7INTRODUCING... SIMON.
Simon was just a little lost freshman, a guppy if you will, desperately clinging to his notebook and wading fearfully through the waters of high school, steering away from the juniors and seniors with mouths and attitudes as sharp as a shark's.
The sea was brutal. Simon blamed the public education system. From the coral reef which was elementary school, to the stinging anemone which was middle school, and onward to high school where Bruce the Great White Shark lay at the bottom with his 'fish are friends, not food' mantra.
Home schooling was looking quite tasty. As tasty as the prospect of a salmon being sautéed in creamy butter and seasoned with herbs galore.
How nice, Simon thought.
Lunch time arrived too soon. Unfortunately for him, Simon had made zero friends during his first week of high school. They were now a month into the school year and Simon had resigned himself to the fact that he may be sitting by himself for quite a long time. He blamed his inability to interact normally with other people.
Pulling out the tuna and tabasco sandwich prepared lovingly by his mother earlier that morning, Simon glanced at his peers and the upperclassmen in a surreptitious manner, keeping his eyes moving as to not meet anyone else's. If the action actually occurred, he would probably throw up and there would be chunks of tuna and tabasco everywhere on the floor.
Not a very pleasing image, to say the least.
Simon watched the people around him and felt his self-confidence drop several meters. Everyone gave off a light-hearted air, an aura of ease and familiarity for one another. Simon could only hope that one day, someday, he would join those masses of oblivious and carefree students, the ones who were blessed to be able to talk freely.
Simon stopped his roaming eyes. A boy had caught his attention.
He was older, maybe a sophomore, but no more than a junior. Broad shoulders, light dirty-blonde hair, tall, and a good amount of muscle on him, enough to make him look more buff than fit and lean. It seemed to suit him though. The boy sported an almost-frown and ate his food slowly but surely. His eyes were dulled, as if bored by the environment around him. He kept quiet too, ignoring the chatter from the tables adjacent to his.
He wasn't anything special, Simon decided. Average looks, sullen demeanor, and a disinterest that must have made others think twice before approaching. Yes, he wasn't anything special, but Simon appreciated his being there.
Why?
Because Simon was thinking. He was thinking about approaching the boy.
Again, why?
Because Simon wanted to change. And looking at this boy, who was wearing simple plaid and jeans, who seemed to be unlike the typical teenage ideal, Simon felt like maybe he could change.
Oh, he wasn't expecting to just walk up to the boy, prompting one to start a conversation they would soon both be engaged in. Oh, no. He simply wanted to sit next to the boy. They would eat their lunches quietly, maybe share eye contact and smile at one another.
Simon sighed. What a nice thought. It was the most socialization he could handle for one day. It was the most he could hope for anyways.
Simon had the great urge to pick up his strange sandwich and his other belongings in order to move in the direction of the boy's table. Would he be able to sit with this other boy? Sitting next to someone in silence, he thought, was better than sitting by oneself in loneliness.
Before Simon could think his idea through, let alone carry it out, the scene changed.
A girl was in front of the boy, a school lunch tray in hand. Her smile was clearly visible even from the distance Simon sat at and her blue eyes sparkled as she greeted the boy jovially.
Simon was surprised to find how the air around the boy changed. He still wore the almost-frown with the crease in his forehead, but his expression softened in a way Simon never would have imagined.
The girl sat across from the now-changed boy and… oh, dear God.
Their heads both turned toward Simon's direction.
They made eye contact. With him.
THEY MADE EYE CONTACT. WITH HIM.
The boy and the girl grabbed their stuff and started walking to where he was sitting. Simon shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked at his sandwich the entire time, from when they got up to when they sat down on either side of him.
Simon gulped. He felt their gazes on him, making him tremble in place. What were they doing, sitting next to someone like him? Maybe they saw how he was watching them, maybe they were offended by his not-so-subtle staring. Were they here to bully him? Were they here to make his life miserable from now until the end of his high school career?
"Hi! My name's Andrea. This is Connor. Hope you don't mind us sitting with you."
Simon shook his head quickly, eyes still pointed downward.
"If you don't mind me doing this, I'll get right to it. I know why you were staring at us."
Simon shook with fear. It was coming… it was coming… here it was…
"IT'S BECAUSE CONNOR HAS A WEIRD FACE, RIGHT?!"
"I'M SORR—Wait, what did you say?"
The boy face-palmed. "Why, Andrea? Just why?"
It was going to be a one-shot, but it's going to be a two-shot instead. Just cuz XD
Thanks for reading :)