Hidden Girl

8- Friends?

"You look like you've never eaten before."

"This burger is to die for though!" I inform him as I take another large bite of a giant burger that he bought me as we sit in the cutest diner called Stacy's.

"Why haven't you eaten recently?" he finally asks the big question. "It's not like I'll tell anyone. I'm just curious. Well and concerned."

"What's there to be concerned about?" I ask as I take another giant bite.

"Don't want my partner to go around school looking like she's starving herself, have her sent to a mental institute, and have no help for the project," he tells me like it's the most obvious thing.

"Okay a) I'm not starving myself. b) If I was, I would be sent to rehab probably, not a mental institute, moron. And c) You could totally do this project without me," I say as I take a sip of soda.

"You're so skinny you look like you might be one of those girls who starve themselves," he says with a shrug.

"I eat all of the food I can get for your information."

"So back to the question. Why have't you eaten recently?"

"I can't afford it. I wasted my money on stupid things," I tell him as I look down at my now empty plate. My stomach is so full, I love it. "But I can totally pay you back for th-"

"It's fine," he waves it off. "What do you mean you can't afford it?"

"You ask a lot of question," I inform him as I take a sip of the soda he bought me.

"I'm a curious guy."

"Well I need to pay for my own food and I wasted my money," I say. "I thought 'I can't afford it' was kind of self explanitory."

"Doesn't like your parents pay for it? Like that's what parents do," he tries to tell me.

I shake my head. "I thought we went over this on Friday. Remember the whole 'nobody loves me' speech?"

He shakes his head and looks down at his hands like he's thinking. He finally looks up and just firmly says,"Let's go."

I nod my head and we walk out of the diner since he already paid. We walk to the motorcycle and he drives us back to school. We make it there just as the bell rings for the passing period.

"Thanks for the meal," I tell him when we have to head our seperate ways to our lockers. I turn to walk away but he grabs my wrist, turning me around.

His eyes are a much darker color then what they normally are, it's almost startling. But I don't mind. They are beautiful nonetheless.

"You have no idea how much it kills me when you tell me you can't afford to eat and that you're not loved," he spits out, obviously mad at what is happening to me. Sure it's bothered me, but never this much. "It hurts..."

His voice wavers and you can tell he is just so mad he doesn't know what to do.

"Can't we like be friends?" he pleas to me quietly, taking a step towards me so there is less than a foot in between us. He looks down into my eyes. "I could help you."

I step back and shake my head. "Alex, I don't have friends. You don't want to be my friend."

At this I turn around and walk away.

They say the truth will set you free, but this only hurt to see Alex's face at my words.

Defeated. Sad. Alone.

...---...

"Can we be almost-friends? Like we can be kind of friends, but not quite?"

"You've gotta stop doing that," I tell Alex after I find him leaning against the locker next to mine, trying to convince me to be friends. I begin to walk to the entrance of school since the day is over.