Can I Ask You a Question?

3

We were having breakfast in the bustling Denny's. I found myself sandwiched between Adam and Leo, whom I was told to stay away from. I swallowed dramatically, staring down at Benji across the table from me. Then there was the new guy I hadn't heard anything about. All he would do was look me up and down every so often. His name was Dean.

I snuck a glance at Leo. He was mixed, and his eyebrows were very expressive. They seemed like they were always permanently pushed together as if he was thinking of every thought he had at once. He had the longest eyelashes I have ever seen and a shaved head.

We were a rowdy table.

"Does anyone want my fruit?" Benji asked.

"Eat your fruit, Benji." I let out a sigh. "I don't know how you eat all this crap all day and don't feel like crap because of it." I chuckle, and Adam gives him a look.

"She's right, eat your damn fruit cup."

Benji pouts and eats a grape from it, staring down at his pancakes.

"What does everyone here do for work?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation so we weren't sitting in the uncomfortable silence.

"I just swipe meal cards at the front sometimes when I need a little extra money." Benji shrugs.

"I like to help out at that diner across the road." Dean pipes up. I met eyes with him; he had the most intense brown eyes I had ever seen. His hair was longer, and it stopped right at his shoulders. He had big rings on his fingers that clacked against the table as he talked with his hands. He had a long but symmetrical face and a built body. One of them said something I couldn't quite make out. "I cook there when I have free time." Dean gave Adam a wild look. I suppose this would have been his free time, but he had to go to this breakfast instead. I suddenly felt a little shy and crossed my feet under the table.

"I work in IT for our school. It's also my major." Leo shrugs, looking over at me.

"What do you do?" He asks casually.

"I sometimes get royalties from being printed in the magazine I work for. I'm a journalism major and get credit for writing articles."

"Woah, which magazine?" Adam said, trying to be supportive, but it only embarrassed me.

"It's called Mine Magazine. It's an online thing."

"I'm going to read every article you've ever written," Benji said, making me laugh.

"I just started, so I don't have many pieces, but be my guest." I shrug.

"What's your major, Dean?" Benji asks him.

"I'm a psychology major."

God, that makes so much sense. Dean looked like the type of person who would pick something and just run with it. But maybe I was wrong, and perhaps he was passionate about it. I was genuinely unsure. He was hard to read.

"Benji, I can't believe I don't know this. What are you majoring in?" I looked across the table at him.

"You're going to laugh."

"I won't laugh."

"It's for Law."

I tried to contain my giggles, but I couldn't help myself. Everyone started to chuckle along with me.

"The most unserious guy is going to be a lawyer?" Leo chuckles. Maybe he's not so bad.

"Eventually, I will go to Law school. Right now, I'm getting credits for it, and I'm in shit classes like Finance classes, Math, and English and stuff. I'm getting rid of the core classes." He shrugs, and I nod.