You’re a freak, a huge freak. You basically have a big pulsing neon sign on top of your head that says, beware of the freak.

I arrived in the cramped cafeteria to find Robert and mine’s table empty. Where the hell was he? He always ambushes me after fourth period; it was weird at first when I walked out of the class and was met by no one. So first no ambush and now he’s not even in the lunchroom. He actually left me to fend for myself. I was going to kill him.

All the clicks were sitting on their tables so close to each other, each person was wedged between the next. I got in line for my food and got the only thing that looked decent from the choices, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The cafeteria was stuffed with people. I had to whir around the tables to avoid them. I winced when I felt someone get to close. Their body heat radiated off of them like hot irons. The walk of shame to my table was a long one; where the hell was Robert? I needed him here; his moral support was what got me through this hell.

I rubbed my palms against the white table as soon as I got to my seat, tracing the scratches of graffiti with my fingers, anything to distract me from all the yammer that the pathetic high school teenagers came up with. I sagged in defeat and hid my face behind my hands.

Someone please kill me.

I heard a hard set of footsteps approach me. The weight of the bench sank down as if someone had sat on it. Finally, Robert came. I took my hands off of my face and stared into emerald green eyes. Daston’s emerald green eyes.

“What are you doing here?” The question came out sharper than I intended. He cocked his eyebrow in that infuriatingly sexy manner of his, seemingly amused.

“Is that how you talk to someone who’s trying to be nice.”

“Oh, I get it, so this is a pity sit.” I said harshly. My temper was rising. Pity was the worst thing he could do for me.

His eyes narrowed. “You know damn well I don’t pity you.”

“Then what?”

He cupped his chin with his hand. “Because you were alone, and that was too my benefit. I can’t very well talk to you when you are around your friend.” He gave me a suggestive look and looked me up and down. “There might have been another reason I wanted to come here,” He grinned. Was he flirting with me?

I raised my chin up and glared, “Well you can’t sit here, that’s Robert’s seat.”

“Yes, where is Robert. I thought you two were inseparable; adjoined at the hip or something like that. I guess he’s not coming.” He leaned in towards me and skimmed my cheek with his finger. “Better for me.” He winked.

I pulled away, contemplating on whether or not I should throw my plate at him like I’d seen in old movies. I settled on scowling at him. “Well, you’re not helping me out by staying here; you’re actually annoying me so get lost.”

“Brianna you wound me.” He grabbed his chest with his hand and sighed. “I’m honestly touched, you know what they say, thin line between love and hate.”

“It’s not that thin.”

He looked at me from under his lashes and tilted his lips up in a crooked smile. I hated the fact that my heartbeat quickened; how could this jerk still affect me?

“You’re different.” He stated. I had already heard countless times how I was not normal, but when he said it, it sounded like a complement.

“Did you barely realize that?” I sassed. I always use attitude to hide my feelings; it was a defense mechanism.

“No; I always knew you were different. It’s why I came here.”

I tilted my head in thought. Why he came to sit with me? Somehow, I felt it was more than that.

“Really, is that your kink then; going after weird girls and doing god knows what.” I grumbled. I was beginning to think that I was some weird sort of experiment for him.

“I never said you were weird, just different. That’s not a bad thing.” He reached forward and put his finger against my temple. “You see things.” He whispered.

“What?” I screeched.

“Brianna,” he gave me a pointed look. “Don’t act dumb with me.”

I tilted my chin up, defensive. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.” He couldn’t mean—

“Why don’t you tell me what’s really on your mind.” He gazed at me intensely, like he knew I was holding out on him.

“What are you talking about?” I whispered. Surely, he could not know about the dreams.

“Nothing,” he looked away from me but not before I heard him mumble, “It’s better this way.”

My curiosity peaked over his words until I could not help but ask. “What’s better this way?”

He whipped his head to face mine and cocked and eyebrow in question. He was playing dumb. “You heard exactly what I said, and if you don’t want to answer me fine, but don’t try to make me feel stupid by pretending you said nothing.” I growled under my breath.

I watched his neutral expression fade for a second, replaced by a spark of surprise before the shields went back up and he became stone once again. I guess I wasn’t going to get anything more out of him.

I scowled at my peanut butter and jelly sandwich; my appetite was gone. I wanted nothing more than to pin Daston on my table and force him to tell me what he meant. And I was not even thinking about the pinning as being anything sexual, mostly.

“You’re mad at me.” He chuckled.

“Way to state the obvious. What are you doing here anyways, other than trying to be chivalrous and your bad attempts at flirting?”

“Bad attempts. If I was flirting, there wouldn’t be any bad attempts.” He gave me a look that hit all the way down to my underwear.

He glanced around the cafeteria and stood up abruptly. He began to leave without saying a goodbye or an acknowledgement. I was getting pretty fed up with his briskness, “So you’re leaving; so much for being chivalrous, a gentleman would have at least said goodbye.” I called after him.

He spun around in one quick motion and gave me a gallantly mocking bow. “So sorry, fair lady, I will now bid you farewell and good morrow.”

A small laugh escaped me as he walked away. He was brash and annoying, but even I had to admit that Daston was actually funny when he wanted to be. I watched Daston disappeared behind the cafeteria doors and that’s when it hit me. I had almost forgotten I was interacting with Daston in front of the whole school. When I looked around I noticed several people glancing at me. On the other side of the cafeteria, I noticed Rebecca frozen in between a group of her friends. Her face was in complete shock, and it was only when her friend, Janelle, nudged her that she snapped out of it.

I shrugged at no one in particular and took a bite out of my sandwich. The bell rang while I was mid sandwich. I gobbled the rest of it and washed it down with juice. I got several curious looks from people as I made my way to class, and there were times when I swore someone was trying to approach me. Figures that when you’re the topic of gossip everyone wants a piece of you.

I made it to my class unscathed, but was cornered by Jackie before I could get in. Her blond hair was up in a sleek ponytail and her eye shadow emphasized the dark blue of her eyes. We had this class together; she sat in front of me but never acknowledged my existence outside of calling me loser and freak.

Jackie made a show of putting her hands on her hips as she approached me. “So how much did you pay Daston so he could sit with you?” She looked down at me; she was about five inches taller than I was, but her heels made her grow an extra four inches, making her look like a model with her height and skinny figure.

“I didn’t pay him anything.” I raised my head high determined to not be intimidated by big blond bimbos.

“Ha. What a bunch of bullshit. No one would sit by you willingly unless his name is Robert.” She sniffed. I was actually shocked that she knew Robert’s name.

“Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter, so if you don’t mind, MOVE.” She didn’t budge, I gave her a sly smile and stared at her, right in the eyes and watched her recoil away from me. I watched her eyes open wide in surprise before I went inside.