A/N: I want to start off this chapter by saying how sorry I am for not updating this for a while. Reason due to the fact that I have life commitments being a reasonable excuse, as well as work and trying to wish that things will go back to normal from the pandemic. I want to see my friends and go to concerts again, but I feel like I am restricted from doing so. It's almost like being placed in bubble wrap.
But hey, I do have music, Final Fantasy VII - X and this story to keep me busy. I'm really enjoying the OG Final Fantasy VII a lot, and I'm already probably halfway through the second part of the game. Next game on the playlist is definitely the Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind DLC, as I am way overdue on playing it.
* All credit for the characters Sari and Rickson belong to Antex-The Legendary Zoroark.
Xion's POV
There is the sound of an alarm clock ringing which slowly stirs me awake from the deep slumber that I was in. My eyes begin to open up, a bit blurred from the light of the morning sun streaming in from the windows in Sean's room and into the closet. My ears can pick up the sound of Sean's groaning and moving in bed to see the alarm clock.
[Play Final Fantasy VIII OST - Blue Fields]
I think he stopped the alarm clock because he slammed his hand onto something, which halted that noise. Probably good as in my sleep, that what I heard is called 'beauty sleep' according to some people around here. I sit there, waiting as Sean starts to get up out of bed, going towards the closet to come and see me.
He opens up the sliding door, getting down to look at me as my eyes stare right back at him. "Good morning Xion." He says to me with a smile.
I was silent as many times before when seeing his face. By the look on his face, I think he has some good news to tell me. I wonder what it is then.
"Today is another school day for me," Sean says to me, the expression on his face having never changed. "It'll be different than leaving you by yourself here at the house. I'd like for you to come and see the school and see everything," He pauses, letting himself go into small thought before continuing. "Well, minus the classes of course."
School? I'm going... to his school? I thought that I was going to be staying here in the closet again today like usual.
"Exciting, isn't it?" Sean says to me. "You'll get to see everything and what school life is like for me. Though, there are a few things to know."
A few things? Maybe it is rules... kind of like the rules he has given to me when his parents or sisters are home. Would I have to keep quiet? Will I have to not be seen by anyone else but him?
"Just act as if you are a student at the school, and try not to get the attention of the teachers while you are there."
I look at him, understanding everything that he is telling me. Kind of like how I shouldn't be caught by his parents, I should be careful as well while I am visiting his school. He glances at me for a few moments and then, starts to get up.
"I'll be sure to save you some breakfast while we go on our way there," He says to me, leaving the closet door open for me to leave from. "Keep an eye on the clock and meet me at the ladder outside of my bedroom. You can climb out the window to get down to the backyard."
After listening to every word that he says, he turns and heads towards his drawers, getting out some of his clothes. I then hear the drawers close and he heads outside of his bedroom to go downstairs to have breakfast with the rest of his family. The family that I haven't seen just yet.
I saw there for a bit, just waiting until eventually the thought came to my head of my decision to look around his bedroom some more. I slowly start to get up onto my two feet. I peek out from the closet for a moment and proceed to walk quietly and carefully outside of it, looking around at the room's interior.
Being that I recall hearing noises from the box that produced light and sounds, I was quite eager to know the sources of what there was at the top of the drawer where it rested. I tread carefully, being careful not to touch anything in case it made noise to get attention to the room. My eyes will be of use for glancing at everything, studying on what was there.
Beside the box, there is a more rectangular shaped system with some sort of logo on it. PlayStation? Is that what this slim box is called? Is this what was making the music and sounds from the box?
There are more smaller boxes on the back of the 'PlayStation', and could see a few titles on those boxes. Some of them had interesting titles... with interesting characters on them to describe the kind of art, even if I didn't know who they were.
At the nearby stand next to the drawers, there is some sort of other box that looks similar to the box on top of the drawers. Below it is this flat long rectangular object with buttons that had letters and numbers on them. I didn't exactly know what they were for... did Sean use that?
I knew not to touch his stuff, as I did not want to attract any attention from anyone. When Sean was there, he knew he would help be a lot more careful.
I kept my ears open, listening to the muffled sounds of conversation downstairs. I'm unsure as to what Sean and his family are talking about. It goes on for a bit of a while, and then it goes a bit quiet. Still there are talking downstairs, but without a single voice who I recognized as Sean's. There is the sound of movement and then a door opening and closing. Perhaps that is the front door.
