lonely || sidemen || completed

/seule/

/jj/

The dining hall was quiet when me and Cal entered, alone and almost half an hour later than normal. We picked an empty table in the quiet, and set our trays down.

'So, man...' Cal started. 'What's going on with you? Where you been?'

I filled my mouth, chewed each piece, swallowed before replying.

'I don't know. I think... I don't think I wanna really hang out with Reece and Tom and them. I know we're a team and shit, but they're just... I don't know.'

'You don't?'

'I have new friends, I think.'

Cal's face dropped slightly, his eyes hitting the table.

'I want you to meet them.' I said, as the smile reformed. Suddenly, two people arrived at the table.

'JJ-' they spoke in sync, and then blushed, obviously shy.

'Hey, Si. Harry. How's it going?'

'Sorry.' Harry mumbled. 'I just came to see if you were getting the bus today. I thought maybe, we could go together.'

I felt something weird moving in my chest. A smile broke out on my face. 'I would love to.'

Simon, by this point, had sat down beside me, nervous around Harry and Cal.

'Sit, Harry.' Cal said with a smile. 'Unless, you have somewhere to be. Are these the friends you were telling me about?' he asked, the last question directed at me. I looked over at the two boys, both now sat down at the table. I nodded. They both smiled.

'So, Harry.' Cal said. 'What courses do you take?'

The conversation carried on like this for a while, both of them talking quietly and in turn, until Harry slowly became a little more... bold.

After about twenty minutes, they were smiling and laughing, sat so close together as Harry showed Cal some vine on his phone. When he looked up at the taller boy with the weird accent, his eyes were shining.

I looked over at Simon, winked.

'Looks like you're not the only one who bats for the other team.' I said, nudging him suggestively. His cheeks flushed quickly into a deep shade of red.

'W-What?' he asked, flustered and stammering. I laughed.

'I've seen the way you look at him, Si. At Josh.' Simon smiled slightly. 'It's obvious- and it's cute, to be honest.'

'Man.' Simon retorted. 'You signing up for the 'team', too?'

Again, I laughed, a loud noise from the bottom of my stomach. Simon knocked me, pointed for me to look at Harry and Cal. Cal had his arm round the back of Harry's shoulder, his hand gripping the seat of the chair behind Harry as they continued to laugh at something on the phone.

'I think the teams pretty fucking full.' I joked. Simon laughed, hitting me with the palm of his hand.

That night, when I met Harry to get the bus, I brought Cal and he brought Vik.

'Cal!' Harry cried, moving to stand immediately beside the boy, but keeping his eye firmly on Vik.

Vik was smiling at his friend, a knowing smile. He directed it to me, and I laughed.

'C'mon,' I said. 'Let's let the love birds follow.'

Vik looked at me in surprise, the first words I'd ever said to him, and then stepped into foot with me.

'Okay.' he said, as he looked over to his best friend, shrieking with laughter behind us. A smile cracked his face in half.

By the end of the bus ride, as me and Cal were standing up, ready to leave, Vik hooked his pinky finger around mine. We had sat together, and talked the whole way down.

'Here's to new friendship.' he said finally. I got off the bus. It seems like these days, I'm always smiling.

~~