sat there processing her behavior. No wonder Ocelot emphasized "really" before. It straight up seemed like she didn't want anything to do with anyone, much less have a one-sided conversation. Luckily James doesn't have the flared temper of Miller and had some patience to his character.
He decided to share more about himself. "Plus, I play a mean game of shooting. No clay birdies survive on my watch.", he smiled a bit and joked around. "What makes it cooler, I'm legally half blind. But it doesn't stop me.", he pointed to his left eye.
Eventually she stopped scribbling and slammed her pencil on the table, including the notebook as she shut it. Her head whipped up to him and gave him the iciest, deadliest stare he had ever seen from anyone, man or woman. He simply responded with the deep, foreboding stare of his ice blue eye, and the blank whitish-light blue of his blind eye.
Those two slamming actions rang out loudly within the cafeteria too, causing the crowds to shut up and look towards the source. Small murmurs rang out as they began to talk about the new girl.
The group from afar was glued to the scene before them, with faces in utter shock that he didn't falter under her glare. Then again, nothing really scared the two twins, hence the expectant look on Jack's face. If you analyzed Jack's face, it would tell that he knows the outcome of this struggle of psych.
The girl gulped as she gritted her teeth together underneath her tucked lips. What the hell?! Everyone else just goes away at this point., she thought to herself. It scares everyone else, but why not him?
What pissed her off even more was that stupid small smile on his face that morphed. At this point she gave up, her eyes returning to their soft state and going to the table. And just like Jack's look on his face predicted, James was able to do the one thing no one else but the teachers managed to accomplish.
She actually spoke to another student.
"You win. You got me to talk.", her quiet, meek Dutch accented voice toiled and hissed. "What the hell do you want?"
She was half expecting some snotty, pervy response like she got once from one of the jocks, but what he did next shocked her.
"I just thought you needed a friend. Wasn't fair for you to sit all by yourself."
The girl was taken aback by his words, but only slightly, and refusing to show outer confirmation of this feeling. She tried to remain strong. "That's what everyone says. Then they want me like I'm some kind of blow-up doll later. What makes you any different?"
Venom racked his brain for a response before he stared on with confidence. "If I had wanted a "blow-up doll", I would've got one already with all the rep I gained. I've been at this school for a whole four damn years straight and not once did I ever find myself interacting with girls. Even if they tried to get me first, I pushed them away. I could honestly care less about relationships right now.", he decided to put it bluntly as his best choice. If she didn't believe him, he knew his twin brother got his back since they literally know each other like the back of their hands.
Now the surprised emotion came forth from this girl. She was mesmerized by just how plain he told it. No beating around the bush or anything, he came out straightforward, even if some would interrupt it as harsh. "I…"
She tried to come up with a rebuttal but failed to do so. Across the room, Jack smirked bigger than he'd ever have. His brother sure knew how to win people over. Pequod sputtered at the display, muttering something about the knight taming a wild dragon. Ocelot silently clapped for Boss in a sarcastic-like manner whilst Kaz just scrunched his nose in jealousy.
The girl found her fists tightening and her eyes shaking around before she relaxed and leaned forward on the table in defeat. She thought she would be able to get through this senior semester without speaking to a soul, but alas it failed.
"You win again…ass.", she mumbled. Venom simply smiled.
"I'm James.", he held out his non-prosthetic hand. "What's your name?"
"Nicknames fine?", she asked in a droning voice.
Venom nodded. "Call me Quiet.", she blabbed, grabbing his hand and shaking it weakly.
"How fitting. Nice to meet you, Quiet."
The bell soon rang, making the entire room groan. Quiet shuffled her notebook and paper into her backpack and was about to power walk away from this weirdo when she felt something grab her arm. "What?", she whined, turning around to see him.
"Any times you prefer to hang out?", he questioned her.
"Lunch. That's it. Bye.", she retorted as she threw off his hand and sped off to her next class. Once at a considerable distance, Pequod rushed the man and put him in a headlock and gave him a noogie.
"Look who's the big man of the hour! You got the new chick to talk!", he teased in a growly voice, hooting as the rest gathered around and socked him in the arms, shaking him wildly after being released from Pequod's grip.
"I'll admit it Boss. You got talent for bringing people to you. Maybe she'll join us sooner or later.", Kaz grinned.
"Oh finally! Now it won't be a sausage fest anymore!", Pequod laughed as the whole group rang out in laughter, saying their goodbyes as they parted to their last classes of the day. As he walked to his class, Venom found content in himself. What a day this was!