We Change Together

Lunch is Lonely With Hidden Thoughts

It was lunchtime, and I had nowhere to sit. The day before, I had eaten with a few girls I kinda-sorta knew, but I got the feeling I wasn't very welcome. So today, I stood awkwardly near the door of the cafeteria, looking for a place to eat.

I scanned the tables farthest from me, by the windows. To my surprise, I saw Sam all alone at the window end of a bench. After a mini argument in my head of whether I had enough guts to do this, I cautiously walked through the crowded room and stopped at the seat across from him. He was spacing out, looking at the wooden patterns lining the surface of the table. I cleared my throat quietly, making his head whip up. "Umm... Is this seat taken?", I questioned, gesturing at the spot.

"N-No, i-it's not", Sam stammered, seemingly bewildered that I was asking. I then realized he didn't usually sit with anyone else.

"Good", I said as I plopped down. I opened a packet of Doritos and began to eat. I noticed the lack of a lunch in front of him. "No food?"

"I... forgot it at home", he explained sadly.

Feeling sorry for him, I handed him the rest of my Doritos and a bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies. He stared at them. "I can't take your food!", he protested. Just then, his stomach growled very loudly. His pale skin flushed magnificently.

"Well, you have to eat something. Skipping meals isn't healthy, ya know", I reminded him. "You need your strength for your other classes. I don't want you fainting or anything", I joked.

Sam sighed. "I guess you're right. Thank you." I ate the rest of my lunch, watching as he devoured the chips. When he took a bite out of a cookie, his eyes widened. "These are super good! Who made them?"

Now I blushed a little. "I did. You like them, then?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, they're awesome!"

"Good, I'll bring you another bag tomorrow!"

"Oh, you don't have to-"

I cut him off. "No, I'm doing it because I want to." He looked pleased. Lunch continued on, filled with happy conversation. Too soon, the bell rang. "Can I sit here again tomorrow?", I asked as our table was dismissed.

"Absolutely", he said with a smile. We both reached separate hallways and began to walk down them to our classes.. "See you in 6th hour, Dawn", he called.

**********------------------------------TIMESKIP------------------------------**********

From that day on, I sat with Sam and brought him fresh-baked cookies every day. Some days we talked, other days we'd say hi, sit down, eat lunch in a comfortable silence, say bye, and leave. When we did speak, we tried to find out more about each other. Sometimes we'd make it into a game, like "Guess my favorite ______!" and the guesser took all lunch thinking hard on what it was while the other person cracked up at the ridiculous attempts. But one day, Sam didn't speak, didn't eat, and didn't make eye contact. He just stared at the cookies I'd put in front of him with a blank expression and his chin resting in one hand.

"Uhh... Sam?"

No response.

"Saaaaam..."

Nope.

"EARTH TO SAM!!!!", I shouted in exasperation. He shook his head and looked up at me at last.

"Sorry. What?", he asked, thinking he'd missed something I said.

"What's wrong?"

He seemed stunned for a second before responding. "Uh, nothing. Why?"

"You're spacing, not eating."

"Oh, you're right. Oops." He opened the little bag and started chewing obediently but was still zoned out.

"Sam, something's wrong, and you know it", I said firmly.

"Alright, alright, something's wrong, but... I... I... can't tell you", he admitted without meeting my concerned gaze.

I sighed "Sam, you can say anything and I won't judge you or tell a soul, I swear it on my lucky earbuds", I promised.

"I know you won't, but you'll never look at me the same again. I know you like to help people, but this time I'm past help. Something terrible has happened... I can't..." His voice faded and his arms began to shake. I realized he was trying to compose himself. He got up and dashed out the cafeteria doors. I jumped up and ran after him. I caught up with him in an empty classroom. He was sitting on the floor in a corner of the room, with his knees pulled up to his chest and his face buried in his arms.

I slowly and cautiously crept towards him. I know he wouldn't want me to, but I felt a pang of sympathy as his breaths heaved and shoulders shuddered. Without meaning to, I scuffed my boot on the floor. He heard and snapped his neck up, staring at me. My heart went out to him even more as I looked into his watery gaze. I shuffled closer, knelt down, put an arm around his curled body, and pulled him against my side. I heard him gasp quietly. "Sam... It's ok. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not going to ask what happened. It's your choice whether you want to tell me or not. I won't pressure you into doing something that makes you nervous or uncomfortable."

"My guess is that you still want to know, though...", he choked out after a moment of silence.

I shrugged. "Well, duh. But I'm just saying you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He sniffled a bit, but smiled gratefully. "Maybe one day... Just not today, y'know?"

"I totally get it. Also..." I trailed off, not knowing if I wanted to continue or not. Sam tilted his head, waiting for me to go on. "I... need to get to know you a little better, and I can let you in on some things I've hidden from the world, too. So... We both have some trust to build up, I suppose...", I trailed off, hanging my head.

Just then, Sam surprised me by leaning his head against my shoulder. "Yeah", he sighed. "A little trust around here would be nice."

I sighed as well. "I hope you know I'm concerned about you. I'm always here. If you need to talk to someone about something, I'll listen. I won't judge you or anything dumb like that. I promise."

"I believe you. And I will come talk to you eventually. I just need some time."

Then we both jumped as the bell rang loudly through the quiet classroom. I theatrically placed a hand on my chest as I panted from fright. "Damnit, you stupid lunch bell! Way to ruin a moment!"

Sam burst into laughter and dried his eyes. "I think I'll be ok now. Thank you, Dawn. You can't even imagine how much you've helped me. I don't have many friends to confide in, so it means a lot for someone just to offer." I nodded as we stood up. He gave me a sideways glance from under his droopy bangs. "Thank you", he whispered.

"Anytime." Then the warning bell rang and I whipped my head up again, yelping loudly. Sam laughed again. "It's not funny!", I pouted. He kept a smile on his face almost all the way to class.

Sorry I haven't updated in a week, but I've had trouble finding time to type and edit it all. Stressful stuff, I know... -_- (jk I have no life and I'm just slacking haha)

                                                           ( ˘ ³˘)♥ ~ MadeonFrost ~ (♡˙︶˙♡)