Everything comes back to you -J.MARIANO

[1.04]

ꪻas left their usual spot in the lunch hall to go and grab himself a wrap and Taryn a bottle of orange juice, per her request. She brought her own food, as talking to the lunch ladies proved to be rather difficult on one occasion and she just hadn't worked up the courage to try again over the years. Seconds after he left, Jess slipped into the empty seat before Taryn could even register the fact that she had been left alone. "Afternoon," she greeted, removing her hands from the top of her bag as she had been reaching for her sketchbook to fill the time and look as unapproachable as possible.

"I have something for you," he responded with such a loon on his face that she couldn't exactly read what his intentions were.

"Oh yeah?" she asked apprehensively, sitting forward in her seat in intrigue.

He pulled a book from his back pocket and set it down on the table in front of her. She smiled upon recognising the cover and picked up the book, feeling rather glad that he had brought it to her as she didn't have time to go to Luke's that afternoon due to a group project. "You left it on the counter in the diner."

"Thanks," she responded whilst flicking through the pages, wanting to double check that her bookmark was in the same place. Whilst doing so, she noticed that the book wasn't how she had left it. In fact it was completely different and covered in black ink and his handwriting. "You ruined it."

He furrowed his brow, "I left notes in the margins for you. Is that ruining it?"

"Yes? I don't even fold the corners of these, designated book marks," Taryn enthused, skimming through various comments on the pages. She would read them all through in detail at a later date but now she found herself far too distracted to do so. "Okay some of these thoughts are so valid. You read?"

"That concept seems astonishing to you."

She shrugged as she placed the book back down onto the table, softly replying, "Well I mean literature doesn't really fit your 'I hate the world' attitude if I'm being completely honest. Favorite book?"

He paused for thought for a second, trying to figure out if he could choose between all of the great novels he had read over the years. "Currently slaughterhouse five, you?"

"Dante's inferno," Taryn responded without hesitation, having picked that specific book the second she finished reading it.

"Good choice," he nodded, then abruptly got up from the table, leaving almost as quickly as he had appeared. She, having briefly watched his disappearance with a frown, found herself looking at Tas as he sat back down opposite her.

"Jess."

She frowned upon noticing the lacking bottle in his hand, "Correct. No orange juice?"

"They only had apple," Tas replied whilst looking over his shoulder, searching for the person who had so quickly disappeared at his approach.

She grimaced, "Disgusting, how dare they?"

"I did get you a cookie instead though," he continued whilst placing said cookie on top of the book, frowning slightly at the dog eared creases on the corners. She wouldn't keep a book like that.

"Ah he does love me," she smiled and pinched a piece of the cookie off, placing it onto her tongue whilst Tas pulled his phone out of his pocket. She watched him read a text message, sigh and pull a face, before tapping something back. "What's that look on your face?"

"Mia's in a mood," he divulged with a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his already messed mullet.

Taryn sighed softly, "What did you do?"