The muffled conversation continues downstairs quietly, while I continue to take a look around and observe Sean's room. I turn towards his bed, moving towards it and placing my glove-covered hand on the fabric of it. I can't... feel what its texture is like, but I can only feel the softness of the sheet on top.
There is a tap at one of the windows in the room. I turn my head, my blue eyes staring right at the window where the tap had originated from. There is another tap and I could see what was causing the tapping... a pebble. From rocks itself.
I walk over curiously, taking a glance outside of the bedroom window, looking down to see Sean standing there and waving for me to come outside. He shows me how to open up the window by using his hands to gesture me to opening up the window.
Once the window was opened up, I remembered where the ladder was next to the house. I slowly and calmly move to the ladder, closing the window right behind me carefully to not attract any sound from it. I slowly move downward while I can hear Sean calmly telling me to take each step carefully.
When my feet touch the ground, he approaches me. "Good job Xion," He tells me. "Hopefully we'll be able to do that on Saturdays and Sundays. I can't just let you stay cooped up in there, as you'll need as much of the fresh air you can get."
I look at him as he is telling me this, before he signals for me to walk with him. "Come, I can't wait for you to see my school." He says to me.
As he turns and begins to walk away, I stood there, watching him before making the first move and beginning to catch up alongside him for the long walk with him. I knew that we weren't going back to the same harbour like last time. So I was curious to know what this school he went to looked like.
[Play Final Fantasy VIII OST - Balamb Garden]
The building itself which was supposed Sean's school looks much larger than I expected. I can see other people that look to be his age or more in years entering or hanging around the outside of the building conversing in their own subjects that I didn't exactly hear. He continues walking alongside me, turning to look at me.
"This is my school Xion," He says to me. "This is high school for me. There is elementary and middle school, but I've since graduated from those places. Now that I am here, this is where I am to learn more on the subjects that I haven't got to in the past grades."
Interesting...
"Come on, let's go inside," He turns to look ahead as he continued to talk with me. "I can show you around the place before my class begins."
I listened, knowing that when time came for him to do what he needed to do here, I will have to find a place to hide from all of the other people who could probably try to ask questions on where I came from and why I was here. This was my first time here other than Sean's house and the harbor and I would be completely surrounded by total strangers.
I didn't know them... I wasn't sure if they were going to be friendly. Sean... he's friendly. But I linger on the question is if there are other friendly people here in this school.
The hood of my coat was off of my head, allowing my head to breathe. It is a fairly warm weather, with a slight breeze of signaling a change in the weather. A season coming to an end for another one as Sean was telling me a few days ago... was it autumn he was talking about?
I go up to the front doors of the building with Sean, with him opening up the door for me to go through first. I pause there, standing there for a moment to look at him. That warm look on his face to assure me that it would be okay, I look ahead again and go through, him following right behind me.
"The cafeteria is right there in front of us, with classrooms to the right and the library on the left," His calm voice is guiding me, letting me know which place here was which. "The staircase is on the right as well, but don't go up there. You might be caught by a teacher if you aren't careful up there. The safest place for you would definitely be the cafeteria or the library, depending on if you used to being in crowded places."
The cafeteria sounds like something that he and the other people called students here were likely to go to.
"There's books in the library if you are bored and want to read something," Sean continued. "And if you are hungry, there is always food in the cafeteria that are being served, though you'll probably have to wait in line and have something called money in order to pay for the food."
I watch as he reaches into the pockets of his denim jeans, taking out these small, thin rectangular shaped items. Is that what money looks like? He moves it towards me and offers it to me.
"Here, take it," He says to me with a smile, waiting patiently as I slowly reach forward to take the money. "It's about $20, but it should be enough to cover the costs for what food you decide to buy."
Having taken the offered money, I place it into the right pocket of my black coat, looking right back at him. Even when he is telling me this and assuring that I am going to be okay, there is this strange feeling inside of me. It's almost as if I do not want to be alone again like I usually am at his place. I felt like I wanted to go with him to his class to see what the classrooms looked like.
There is the sound of loud ringing heard throughout the interior of the building. I was very confused and startled by the sudden loud noise that it was making. It sounds kind of like a bell... the one on Sean's box in the room that made light and noise as well. Sean doesn't look startled though, and when he sees my confusion and me looking where the noise was coming from - he places his hand onto my left shoulder and keeps the gentle look in his eyes.
