Him & I

14

"You're never gonna get tired of this, are you?" T asks Breanna, dropping onto the empty seat next to her. I take one too.

T and I had found each other in the hallway, way down the hallway, which means we walked down here together. And indeed it was the one of the most awkward, longest of walks i've ever had to take. While the silence felt uncomfortable, the trivial topics that could only last a millisecond were even worse. I mean, I like her. At least, she's one of the girls on the cheer team that I can actually relate to. Mostly quiet, not as arrogant, but the former quality - quiet - just made it a breath of fresh air once we finally got to the cafeteria were many other people were. The pressure to fill the air with forced conversation was unnerving.

"Not in this life." Brea smirks, her red lips forming a crescent smile on blotchy white skin as canvas. "Perhaps in the next."  She finishes, returning to the spread-out cards on the table.

"Oh, she also believes in re-incarnation." T laughs to herself. I crack a smile. I take back part of what I said earlier. T's quiet, but at least she always tries to keep the air friendly. And that's what she did on our walk here too. I guess i'm just an awkward human misplacement. 

"Do you also believe in destiny?"  T asks.

Nadia comes around just then, taking our orders while asking me in our native language where the other girls are. After our brief encounter, she's gone. Then Brea responds.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"Er," She turns to me. "How 'bout you, Melissa? Since Bri refuses to answer normally." The last part is a whisper, though not intended to be unheard.

"I've... I've never really thought about that kind of stuff."

She blinks.

My answer clearly isn't whatever she was expecting because she blinks again before finally regaining herself.

"Well, that's cool. Cool. Yes, most people don't think about those kind of things, I never did till Margo asked me yesterday. She said hers is to end up a stripper."

"So, do you believe in destiny?" Breanna presses on.

"I don't." she replies simply, flipping her partially wavy hair to the back whilst leaning in to rest her elbows on the table. "Clearly. I feel it's all up to you, you know? You kinda just fork your way through life."

"What if, how you 'fork your way through life' is the way you were destined to?"

T stares away from Breanna's static gaze. Because the words were meant for her. And not me.

Yet somehow I feel them plastered somewhere in my mind.

"Hey, you. You and you." Steph greets, giggling after. Her curly blonde hair is held up in a loose bun with a few curls hovering over her face. Next comes Samantha, Margo. And Amy. Eyes of  most guys on the other table at the center, as well as others, follow them as they walk into the cafeteria till they're all settled round our table. Their orders are quickly taken while they discuss things the rest of us aren't in on. Or at least things that i'm not in on. That's until Amy invites me in.

"So, Melissa." She chimes, wiggling her brows when I stare to her. "I'll be dropping you off today."

Steph snorts, "Why'd you say it like that?"