Diana

2

            Finally, Diana thought when the bell finally rang for lunch. I'm starving. But before Diana could leave, she sat at her desk, waiting for the stampede of hungry children to be done before she walked out of the classroom. Of course, her teacher didn't even acknowledge her.

            The halls of the Junior Wing were practically deserted, except for a few lone scragglier hanging around. Lord knew what they were up to, and Diana left it alone. She just made sure to hold her nose and walk quickly, doing her best to ignore the sounds and smells coming from the bathroom. She sure as hell did not want to hear that, and breathing in smoke from weed would only make her go into a coughing fit. 

            How have those guys never gotten caught? Diana wondered. Or maybe it's just happened so many times that no one cares anymore. That was the more logical explanation, considering that the smells of artificial happy chemicals wafted throughout the halls and those kids had zero shame with the noise they made.

            Diana arrived at the lunchroom, and lucky for her, there was almost no line. The food definitely wasn't great, but it was food and there were much worse things than school lunch. 

             When Diana got to the register, the cafeteria worker briefly glanced at her tray and said in a very bored tone, "Five dollars."

            Diana went to grab the money from her pocket and realized she didn't have any. She inwardly cursed herself and her vision became blurry as her eyes welled with tears, but she blinked them back and pasted on an apologetic smile. 

            "I'm sorry, I thought I had money," she said, willing her voice not to shake or crack. "I'll just, um, I'll throw this away. Sorry again for wasting your time." Diana was about to walk over to the trash cans when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Startled, she whirled around to see a boy holding out a five dollar bill. He had shockingly blonde hair and eyes that looked like the ocean after a storm.

            "Here," he told her. "I was planning on using it to buy cookies or something, but you need to eat way more than I need extra snacks. Oh, and I'm Neil." A bright grin graced his features. "Neil Haydan." 

            Diana stood there in shock for a beat before reaching out reluctantly, unsure as to whether he was pranking her. But Neil seemed sincere. When she went to take the money and her sleeve slid down for the billionth time. She immediately reached over with her other hand and yanked it back to her wrist, but it was obvious that Neil had seen the marks. However, much to Diana's relief, he didn't question her on it. He simply asked her, "You're... Diana, right? I think we have English together."

            Diana nodded. She was taken aback that he knew her name, but didn't show it. "Uh, thanks. For the money."

            "Not a problem," Neil assured her. Diana paid for her lunch, gratefully smiled at Neil, and walked to the table at which she sat when she didn't go to the library.

            It was better that way, after all.

            She was only a burden on everyone else's shoulders. She would only bring them down.

            Diana reflected on Henry, Leo, Zach, and Neil all helping her out the day and felt a pang of guilt. They'd taken time out of their days to help her when she could've and should've managed. She should've turned them down. Henry, Leo, and Zach could've been late. And Neil might be hungry. All because of her! Diana shook her head. This was why she went out of her way to be self reliant. 

            It was better that she didn't have any friends. That she didn't rely on anyone. It meant no one would ever be hurt by her. But it also meant the constant ache of loneliness in the background.