"That's the sound of the bell, signaling for all of the students to go to their assigned classes," He tells me, turning to the left, down the hallway to where his classes would probably be. He looks back at me. "Head to either the library or the cafeteria. I'll see you at lunch time."
Like that, he removes his hand from my shoulder and begins to make his way down the hallway to get to his class as it looked like he didn't want to be late. Other students were on their way to their classes as well, some coming in the same direction or to the left. Probably past the library is where their other classes were.
He is right. I should probably pick either. I don't want to linger too long here, should a teacher come along and notice me. I turn my blue eyes towards the doors to the cafeteria, walking over and approaching to open it.
Peeking inside of the large room, the room itself looked to have a bunch of tables with seats applied to them. Probably where the others like to sit and eat their food. The door to where the food was being made, I can smell a bit of the food that was there.
I don't feel hungry, as Sean made sure to give me some food to eat on the way to his school.
I see a spot over at the end of the room, and slip into the room - walking over towards that spot there and just taking a seat on the other side, to glimpse at the door so I could see who was coming in or out of the room. Probably will see Sean when he comes here to find me.
I sat there at the table, keeping my blue eyes on the door and just waiting as the grasp of time continued to move on. Even so, I still couldn't tell if it was going by fast or slow. I just remained where I was the whole time.
There is the ringing of the same bell eventually, coming about again. Following that a minute or two after, there are a few people that come in to take a set at random tables to hold conversations of their own. They don't seem to notice me sitting there. Are these people here for lunch, or are they not in class?
One of the people who are in the cafeteria, right from across the room. Those eyes of hers, which look to be completely different from what I have seen, are looking directly at me. I kept my blank expression as I watch her getting up out of the seat she was sitting at, walking right over towards my table with such a smile on her face. Couldn't tell if she was wanting to make conversation with me...
[Play Final Fantasy IX OST - Eiko's Theme]
"Hello there!" The girl says to me, giggling a bit. "I haven't seen you here before. Are you a new student here?"
I don't respond to her, but I take a look at her, taking in as much information on her appearance as possible. The color of her eyes that I had almost forgotten to mention, her left eye had a sapphire blue tone of color, while her right was the tone color of an emerald green. A strange color and pattern as there usually would be when it comes to eye color. Her hair color is a shade of red which was in-between and wasn't too dark nor too light - plus it was tied in a ponytail like I have seen with other girls that were around the age of Sean.
Glimpsing quickly to her ears, I could see two earrings on each side of her own ears in the colors of white and blue. They both look to be in the shape of a round ball with some sort of ring around it. For what she is wearing, it looks to be a simple blue tank top, denim jeans along with pink converse low-tops as it describes for her shoes. Kind of like Sean's, except his are black high-tops. Around her neck is some necklace which is made of materials that I have yet to find out, with a diamond ring on her right hand and a pearl ring on her left.
"Ummmmm, hello?" She says to me, playfully using her hand and forming it to carefully knock on the top of my head in a joking, fun manner. "Earth to this stranger, you paying attention?"
...Why is she using her hand to knock on my head? Shouldn't that be used at a door?
I continue to stare at her as she does not hesitate, taking a seat right next to me. "Thank goodness that I have found someone to talk to. Everyone else here at the school isn't really that interested. It's all 'guy-talk' and video games... not really my taste."
I do not respond to her, just taking in the conversation that she is trying to share with me. She gives off an expression at me, wondering if I am going to say anything at all.
"Not a talkative one, are you?" She commented before another smile appears on her mouth. "That's okay! Even if you are a quiet one, you can definitely be my friend! I definitely won't take no for an answer there!"
This girl... a friend? But I don't even know her...
"Well, I believe it is the right time to introduce myself so that I don't come off as a completely total stranger to you," She says to me. "I'm Sari! But if you want, you can call me by my nickname Sar. Either way, I'm quite happy."
Sari... Sean... two people I now know. Though I have to know Sari more...
"I really like your short hair," She commented on my black hair. "It really fits your style, though the coat is something I keep wondering about."
Again, not a single response made to her. But I like the style that her hair is in as well. I wonder what it would look like naturally without a ponytail. As I know there have been girls here without that.
"...Aren't you going to say something?" She asked me, with a bit of a questioned, curious tone in her voice.
