Maze

17

As the cafeteria burst with lively dynamics, our table was the black hole of voices. Only our chewing noises made up the soundless void as we began satiating our hunger.

Even Aly, who would always break thick silences, never bothered putting up a fight against it. While she was immersed in swallowing a forkful of her pasta, Edward was biting off a huge chunk of Mom's bread, while I continued munching on my chicken, zoning out into the empty space between the two. This can't get any more awkward...

I stole glances between my two friends, but of course, they were much more focused on finishing their food rather than sparing their attention at each other. And the fact that they used to be so talkative back in the day, it somewhat amplified the suspense.

The heavy air around them pushed me down, as if it was forcing me to be the one striking up at least a little interaction. But with all the pressure, I'll probably say something embarrassing... and I don't even know what's the perfect topic to talk about!

Reverting to the basketball team, my heart loosened as I perked up when Seb was present at last. As he was conversing with the guys, his usual placid expression had totally evaporated: his narrowed eyes peered intently at his teammates, his forehead creased and his brows scrunched.

Wow, it's been a while since Seb looked that annoyed. I blinked, swallowing the rest of my chicken down my throat. With him looking like that, it must have been something related to Edward. Clearly the bread-loving man right here played a huge role in their team, so I could not comprehend their decision of keeping him off. Aren't sports teams about supporting each other?

Unfortunately, I could not snoop into their discussion. Not only were they out of my hearing range, but the loud mumbles of the others were not helping at all. I have no idea why I instantly thought of sneaking up on them, so I shrugged traces of it off my mind and simply watched their negotiations.

Then, one of the teammates beckoned his head to our table, specifically at Edward. Instantly, Seb curled his lips in a sneer and shook his head, not even making the effort to sit on the chair they had pulled out for him. He lastly shot daggers at the guys, before marching off without further comment. Now that's one upset Seb.

When he approached our table, his frown dissipated as it had appeared earlier while he waved his hand at both Edward and I. Like I expected, his smile jerked at the sight of Aly among us, but she astonishingly shrugged him off without muttering some sort of vitriol. Come to think of it, so many unexpected things have been happening a lot today...

"So, what did those know-it-alls say?" Edward snapped, before his sharp teeth tore the bread effortlessly.

"Maaan, I hate listening to those seniors. They're throwing so many hissy fits, it seriously hurts my ears. It's either this and that, or this and that, part of me just thinks they're jealous of you..." Seb huffed, pulling out his lunch box of rolled omelettes and rice—I guess most of us brought their food today—and waved the back of his hand. "Like you even apologized, but they made it seem like you chucked them with the ball. Don't let them get to you, Ed."

"Heh, why should I care about them," he hissed.

Ah, so it really was about this morning... I found myself rearranging all of the remaining chicken slices in the box. Moreover, Seb's explanation also explained handful of those days where Edward chose to shun himself from his basket team too. And I've always wondered about it...

"Wait, wait... what? Chucked ball?" Aly loudly whispered, before she pushed herself towards me. "What happened? The hell did they do in PE?"

"Don't need to gossip, we can hear you," Seb snorted, but she ignored him.