The world around me was bustling with life, voices and laughter filling the large lunchroom that I quietly sat in. The sunlight from the senior courtyard behind me lit up my lonesome round table, causing glares as I tried to look at my phone. Huffing angrily, I scooted over one seat to sit in the shade, scrolling through social media. I was invisible to everyone in the large, tannish room. I didn't mind sitting here by myself, looking at my phone, but at the same time, having someone to talk to would be nice.
I sat near the hallway that separated the main room and the bathrooms. Despite the multitude of people that walked past me every second, I didn't bother looking up at them. Why would I? There's nothing I wanted from them and there's nothing they wanted from me.
"Kevin?" I heard someone say, causing my eyes to flicker up. There was someone standing in front of me, wearing blue, baggy jeans. There were holes in them to add an aesthetic, but something about the voice sounded familiar to me. Lifting my head, I could feel my heart stop for a split second.
Before my eyes was Janine, her long hair resting on the sides of her head as she leaned closer to me. Her black jacket was zipped up, the small red horse rider symbol resting quietly on the jacket's breast area.
"Janine?" I asked, causing her to smile.
"I'm glad you remembered," she said with a wide grin. "I'm really bad with names so I'm sorry if it's not Kevin."
"Oh no, it's Kevin," I explained, stuttering mid-sentence. We have the same lunch?
"Thats good," she said, lifting herself up. Her eyes darted around the table, looking at each empty seat. "How come you're by yourself?"
"I have no friends during lunch," I replied, realizing how lonely I sounded. It was rather embarrassing, my heart beating faster as a small smile formed around the creases of her mouth.
"Want me to sit with you?" Janine asked, dropping her bookbag behind the seat to my left. From there, she plopped her body onto the circular seat without giving me a chance to answer.
"Don't you have friends that you can sit with?" I questioned as she gazed out towards the brightness of the outside world.
"Oh, no not really," she giggled, looking at me with her pale white smile. It seemed as though it didn't faze her at all, how she had no one to talk to at this time of day. My heart fluttered as she began talking to me, her words sounding just as beautiful as her voice.
"What you been up to?" Turning her body towards me, I became the entirety of her attention. My bones shook as her beautiful green eyes stared into mine, glistening like diamonds.
"Nothing really, just working I guess." Her eyes became even brighter upon the mention of me working somewhere.
"Where do you work at?"
"The Big 'Ole Burg', the one across from the Lix you work at," I replied, my brain stabbing me with regret as I mentioned where she worked. Did I just sound like a stalker?
"Oh really! I love eating there," she chuckled, before digging into her bag. I sighed quietly, relieving myself from the pressure I felt when I was her focus. A couple of seconds went by when she finally pulled out her bright blue lunchbox, a vibrant yellow surrounding the borders of it. Pulling the cold metal zipper, she opened the brightly colored box to reveal a familiar sight. I almost bursted into laughter when she pulled out a burger from my job, probably an order from yesterday.
The brown wrapper was wet with grease, but it didn't seem to bother her as she ripped it open excitedly. She began chowing down on the cheeseburger like it was her last meal, ketchup and mustard splattered all around the rims of her mouth.
"Why do you like it so much?" I asked curiously. Lifting her finger to pause me, she continued chewing her burger before a loud gulp filled my ears.
"How could you not like it? It's simply amazing!"
"If that's what you want to call it," I replied, rolling my eyes with a slight smirk. It was strange how comfortable I felt around her despite just meeting her, my mind stepping back as I allowed my heart to control my responses and the flow of the conversation. "How are your classes?"
"They're alright, I just hate how on the first day of school, Mr. Harvark gave us a worksheet to complete," she explained, angrily huffing as she bit into her burger again.
"Yeah, that was really dumb. Did you complete it?" I waited as she finished her bite, admiring the way her eyes glittered with the reflection of the light on the table. They were like bright stars in the darkness of the night sky, glistening and shimmering with every second.
"Not yet, have you?' she asked, knocking me out of my sudden trance.
"No, want to work together on it?" I offered, her eyes going wide upon my offer.
"Sure! I need help figuring it out anyways," she responded, the two of us chuckling as we pulled out the small assignment. From there, we began working diligently on the paper, occasionally asking the other if they understood the question. These moments were beautiful, like one of those scenes in a romance movie or show where the main characters meet each other and learn about things they have in common. The bright paper couldn't trap my eyes, as they sometimes shifted towards her hand, scribbling down every word. Her handwriting was perfect, despite how strangely she held her pencil.
Every word was clearer than day, having a unique feel to it somehow. Suddenly, the teachers called out to the students, telling them it was time to head out.
"Oh crap!" she called out, rushing to gather her things. I followed closely behind her, gathering everything together and shoving it in my bag. Suddenly, her voice rang in my ears. "Hey!"
"Huh," I exclaimed, looking up to see her walking away from me, her head turned back to reward me with one last glance at her smile.
"That table tomorrow, okay?" she asked, turning her body to face me while walking backwards.
"Oh, ye-yeah!" I stuttered, lifting a thumbs up towards her with a positive smile. We both grinned towards each other, our thumbs pointed up towards the sky in agreement. Quickly, she twirled around and continued into the crowd, disappearing among the dozens of students. I couldn't move, stuck in place as I stared into the crowd of kids. Those moments between her and I caused a strange sensation within my soul, some sort of excitement mixed with anticipation.
I wanted to talk to her again already, just for a moment longer. But alas, I would have to wait till tomorrow to see her again hopefully.
YOU ARE READING
𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇𝑔𝒶𝓏𝒾𝓃𝑔 (Stargazing)
Romance"There's always a light at the end of a dark tunnel." Kevin is now a husband and father, but as he looks through the attic, a necklace brings him back to his former years. Thinking about the impact the people back then had on him, he explains to hi...