I don't know what to say. I haven't said anything yet since the moment I came here to this world, with no idea how I even got there in the first place.
Sari stays seated next to me, then saying to me. "Even if you are a quiet type of person, you are going to be friends with me no matter what!" She tells me, eager on having to get to know me.
Well, if she is that insisting on forming a friendship with me, I guess that will be okay... Maybe Sean knows a lot more about her. Maybe she knows a bit about Sean...
"What do you like?" She asks me. "For me, I really like flowers."
Flowers... like the ones that grow in front of Sean's house and every other house that I have seen?
"My favorite flowers are the daffodils and forget-me-nots," She tries to make conversation with me while I listen to her. Forget-me-nots? An interesting name for a flower... "What is your favorite flower?"
No response. Other than the flowers I have seen in front of Sean's house and his neighbors, I wasn't that sure.
Sari looks like she is thinking about something. Then an excited expression on her face was showing afterwards. "Hey! If you aren't busy, maybe one day when we know each other a little better, you could come to my place! I have a whole bunch of flowers there in the backyard. You'd really like them!"
...Well, if I do know you better like I do with Sean... then yes.
"Why don't I show you around the school? Don't worry about the teachers, they got other students to deal with that are quite troublesome." She offers to me.
I'm not sure... teachers or not, I believe I should stay here like Sean suggested. Though to say otherwise, Sari insistently takes my right hand. She at least, made sure that I got out of the seat at the table before being pulled along with her, who looks really joyful about talking to me.
"As you can see," Sari says to me, guiding me around the interior of the school building as we both make our way out of the cafeteria and are heading to the right. "That, right over there is the school library, but it is also connected as a public library."
Sean told me about the library already...
"Down the hall over there past it, are where the drama and arts classes are, as well as the music classes for those with those wangy-tangy instruments that you would see in an orchestra. The drama classes though, they usually put on a school performance or talent show every few months. The christmas performance usually stands out a lot to me though, and I remember when I did that in the sixth grade back in middle school."
I didn't have too much time to take a long glance down the hallway of classes which are lineup with thin doors and strange locks on them until Sari pulled me along to the left, down to where more classrooms were.
"Down here is where the school office is, as well as classrooms for those in history, english, french, spanish, mathematics... you get it at this point." She guides me.
...Yes... She sounds a little bit stubborn when I'm trying to tell her that she doesn't have to give me all of the details. But I cannot speak... yet. Oh well...
"Well, well, well..."
[Play Final Fantasy VII OST - Turks Theme]
A voice from behind us caught our attention, and it wasn't a girl but more sounded like a boy. But it didn't sound like Sean either. I turn around, with Sari letting go of my hand, giving off a glare towards this boy and his other friends that are with him.
"Look who it is," The boy says to Sari, a hand on his hip. By the way his voice sounds, he seems rather more... I'm not sure how to describe it. I should probably let Sari do the talking. "It's chattermouth who can't stop talking for once, with a new friend."
...Who is that? Chattermouth? That sounds mean.
"Go away Greg," Sari warns the boy, groaning with annoyance. By the way she had groaned, this boy named Greg sounded like bad news. "Do you think that acting like such a bully is going to make you look better than any other boy here in the school?"
"Come on Sari," His friend to the left of Greg says to her. "Give it a break for a while with all of your talking. Maybe... shut up."
"What did you say?!" She warned. "I'll tell on you!"
Greg and his friends begin to start howling with laughter over that threat that Sari made to them. They are not at all intimidated by it at all, with his attention now turned towards me, taking a few steps towards me as I look at him blankly, directed at the green eyes of his. I do not look intimidated either, as I look brave in front of her... even if I can't say anything back to him.
"I saw you coming here to school, with that loser boy Sean," Greg says to me, grabbing my attention upon the mention of that name Sean. He knows Sean? Why would he call Sean a loser boy? "You must be his girlfriend or something..."
"Oooooh," His friend says in a taunting way. "Sean the mud boy's got a girlfriend!"
Well, he is my friend... but a girlfriend? What?
I hear his other friend on his right as he talks, joining in the conversation. "I bet Sean goes all kissy-kissy for this girl."
"All of you, leave the girl alone!" Sari says, standing in front of me to not let Greg get any closer to me. "If Sean knows her, then it's not your concern. It's his business if he is dating her or not!"
...Dating? What's that?
