We soon joined Ocativa at the bench, who,despite being hunched over it, had barely eaten anything. 

She tensed slightly as we sat down but loosened up once we were sat. Alex sat down next to her, but looked like he was in no mood to talk, so I figured it was up to me to spark conversation.

“So you grew up in New York, what was that like?” I asked optimistically. 

“Who told you that?” Octavia replied, looking up and looking confused.

“W-well I knew Dave grew up here, I kinda thought-” I said, surprised. She was quiet for a moment, looking torn between saying something and staying quiet. 

“I… had sort of an accident as a kid, I was never really the same afterwards. Louder. Scared other children. Some sort of violent tendencies. More than what my parents wanted to handle. They were rich city people, they didn’t need me.. Messing up what they had… They then sent me to some relatives. Lived on a ranch till I grew up.” 

She fiddled with the drawstrings of her hood as she spoke. 

“Ever actually heard David speak of me before now?” She asked, poking her potato with the wooden fork. 

“Nope.” Alex answered sharply. While she was talking Alex had pulled out his phone and was doing something on it.

ALEXANDER:

Why can’t she live with 

@Christoph?

SIR DAVID THE KNOB:

Because he’ll sleep with

Her. I know you won’t

“What the Hell!” Alex called, seeing his boss’s new name. He looked up at me and I specifically made sure it was obvious that I wasn’t making eye contact with him. Then, remembering what she had said before, he turned his head to Octavia. She quickly smirked and then looked up at him innocently.

“How could I have changed it? You handed your phone to Chris and I dunno your password” She said mockingly. I swiftly pulled out my phone and decided to message him out of curiosity. 

SECRETLY GAY BOYFRIEND:

It wasn’t me alex 

Alex sighed again and turned off his phone, slipping it back into his pocket. 

“What’d it say?” I asked enthusiastically. Alex glared up at me and then back down at his meal.

Getting bored of his uncooperation, I changed the subject back to Octavia.

“Do you still have the same last name? Lucose?” I asked.

“Na, I changed it when I was, like, eleven. It’s the relatives name. Octavia Harbinner. I like it better. Is your name just Chris, or is it short for something?”  She then asked in return.

“Christoph. Christoph Slövenca.” I said, gazing off to the right, trying to sound as cool as I possibly could. We were quiet for a moment, thinking of something to say. Or I was at least. Octavia was slowly eating her potato and Alex was texting someone again. I kicked him from under the table and he looked up sharply. I frowned and looked from his phone to him, signalling that he was being a jerk. He rolled his eyes and placed his phone back in his pocket.