Going to the cafeteria, or any place filled with human food, was always torture to my senses but the mixed smell of different food and usual cafeteria odor of wet mop and chlorine made my nose twitch and disgusted me enough to want to barf. The bustle was once bearable, easy to tune out, although now the numerous rants about merciless professors who doesn't give a fuck about their students' staggering workload wormed its way inside my head. Some voices whispered things like wanting to give up while some choose to pick their morale up by making themselves believe that they can do it. Even the whispers echoed clearly — No sleep, too much work to do, too many chapters left unread, no money for tuition fee, I'm hungry, my head hurts, just want to die, just want to die, just want to sleep forever, sorry mom, sorry dad. . .
If you've been praying but feeling like your God's not listening, maybe he's in a therapy session.
Clifford and I filled Lorenzo in with what happened after he left and we ended up in the cafeteria because we'd definitely be late if they chose to dine outside the campus.
"By the way bro, were you always close to Prof. Dalton?" Clifford asked while he's stuffing his face with burger and fries. "I watched them talking," he turned to Lorenzo, "Magno was being clingy and Prof. Dalton didn't seem to mind."
Lorenzo skeptically narrowed his eyes at us so I grinned while removing the ice from my iced americano with a fork I borrowed from him.
"Believe me. Come on, tell him."
"We just happened to have a common friend and he offered to help me with Austin's bodyguards."
"He knows?" Lorenzo asked. He's having a serious meal of grilled eggplant omelet, rice and sweet and sour pork.
I nodded, checking my phone. Champion said he's coming to the cafeteria to eat so he probably heard about what happened already.
"It's just. . . Prof. Dalton's students would always complain about his strict methods, so not a lot of people like him around here," Clifford said, always the one handing out the gossip. "I've never seen him that friendly to any student before and I've been in this school since kindergarten."
"Huh. . ." I scoffed, remembering Totoro in an apron and a bucket, thinking about how small of a matter being a strict professor was. If they knew about his eating habits, they'd find this public version of him adorable. "Anyway, Champion's joining us. Is that okay?"
"Sure, anytime," Clifford answered. Lorenzo just nodded, mouth full. After a while, Champion came around carrying his own tray overflowing with different dishes, so Clifford and I stood up to get another table and connect it to our table so we'd have more room. Mossberg also tagged along with another tray filled with fast food and sandwiches so we extended another table before finally settling down.
Champion and my classmates weren't formally introduced before so we had to spend another long time introducing everybody. Mossberg already knew Lorenzo from another class. He stared at me for a long time before letting out a sigh.
"Don't be depressed, Magnum."
"Why would I be depressed?" I asked, looking at everyone around our table. Everybody except Moss shrugged.
"You're not eating anything. Master and I even ordered extra for you."
"I didn't buy him anything," Champion laughed heartily that students from other tables craned their necks to see what was happening.
"I already ate."
"Yeah, he did," Lorenzo added. "Give me his share, Arguelles."
"Call me Moss. My dad is Arguelles."
YOU ARE READING
Vampire Days
VampireGenesis accidentally died an embarrassing death and woke up a vampire created on a whim. To blend in, he has to quit slacking off and enroll to college. He meets his roommate, Champion, who suspects him of being a vampire and stares at him whenever...
