Under His Favorite Tree

New Meetings

It was a new school year and I had just transferred to a new school. It was the third time that I had to transfer schools because of many incidents that happened between families. I haven't been able to make any friends during any of it. I have hopes for this one because my dad told me that the fights were over and we won't have to move anymore. The bells started to ring meaning that class was about to start so I rushed inside the building and made it to class. There were already some people talking about what they expect with the new school year or the latest news and trends that are floating around. None of the topics interested me and sat in silence until I noticed a boy spinning his pencil while looking out the window. I got up and was about to approach him when I felt a tug on my shoulder

"Yo, girl, where do you think you're going without saying hi?" someone said behind me. I turned around and saw a childhood friend that I always hung out with until I had to move for the first time.

"Oh my god, Alice is that you?" I asked. She gave her trademark shit-eating grin and said confidently,

"The one and only! I haven't seen you in a while, you've grown so much," she says. I giggled a bit and carried on the conversation completely forgetting why I got up in the first place. Eventually class started and we got to lunch without any problems. When we got our lunch Alice recommended a spot around the back of our school. She said that there was a huge Sakura tree that blooms at this time of the year. We headed over there and saw that there was already a boy there. His knees were up to his chest, his hands were in his pockets and you couldn't see half of his face due to his being hidden in his sweater. He seemed to be peacefully sleeping under the tree. I told Alice that there was already someone there and she said that we'll just kick him out. I felt a drop in my stomach because I couldn't be mean even if my life depended on it. We got to the tree and upon closer inspection the boy had snow-white hair and was missing an eye. It was covered with some sort of bandage.

"Hey, loser," Alice said "Get out of this spot. My friend and I want to sit there" The boy slowly opened his eyes and looked up at us. His eye color was a dull ruby red. He blinked a few times and went back to sleep. I hadn't noticed this before but I feel like I'd seen this boy somewhere. I then remembered that the reason I got up from my seat in the morning was that I was going to introduce myself to him.

"Hey did you not hear me? I said that my friend and I wanted to sit here. So move it" She said before attempting to kick at the boy. To our surprise, he caught the kick and looked up at both of us and said" Alice and Lily, One is the most popular girl in the school that looks down on everyone due to said status, and the other is someone who wants to make friends in her first year here. Am I wrong or did what I just said land in the ballpark?" We both looked in shock and nodded our heads. "I see," he said, "Well since I am awake I should get going. Just remember that next time I might not be so lenient" He got up and walked away. We both just looked at each other and Alice threw some of her food at him he dodged it and disappeared before our eyes. We sat by the tree and Alice gave me some advice.

"Look, you know we're at this school for our abilities. My ability is for me to read everyone's mind. I know yours is for everyone to believe you. We don't know about him. You should stay away from him. For your safety and mine." I was a bit shocked when she told me this but I didn't bother. I ate my lunch and started to let my eyes wander. The view of the school was beautiful. I looked at my phone to check the time and told Alice that it was time to head back. She sighed because she didn't want to go back but reluctantly agreed. On the way back I looked at Alice and asked

"If you can read minds why don't you read his to see what's going on" She looked at me and said

"I've already tried too, there is some sort of barrier that is keeping me from entering. I'm not sure what it is but I feel like I've seen it from somewhere." I looked at her with some sort of disbelief but shook it off my head. We got back to class and finished the day. I was walking home when my stomach started to rumble. There was a convenience store nearby so I stopped by to get a snack. I looked around for a while and got some chips and a drink. When I was going to pay I put my items on the counter and pulled out my phone. I was scrolling through some news when I heard the man's voice behind the counter.

"That will be $12.76, will you be using cash or a card?" I looked up and saw the boy that we kicked out from under the tree. "Ma'am, are you going to be using cash or a card?" I stopped zoning out and responded with cash. I gave him a twenty dollar bill and he started to type on the cash register and gave me my change. "$7.24 is your change, have a nice day." He handed me the bag of goods and went back to looking at his phone.

"Hey, Um, I'm sorry about what happened earlier. I hope she didn't do too much damage." he looked back at me and chuckled.

"Even if she tried she wouldn't be able to land a hit on me. I accept your apology." I got a bit mad but kept it in and left. The rest of the day was me feeling quite bad for him. I feel like I could have stopped Alice but just stood there like a deer in headlights. The next day rolled around and I got ready for school. While walking to school some people were chatting about what had happened. While the boy was walking back to the school he was jumped by a bunch of kids that didn't like him. Even though it was five against one he was still able to beat all of them without breaking a sweat. I got some chills up my spine when I heard that because that's probably what he meant when he said he wasn't going to be so lenient. The day went by like normal until lunchtime Alice and I went back to the Sakura tree. To my surprise and her dismay, the boy was back there sleeping again. She got angry and stormed to the tree. She was about to say something until he got up and left. His eyes looked like he had just woken up from a good dream. He looked back at us and disappeared before our eyes once again. He was like a shadow in the night. I went to sit down next to Alice and ate my lunch. It was still warm for some reason. I finished eating and turned to Alice and asked

"Hey, I have a question for you. Why do you always kick him out of the tree when we arrive?" She just looked at me and laughed.

"It was our spot, to begin with. Why should we have to share it?"

"Because it's the right thing to do?" I responded with. She just laughed even more at my answer.

"Lily, listen, in this school, nobody cares if you are doing the right thing. If you do the right thing, people will think less of you. This school is all about reputation. If you can't build it up in the first year, best be sure you know how to fight." I just looked at her with a bit of disbelief and just went back to looking at the view. There was something about it that kept me from looking away. The days went by relatively the same. The only time it was different was when it was the day before winter break. Alice called in sick today so I was on my own for a while. I built up a reputation of always knowing the truth and that no one can hide their secrets from me. While I do like the high status, I don't like the fact that other students start to flock around me. Is this what Alice has to deal with every day? I think to myself as I grab my school lunch. I was the first one to get in the room so I was relatively lucky. I went around the back of the school and I was surprised to see that he was still sleeping under the tree. How the heck did he get there? I was the first one to make it to the canteen. I think to myself. I walked closer and as soon as I got close enough to make eye contact he woke up and started to leave again.

"Wait!" I yell out to him. "You can stay under the tree with me. I don't mind sharing it." He looked at me and started walking back to his spot. I sat down and got comfortable.

"Hey, I thank you for letting me stay but did you have to sit next to me?" He asked. I realized what I just did and I could feel my face turn red.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I promise" I started telling him. He just looked at me and chuckled

"Relax, I'm not going to beat you up for it. I was just wondering why since there is so much room around here." I gave a nervous laugh and put my lunch down. "You seem to like the noodles and fries. I've seen you get it every day." I just gave a faint smile and said.
"Well, It was my mom's recipe that was given to the school for this dish. I feel empty no matter how much food I eat if I don't have a serving of my mother's food." He just nodded his head and said

"Must be nice having a parent, I haven't seen mine in a long time. The last thing I remember of them was them calling me a white rabbit. I have stuck with that nickname ever since." I looked at him and he looked back. I'd never seen his face before but it was the most handsome face I'd ever seen. He quickly looked back and felt my face turning red by the second. "Well there's no point in just talking about sad stuff, let's get to eating." I looked back and saw that he pulled out an American-style burger. I have no idea where he got it from but I didn't bother questioning him. The period felt like it went by quicker than normal. When the bell rang he got up and told me to head to class. We parted ways and I felt nice until I was hit with a huge realization. I didn't ask for his name or a way to contact him. I fell to the ground and just felt like screaming. I got back up and went to class. Hopefully, I can get it when I see him at his job.