First Aid Kit

Oxygen tank

The cafeteria became a game of hide-and-seek after that, in a way. I was always trying to lean into Asher, leeching his heat and and loving the comfort that surrounded him. But, at the same time, I knew he had eyes on him, and I didn't want to draw attention to myself. There was still the occasional day when Asher and Flint would sit at their old table, the 'popular' table, and I would be reminded that they weren't like us. 

I had never had the pleasure of meeting his other friends face-to-face, and I was relieved. From what I observed from the outside, they didn't seem particularly pleasant or unpleasant. I couldn't read them very well at all, which was maybe the most nerve-wracking aspect. 

Ash never spoke about them, either, so I didn't know if he even actually considered them friends or if they were just a part of the group he had been thrown into. On the days he sat with them at lunch, he didn't seem overly relieved or disappointed. Based on the information I had, I could only think they were desperately neutral, but that didn't seem right, considering their social status. 

Maisie and I were alone at the lunch table. Flint and Ash were at their other table, and Cal was home sick. I shouldn't have felt so lonely, because I used to sit with a maximum of two people at a time, but I had gotten used to the constant presence of four other people. I loved Maisie, but it seemed too quiet with just us. 

"Why are they over there, anyway?" She asked suddenly, nodding behind me.

I had purposely positioned myself away from them so I wouldn't stare at Ash for the entire lunch hour, but when she spoke, I glanced over my shoulder and caught his eye, making me think he had already been looking at me. I turned back to her, blushing, and shrugged.

"It's obvious they like it over here better." She mumbled. I didn't think it was obvious, but I didn't say so. 

I had been putting off getting lunch since Calypso wasn't around to order for me, and I wanted to do it myself, but I didn't want to go when the line was at its longest. There were only a few people left ordering, so I stood up and nodded in the direction I was headed to let Maisie know where I was going. 

It was when I was almost at the counter when it happened.

Jess, one of the girls who sat at Asher's table, approached me. She hadn't even been in line; she left her table just to walk over to me. Nervously, I looked at Maisie over her shoulder, but she was looking at her phone, probably texting Cal.

"Hi." Jess said. I nodded. "I'm Jess." I nodded again.

She sighed, glancing at her hands, which were fidgeting. She was smiling, but it looked as if it had been photoshopped onto her face. 

"Right. You still don't talk. Uh, I just wanted to let you know that some of the people at our table aren't very happy that you're stealing Ash and Finn away." 

She spoke sweetly, but it left a sour taste on my tongue. I had a feeling she was one of the people who weren't happy. I didn't know how to respond. 

"I just thought I'd let you know. You know, as friends."

I had never had any previous interaction with this girl before, and she was suddenly calling us friends. 

"Look...I don't mean to sound rude, but even you can see he doesn't belong at your table, right?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Every movement she made seemed more intense than it should have been.

I nodded. 

"He just...He doesn't belong with you." She told me, looking as if she genuinely wanted me to understand what she was saying. "He belongs with us."