"Or what?" Greg responded back, a clever smile on his face. "I'm surprised a loser like Sean would hang around this girl."
Sari held her position in front of Greg and his friends before he just scoffs in a mocking way, turning around and walking in the opposite direction, right past us.
"Kyle, Lucas, let's go. We've got no time to deal with a chatterbox and a mud boy's girlfriend." He says to them as they depart.
Sari turns around, shouting at them as they leave. "You better leave us alone! Don't you even think of trying to bully my new friend or Sean... whoever he is!" Even though they laugh in response to that statement, we stood our ground and watched as the boys head towards a set of doors and exit through them. She then turns to look at me, as I look at her in return. "Are you okay? I hope their comments didn't hurt you."
No response. Just a blank expression on my face, taking in everything that I saw.
[Play Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD ReMix OST - Lazy Afternoons]
"I'm not a chatterbox at all! The nerve of that boy calling me that!" Sari just about was angry, thinking about that. She stops me for a moment, seeing that I was right there. She breathes in through her nose, holding it for one or two seconds and then exhales, repeating twice. Is that an exercise on calming down?
"I'm sorry that you had to deal with that too," Sari says to me. "That Greg is always up to no good. I'm just hoping that we won't see him again at the end of the day."
My eyes were caught away from Sari, and was taking focus down the hallway, seeing a boy sitting there on the ground who had watched the whole thing before resting his head on his arms which were on top of his knees from his sitting position.
Taking in a good glimpse at the boy, I was able to get some details on his own appearance. He looked like the usual human... kind of like Sean and Sari... me as well. He has an average body build, looks fit even for his lean appearance, with his lengthy arms possessing some muscle. I couldn't see his face nor his eyes, but his hair is the color of black with red streaks at the ends of them, the length of them going to his neck. From where I was standing, I can see that like Sari, he too has earrings, but with one that I can see looks like a cross. He wears a black shirt, green shorts, and running shoes. On his wrist, I caught the glimpse of a wristwatch that is sprayed with gold. But his skin... it's rather light. I'm not talking pale white, but rather peach skinned. In his ears, he has earphones in - like the ones I have seen in Sean's room.
"Are you looking at Ricky over there?" I can hear Sari next to me, grabbing my attention back to look at her.
I nod to her, understanding her question she had asked me.
"We call him Ricky, but the teachers here call him by his full first name, Rickson. He... well, let's just say that he is known to be avoided by everyone else in the school. Because of past tense back in Grade 10. I'd be careful with him." She whispers to me.
Does Sean know anything about this Rickson that Sari has mentioned to me? I wonder if he does...
"Come on," Sari says to me. "Lunch is probably going to start very soon. So we should get going to the cafeteria to have some food."
I follow along behind her, only turning my head around to take a glimpse at Rickson one more time. He remains in the same position that I last saw him in before turning back around to have lunch with Sari... and possibly Sean if I see him there.
The bell rang again while I sat there next to Sari in the cafeteria who probably has talked my ear off from the last couple of minutes. More people which were known as students here began to gather around in the large room, going to different tables or just getting ready to line up at the kitchen to get their food and pay for it.
I remembered the money that Sean had given to me before he had left to go to his classes. I took it out from my coat's right pocket, recalling that it had a value of $20. My stomach makes a bit of a groan itself that I could feel myself. I guess I might have started to get a bit hungry. Nothing wrong at this time to get some food.
"Are you hungry?" Sari asked me, watching as I get up from the table to go to the line where the students were going. "I'm coming to join you. I can help you out with helping pick out the foods you want to have."
...I guess you can join...
Walking towards near the start of the line, I was stopped by a few of the students who were giving me these rather strange looks upon their faces. They didn't seem too happy with me wanting to go in and get my food. I wonder why...
"Hey, did you read the sign?" One of the tall students with red, ginger-like hair says to me in a snobbish tone. "You're supposed to line up behind us like all of the others. Back of the line with you."
Sari took my hand and is apologizing to the disappointed students as she guides me towards the back of the line with her. "So sorry about my friend!" She says to them. "She's new here!"
Glimpsing the student rolling their eyes in annoyance, at this point, I am quite happy that she is there to keep me aware of what is really going on. Being that we weren't far away from the cafeteria doors, I feel content to be close by the doors to the kitchen where the aroma of food being made drives a bit of saliva in my mouth which I swallow down, eager to have whatever is there... well, the affordable foods offered.
