10: A Flower Blooms

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Solitude.

It was not just a café’s name. It was an identity.

You can’t go to Solitude, order a coffee with your friends, chill, and hang out. For one, there are no tables for two or more people to sit together. You sit by yourself, with a book or a laptop or whatever it is you're spending your time alone with. Waiters are not allowed to talk to the customers; you just go to your table, check the menu, write out your order on the notebook that is previously set up on the table, and that’s it.

It's easier for both the customers and the employees.

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'SCORE!'

Everyone cheered amidst a round of applause for the school team, the Blue Angels. Weird mascot but to each their own, I guess.

Look, I had my hesitations at first. Football was not my thing. Sports were not my thing. School activities were not my thing.

But Thomas. Thomas was my thing. I hated to admit it but I was desperate. I had no friends before. No one made the effort and I didn't make an effort either.

It has been 3 weeks at this school, and I already had Luna and Thomas trying to befriend me. If you were someone with a giant pool of friends, a popular kid, you'd think it's silly. However to me, this was the biggest social status I've ever reached.

Of course not counting my life before the incident. That Raiden died when his innocence died.

"See it's not so bad isn't it?" Evan said over the crowd cheers. His seat was thankfully next to mine.

"I guess"

"I'm so glad Zac was dragged back to the team after he quit" the noise quieted down a bit.

"Why did he leave, if you don't mind me asking?"

"That's a long, long story. Bottom line is, he's my boyfriend-"

"Where's the prob-"

"And step brother."

"Oh" that wasn't a problem either considering they're not real or half brothers? Again, to each their own.

Out of the corner of my eye, and as I was talking to Evan, I caught a glimpse of Thomas. His movements were graceful and he didn't look merely tired.

When the whistle announced the end of the first half of the game, some players went to the changing rooms, while others stayed on the field. There was a quick distribution of water bottles, and then the cheerleaders took the field.

The first thing Thomas said to me when he approached the court seats wasn't "I'm glad you're here" or "thanks for coming" or "how are you liking the game". On the contrary. It was "Is anyone giving you any trouble?"

For some reason, I preferred that question over any of the other bullshit. We both knew that I don't like sports, and that I don't like social events. We were not dancing around our lies.

He offered me a ticket which he could have given to anyone he wants, and just the thought that he gave it to me, a guy he hasn't known for much, proved that he wasn't about having numbers in his life.

Numbers never matter, but the value of a number does.

For that one thing, I came to the event, and I was glad that I did because for once someone showed care about me without knowing me. If other humans where like that how easier life would've been?

"It's ironic," he said.

"What is?" his eyes were locked with mine, which he always does whenever he's talking to me, which I made a mental note of to check if he does it with others. There was a spark of a thought at the dark bottoms of my mind that this could be something related to only us, and I didn't want it to dissipate.

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