I was a bit surprised by seeing Simon walking down the hallway towards me and Caspar, not alone as usual, but with a small and rather cute girl by his side, arms linked as they were laughing at something that had been said far enough away for us to not overhear. I let my eyes drift to my side, where Caspar was standing, frozen and mute as his eyes intently watched the two approaching, especially focusing on their linked arms, a flare of something dark in his eyes as his body seemed rigid and unmoving on the spot. As they had made it up to us, Simon quickly looked up towards me and Caspar, smile non-wavering as he introduced his new friend and dance partner, Aria, a petite beta girl with a lovely personality that matched Simon's bubbly one. The more she spoke, the more Caspar’s shoulders slumped, seeming to draw in on himself like a turtle retreating back into the safety of its shell. He seemed to feel threatened for Simon’s attention by the way him and Aria seemed so perfectly in tune with each other. Their banter and personalities thriving off of each other as we made our way through the halls. Quickly getting up to speed on their freshly found kinship, as they seemed to have a lot in common. They had been paired up with each other for the rest of this semester as there would be a focus in dancing two-and-two, or in “pairs” if you will.
At the mention of their “pairing” Caspar looked up, a sheen in his eyes, he genuinely seemed upset by the news, I took a hold of his shoulder, out of sight from Simon and Aria as I gave him a look conveying “You have nothing to worry about. Simon is not romantically interested in her. Trust me”. A small spark of hope erupted in Caspars eyes, but there was still doubt lingering, I figured he would have to come to terms with Simon moving on if he didn’t plan to make a move any time soon, but I didn’t convey that to Caspar, he seemed fragile as it was in this moment.
- I was hoping you guys don't mind eating lunch with my other friends?
- Not a problem at all! It’d be nice to meet some more people to be honest.
- Yeah, if they’re your friends they gotta be just as great too!
A slight blush erupted high on Arias cheeks, as she quickly waved off the compliment, a small giggle left her lips as she continued to lead us towards the school cafeteria. The interaction was not lost on poor Caspar who, again, began to mope in self-pity. This time I let him be, not wanting to indulge in his pity party, which he’d created all by himself by this point, the idiot.
We took a seat in the dining hall, after getting some ungodly food from the canteen, the mere color of it was frightening enough to make you wonder if they’d spiced it up with rat poison. I excused myself for a second, having to use the toilet, at my departure I looked back over my shoulder, catching Caspar’s helpless plea for help in his gaze, as he sat next to Simon and Aria, who were too busy playing with each other’s food to even notice my departure, let alone seeing Caspar’s heartbreaking demeanor, reminiscent of a kicked dog thrown out on the curb in the ice cold rain. I simply turned away, walking out of the cafeteria, really needing to take a leak. I was perhaps gone for a few minutes, but when I re-entered the cafeteria, I could see two more people by our table, one girl with light-purple long hair and doe-like eyes and a boy, he had light blond-brownish hair and light eyes, with swirls of greens and blues. He was also quite petite yet elegant in his posture, reminiscent of a prince from a kid’s fairytale, head held high and his eyes piercing yet warm. He seemed to be watching over the table, a bit uncomfortable by our presence perhaps. I made my way over, and just as I made it to the table and sat down, I felt his demeanor shift, the atmosphere suddenly thick and not as friendly. I looked over towards the other boy, a beta by the smell of it, as he watched me in a mix of horror, confusion and what seemed to be displeasure. I quirked an eyebrow in question towards him.
- You ok there buddy?
- It’s fine.
- I’m Shawn, we haven’t met before...?
- ... Eli. I’m Eli.
He simply looked at me one more time in disinterest before picking up his conversation with the doe-eyed beta girl to his right. I felt a bit out of place, not used to people completely disregarding me, but I didn’t really mind, nor care that much. He might just have a bad day, or he’s not used to new people. I simply continued trying to eat, not wanting to bother the guy as I began talking with Simon and Aria. From time to time during our shared lunch, I felt Eli’s eyes on me, lingering on me for a moment or two before resuming his conversations. I paid him no mind, seeing as he was perhaps shy and would try to reach out whenever he felt ready for it, or wanted to. As the bell rang, it was time to return to class, now me, Simon and Caspar had the same class, math and parted ways with the other three, as we had different schedules for the day. I couldn’t help but pay closer attention to how Eli waved everyone off, but me, who he simply decided to give a once over before turning away and walking off with the two girls along the corridor. I shrugged it off and joined in on Simon’s excited ramblings.
- They’re all so nice! It’d be great if all of us can hang out together some time. I think we three could do good by socializing with other people but us three.
- I like us three-
- Obviously, but it’d be nice to venture out and meet new people, it’s exciting!
- I think it’s great Simon. Aria seems really cool too, glad you were paired up with someone as nice as her.
- Yeah! Same. I don’t think I could have gotten a better partner.
Caspar stilled by the last comment, his eyes searching Simon’s face for any signs of interest, I rolled my eyes slightly, taking a hold of both Caspar and Simon, before dragging them back into the classroom. Tired of their non-existent relationship drama. If it was this bad before they’d even confessed, I could do nothing but imagine the horror of when they’d actually fess up and start dating each other. Dear lord, give me strength.
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