"Be careful," Sari says to me, a bit of concern in the tone of her voice as we stopped in front of a kid that is the same height as me. "I almost forgot to tell you that there is a set of rules here, like having to line up for food here."
I look at her in understanding, a blurred figure in my vision of looking at her as she is telling this to me. Turning my blue eyes from her to look at the recognizable figure in my vision, I recognized that student as Sean who is looking for me.
He turns to his left, seeing me and taking what I figure is a sigh of relief. He must have thought that I disappeared on him. I wouldn't... I knew that. I'd never leave my first friend here behind.
"Xion!" He calls out my name as he walks towards me.
My new friend turns her head, seeing Sean coming to join us. She was wondering who was calling that name. When she saw that it was him, she held an expression her face that asks if I knew who this was.
"There you are," Sean says to me, a weak smile on his face as he joins us. "I can see you made a new friend."
"You know who she is?" Sari asks him.
"Yeah," He says to her, sounding happy like he did when he saw me. "I'm guessing that she hasn't said anything yet?"
"Not a word..."
I want to speak to the both of them... I'm trying so hard, but words aren't coming out...
"I hope she will talk to me so I will know how she is feeling," Sean says to Sari. "Her name is Xion, and I am Sean."
"So you're the one that that bully Greg was talking about," Sari responds to him, understanding now completely who I was now. "I'm Sari, and it's nice to meet you."
"Greg?" He asked. "Why would he talk about me? Probably to taunt me more after what happened." We continue to move up the line as he talks with the both of us in conversation.
"What happened?" Sari asked.
He sighs for a moment, before telling us. I can tell that he almost did not want to talk about it. "He was blocking me from getting back home with his friends. I tried to escape, and it ended up with me in a losing fight."
What about when you found me? Are you going to tell Sari about that?
"Sorry to hear about that," Sari responds to him, a sympathetic tone in her voice as she listened to him. "I've been having problems with Greg as well. That jerk just doesn't know when to quit, let alone at the name calling!"
Mud boy as Greg described Sean to be... that's name calling, right? I have a bad feeling about Greg... he doesn't seem so nice after all.
Once things began to calm, it did not take too long to reach the door to the kitchen. Sean did the honors of allowing me to go first, with him and Sari right beside me as I continued, looking at the items on the menu that were available. I can feel something softly touch my right hand, seeing that it was a tray. I turn my head and look to see it was Sari who gave it to me.
"You'll need that to have your food on." She tells me, a smile expressing on her mouth.
I turn my head, looking at the menu and the options ahead of me in those silver trays. Each tray described what was there, whether it being stacks of french fries, salads, soups, hamburgers with the option of adding cheese to them, pizza slices with pepperoni on top of them. A few other trays that are ahead of the normal foods offered were gluten free or vegan. I wasn't sure what those tasted like just yet, but I was quite eager to try out the pepperoni pizza slices.
"What can I get for you?" The cafeteria lady behind the counter asked me. I take a look at her, she's wearing a white apron and a hair net which covers her aging hair.
I turn and look at the pepperoni pizza as a way of communicating with her. I wanted to tell her with words, but couldn't speak.
"I'll get that pizza for you, honey," She sounds really nice. She must really enjoy working behind the counter. "I'll give you two slices."
She gathers two slices onto the paper plate that is provided for all of us. I watch as she puts the food filled plate onto my tray, my eyes turning up to see the smile on her face. "Enjoy it!" She exclaims rather joyfully.
As I move down the line towards the drinks, I turn my head to the right to glimpse at both Sean and Sari and the food that they have. He has a variety of french fries on his plate as well as a piece of bready covered food... something that is called the today's special on the menu, which is breaded haddock, made from the chefs in the back of the kitchen and given to the students. With the fries added to it, they called it fish and chips.
Once at the end of the line, I get the pack of 2% milk that is provided for the students. I take it, placing it onto my tray and then going to the cashier at the end of the line.
"New student?" The cashier with blonde hair, covered by the hair net, asked me with his green eyes staring at mine. "I think you'll really enjoy the pizza slices. With those and the drink, the total goes up to $5."
I handed him the $20 bill in my hand. He takes it, placing it into the cash register and returning a $10 bill and a $5 as well. He's got this look on his face, a face that shows friendly gestures. Probably thanking me for the food. He looks probably one or two years older than Sean by the looks of him.
