. . .
In desperate need,
The universe will take heed,
. . .
"Why are you sitting alone?"
You asked softly as you noticed a boy sitting by himself at a lone cafeteria table. He had a mop of brown hair and a yellow shirt that was so bright, it stung your eyes if you looked too long.
That boy remained dangerously deep in his thoughts. So much in fact, he didn't even hear you. Regardless, you decided to sit beside him and that caught his attention. For a moment, it seemed that he was hallucinating you sitting beside him but it was all proven to be real when you offered him half of your lunch. You didn't need to survive off of a buffet anyway.
"Here, you can have my red beans and rice, oh, and my chocolate milkshake. I'm not hungry."
The boy seemed to be flustered, he had nothing to say in the moment, perhaps he was taking in the fact that someone actually wanted to speak with him today, in spite of what happened. Maybe you were unaware?
He was conflicted. On one hand, he can't accept this. His mother had ingrained into his memory to not accept charity for any reason. He lived off by what he earned. On the other, his stomach was rumbling heavily. That dubious bacon and eggs his mother made this morning did not satiate his hunger in the slightest. On a third hand, he was suspicious of your intentions. Why would a pretty, rich girl like you want to associate yourself with a loser dork like him? He should probably get up and leave to avoid getting in trouble because you decided to talk to him. There were many options he could go for and not enough time to properly think through them all.
As he was further down the rabbit hole of his mind, you took a bite of your favorite food. You didn't want to force him to talk nor be rude so you waited for the boy to say anything or do anything. Either way, it was a win for you.
A few minutes of awkward silence passed and you still didn't give up on him. You went up to one of the lunch ladies to get a container so you can pour the rest of your food in for him. You gave it to him with a smile and said.
"Take it. I insist. If you don't feel comfortable eating it right now, you can eat it later if you like."
For the first time, he spoke. "No thank you. I can't this but thanks for offering though."
You furrowed your brows. "Your stomach was growling."
"I don't accept charity." The boy in neon yellow said as he was about to leave.
He was challenging and maybe you should let go but you tried one last time.
"Don't think of this as charity. Think of it as a gift from me. I heard from Brynna that you liked this kind of food."
There was a spark of interest in his cerulean eyes. "You know Brynna?"
You nodded your head. She was the first person who became friends with you when you first enrolled in St. Richards. One thing you can say was that she was too sweet for this school. Later along the line, she introduced you to her small crew. LaShonda, Dina and Madaug. Brynna told you about a kid named Nick Gautier who almost always got in trouble, be it if it was his bully's fault or the school admin hate his guts. No one deserves to suffer like that and you decided to make Nick's life slightly more durable.
"Yeah, we became friends not too long ago. She showed me around and I'm glad she and I share a class together. I feel kind of left out."
Another first, Nick smiled. "Yeah, this school does that to some people."
"It does that to you more than some from what I heard." You stated with a sad smile.
"I don't need your pity, you know."
Yeah, you know. You're wasting your time and his if all of your doings were out of pity. In your eyes, Nick deserved better. You barely knew him and one simple interaction like this certainly didn't quench your curiosity about him. Although he was probably in the same grade as you are, his eyes reflected thresholds of wisdom undisturbed and undisclosed. You can't describe it in words but you could feel it and sense it. That alone made you respect him.
"No, I know what you need... well, somewhat." You hesitated nervously.
Nick raised his eyebrow. "What do I need?"
"A friend." You said abruptly but slowly simmered down and lowered your voice. "You might still get rammed into lockers, get mocked on or some teachers might ruin your day but in the end, would it be nice to have someone to come back to after everything bad?"
Nick was about to make another comment but by your looks, you were serious. It wasn't everyday he makes a new friend. A friend that wasn't his usual crew and his crew wasn't always there for him. He understands. Why would people always hang out with someone who almost always gets suspended or in trouble? There were a lot of factors to consider and think about. If only it were simple.
. . .
Despite all the negative and the obstacles, you persisted and you made it one of your high school goals. Become Nick's friend. You stood up for Nick at every chance you had, not caring for your reputation. You got in touch with Nick's living situation and you were even more motivated to help. You even prepared a second lunch box for him everyday, making it a routine. Those days flew by until the holiday break came. It was the last day of the semester. The last bell rang when you were going through your notes one final time. The midterms burnt out the last of your brain cells and you were more than ready for the holidays.
You realized that all of the students left in a hurry and you can't blame them. The less time spent here, the better. You closed your textbook and stretched your arms out in your assigned seat. Your teacher was out on a break currently and again, you can't blame her. Stone Blakemoor gave her hell this semester and a break was more than what she deserved.
Gathering your notebooks together, you sighed happily, anticipating what was going to happen after school. Granted that you were nervous. You hoped not to see anyone from school when you wanted to spend time with Nick, you didn't want to scare him off due to unwanted people in the background. You tossed your backpack over your shoulder and distractedly skipped over to the doorway of your classroom. While exiting, you bumped into Nick, who sheepishly helped you reorient yourself.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you." You began to mumble and apologize.
Nick revealed his dimples when he smiled. "No sweat on your part. I should've said something first to grab your attention."
Still embarrassed, you muttered another apology before asking him,
"Hey, if you have time today, would you like to go to Cafe du Monde with me? Just for a little while. We could go and walk through the Square if you want."
It took all the courage you can muster to say all of that in a coherent sentence. Your palms were sweaty and clammy.
Nick obviously weighed his options. His mom won't be back home until very late at night and he'll definitely be done working for Liza by then. If you hadn't asked him to go anywhere, he'd be bored out of his mind, stuck at home reading Hammer's Slammers for the umpteenth time. He looked at you briefly as he thought about you. You hadn't done him any wrong, you made his life less miserable and more bearable. You decided to look on the optimistic things in life rather than acknowledge the realistic ones first. You were a turn of pace. A sigh of relief, admittedly. As clear as it was, you worked hard to earn his trust this semester. He wasn't going to open up immediately but he can rest easy knowing you don't have bad intentions. None whatsoever. You were as genuine as you appeared and he appreciated that.
"That'll be nice."
"What?" You blinked at him in disbelief. "Was that a yes?"
Nick nodded and smiled. "It sure was. I don't know what you see in me that's worth digging but you can't seem to leave me alone."
"You want to be left alone, then?"
No, in fact, he was tired of it. At least being with you, his school life would suck less.
"I want to be left alone less. Uh, thanks for inviting me. Usually, Brynna does the inviting."
At the mention of your best friend, you sighed.
"Ah, yeah. She said she would be busy dealing with family. Her family is huge by the way. I wonder how she deals with her siblings. I would go insane if I had to deal with nonsense twenty-four seven. Bless her heart, I suppose."
You walked out of the school entrance with Nick at your side, something you thought was impossible to accomplish at this rate. These were just the first few steps. You hoped that you didn't mess this up. For your sake but especially for Nick's.