(A/N: Wow, sorry I disappeared forever. Here's the third chapter. I'm working on the fourth chapter as we speak haaa)
(Y/N)'s POV
I kept my head down, making sure my hair shielded my face as I stepped into the cafeteria. The last thing I needed right now was to be spotted. Lucky for me, I have experience, and I'm highly knowledgeable on the art of victim avoidance. I stayed by the walls, walking quickly and silently to the courtyard exit. My eyes remained cast downward at the white pasty floor. School was like a jail to me- I couldn't escape this suffocating hellhole, doomed to endure its endless misery. The toxic plumes of lies and gossip polluted the air, mistrust and sadness plagued every inch of this cage.
I was almost at the door when my small body collided with another. The two of us ricocheted like two balls hitting one another and landed on our backsides. I shook my head in an attempt to clear my head from the crash just as a deep voice grumbled, "Watch where you're go- wait, (y/n)?"
My eyes widened in surprise as I slowly registered the familiar voice with a familiar face. "Dave?" I looked up immediately, my eyes meeting with the same aviator shades that saved me this morning.
To put it frankly, I wasn't surprised or happy at all- it was just awkward.
"Shit, sorry," the Strider began, standing up before taking my hand and helping me up as well.
"No, no, it's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was-"
"Well, would you lookie here..." A taunting voice interrupted. When I turned towards the owner of the mock, I found myself looking towards a mixed group of my classmates- the inflictors of my torment.
"Stridork and (shitty nickname with your l/n) are together." One snickered.
"It's only fitting that they are."
"Haha, I guess losers stick together."
"Hey, maybe they're sleeping together; since they're so desperate for someone to even like them!"
"Wow, that's so pathetic."
"Hey Stridork! Didn't know you were into sluts! And who knew (shitty nickname) was into wannabes?"
Sinister giggles were heard through the cafeteria as Dave and I stood there, listening to our classmates jeer at us. A hand grabbed my upper arm and tugged gently. I looked up at them and saw Dave, his stoic expression unbreakable. Wow… I stared at his expressionless face, wondering what was going through his head. Why are they picking on Dave? What the hell did he even do to them…?
"J-just because we remind you of your insecurities doesn't mean you have to bully us," I stated blandly.
"The fuck did you just say, (l/n)?" One of the girls from my history class snapped. I could smell her nauseating perfume. "You know, this is exactly why everyone hates you. This is why we kicked you out of the clique in 8th grade."
I shut up and bit my lower lip.
"C'mon, (y/n). Let's get out of here," he murmured, tugging me along. I nodded in agreement, following behind him timidly.
"Yeah, go on with your little boyfriend, you whore!"
"And while you're at it, go on and kill yourself!"
Laughter erupted amongst the others as the door slammed shut behind us, muffling their tormenting laughs. I sighed as Dave rubbed his temples. I'd be lying if I said I didn't believe anything they said...
"This is stupid," He muttered, sitting down and leaning against the cold stone wall.
"How are we so different from them?" I whispered, sitting next to him.
"Well, for one, we're not assholes. They're all just shits who can't deal with our sick and pure coolness that they could only dream of having."
"Pft," I shrugged.
"And second, I think they're just jealous of our success."
"Dave, you might've achieved something, but I'm worthless and can't do anything." I hugged my knees.
Dave stared at me. "(y/n), shut the fuck up. You're not worthless. I meant that they're jealous of our future success."
I looked up from the cold cement and up at him, quirking a brow, "What do you mean by that, exactly?"
"Look here. To us, this seems like some sort of giant problem right now, but it's really just a small bump in the road to success. When we get to the top, we can crush those guys with our success."
"Woah... That was deep," I mumbled in awe.
Hearing this caused Dave to smirk a bit. He popped his shirt, flaring it open and did a small spin. "One of the benefits of being a Strider, (y/n)."
Silence fell between the two of us.
After about a minute, Dave cleared his throat, "So, (y/n)."
"Hm?" I responded.
"Tell me about yourself."
We then spent the rest of my lunch period talking about each other. I found out that has a strange liking to apple juice and apparently, he owns several shitty katanas for some reason.
"They're from my bro," he explained briefly, saying nothing more on the topic.
I told him my favorite band, (B/n). He seemed genuinely interested and he even asked for a link to one of their songs. Naturally, I agreed. Since we were on the topic of music, Dave informed me that he made his own music, and offered an earbud so I could listen to his demo. He was actually really good, much better than most of the "artists" out there. After a while of talking, cracking a few jokes, and just listening to music, the warning bell rang- signalling that lunch was over. And hell- I mean school- had to continue. I smiled though. It had been a while since I hadn't had a decent conversation with a real person in such a long time. I never even expected to gain a friend like this.
Suddenly, he asked, "Do you have a pesterchum?"
"Huh? Oh- yeah! It's (c/h)."
He smiled."Hm, cool. Mine's turntechGodhead. I'll pester you later."
I nodded. "Um, okay? See you later, Dave."
"Later, (l/n)," He said, now walking in the opposite direction as you, giving you a small half wave.
I turned around, walking to my next class. As I strode down the long white hallway, a soft smile crept upon my face. Ever since my little encounter with Dave, I found that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't as alone as I thought I was.