I reach forward to let him have the $15 he gave me, but he looked like he couldn't take it. "Oh no, that's for you, it's change. You gave me a $20, and the cost was $5, so you get $15 back." He said, chuckling a bit.
I guess that's how currency and spending works a bit here...
Once I have waited for both Sean and Sari to pay for their food, I kept close to them as we find an empty table that nobody has taken. We found a table to sit at near the doors that brought students in and out of the cafeteria.
I take my seat in the middle, between both Sean and Sari. She's on my left side and he's on my right side. I grab onto the first pizza slice on my plate and begin to start eating. The taste of cheesy delight soothing my hunger with each swallow that I was taking of this lunch.
While I am eating my lunch, I have my eyes set on the cafeteria doors, watching who is going in and out of the room. Some of them didn't even get a lunch from the kitchen here, as they brought their own lunch from bags in their backpacks. Others outside of the cafeteria, just walking through the hallway with their other friends, talking to one another.
I can see Rickson... he's coming into the cafeteria, but he's not taking a seat at our table or any other table. He's instead moving to the wall nearby and turning to lean his back on it, looking down. He's facing the direction that would have him looking directly towards me. Like before, he has his earphones in his ears.
Another group I recognize comes in as well. It was the boy and his two friends from earlier, Greg, Kyle and Lucas. They looked like they were up to no good, and I didn't even want to think about the conversation that Greg had with Sari and myself earlier.
He takes a glimpse towards where we are sitting, and he turns to his two friends and is laughing about something. They are coming towards the table where we are... uh oh...
I watch as Greg approaches the table, slamming to both of his hands down onto the table which startled both my friends, even myself upon this. He holds a cruel smile on his face, those eyes of his set on Sean himself.
"Well well," Greg started off with quite a tauntful remark. "If it isn't mud boy himself, with his girlfriend and the chatterbox."
"Greg..." I turn to look at Sari, who looks like she wasn't going to have any of this. She's already gritting her teeth from annoyance. "Leave... us... alone..."
"Or what?" He says to her. "Afraid that you'll lose your voice?"
"Why I..." She wanted to make a come back, but didn't know what to say to him.
Greg just laughs, a snobby look present on his face that made him look better than us. "That's what I thought. It's not just you, it's mud boy who is our play toy here."
"I'm not a play toy, not to you." He remarked back with a glare.
"Oh yeah?" Greg says, laughing for a brief moment. "You were too weak to throw a punch at me, let alone try to avoid me. But to throw a rock at me? That's seriously the best you can do?"
"Enough!" Sari shouts, slamming her left hand which was formed as a fist on the table to get his attention back.
"Aw, what's the matter Sari?" Greg turns briefly to her, looking to judge her for her action of hitting the table with her hands. "Swatting flies at your table or something? Go talk someone's ear off."
"Leave Sari alone," Sean warns him. "This has nothing to do with you."
"Of course you don't want to be bothered," He says to him. "You're just a loser boy in this school, that I'm surprised you'd talk to a chatterbox and your girlfriend."
There's that name again... what does he mean by girlfriend? Does he mean by me and Sari being friends who are girls?
"Girlfriend?!" Sean says to him. "We're not dating!"
Lucas joins in the taunting. "Poor Sean doesn't want to go mouth to mouth with his girl! Look at that!"
Greg and Kyle begin to laugh along with Lucas, followed by the startled action of Greg grabbing a handful of fries from Sean's plate and tossing them along with his orange juice into his face which has splashed him and made a mess on his shirt.
"See you, loser!" Greg dismisses him as he goes towards the kitchen doors to get his food, with his two friends following behind him, laughing along.
Inside, I felt a little shocked to see that this is what both of my friends had to deal with while they were here. Why weren't the teachers trying to put a stop to all of this?
"Are you okay Sean?" I turn to hear Sari as my eyes look directly at Sean himself, who is almost doing nothing at all to clean up the mess that Greg and his friends made, especially on him.
He seems almost quiet as he responds to her. "I'm... I'm fine, Sar..."
Why is he quiet? The question I have to him is the same as what Sari had asked. Is Sean okay? Why does he look down?
There's water coming out from his eyes... tears...
Sean... are you okay?
I want to respond to you... please tell me...
You're my friend...
I just want to reach out to you... to talk to you... to speak to you...
...Like you speak to me...