20 ○ shawn

05

History Class, 11:55 pm 

January 12, 2015

Shawn didn't pay attention at all; he really didn't want to be here. It was his last block until lunch, thankfully, but it seemed to him as if it went by dreadfully slower than the rest of his classes. It may only be five minutes until lunch, but Shawn was starving. 

He wanted to take his phone out of his pocket and text Layla for the hell of it, but he didn't know if her phone was on silent (if it wasn't, then she would have gotten Layla in trouble), or if she even had her phone with her. He decided not to, just in case he would get caught, as well.

"Make sure all of you bring your textbooks next class, alright?" the History teacher said just before the bell rung, signaling that it was time for lunch. Everybody broke into grins of relief and began to pack up their things, including Shawn. He didn't wait for his friends; he just walked out of the classroom once he zipped up his backpack and went to the cafeteria. 

Three of his friends were already sitting there, their trays on the table. "Dude, Miss Patty let us out early for lunch," one of them explained with a laugh. Shawn laughed forcefully and smiled forcefully, replying with: 

"No fair, dude. History was so boring," His friends laughed as more of them joined the table, having a brief conversation before going behind the line of students, getting their food and paying. 

- 

Shawn was the first one finished eating, and while his friends were engaged in a conversation, he just sat there and played with what he didn't eat. He never liked talking to other people at school; he wasn't as interactive as he was before. 

But he changed. 

Shawn had an abundance of friends, which none of them knew about his depression, and he wasn't going to tell them about it, either. He seemed normal to the rest, and that's how he wanted it. Despite not wanting to interact with anyone, he didn't want to be left alone. 

Just, normal - the way things are, but he wishes it could maybe be just a little bit more genuine. 

He often envied Layla; she was normal (kind of). Shawn was positive that she had tons of friends, because of the way she is. She likes to talk to everyone and she knows how to make a person smile, like she did with Shawn just a few times only. 

About a twenty-minute walk away, in another brick building called school, Layla was eating lunch. Her tray was in front of her (her table), mac n' cheese on the plate and a juice. She took one last bite of her mac n' cheese, chewing slowly. 

Layla sat there, staring in front of her - nobody there, nor was there anybody to her right and nobody to her left. Instead, walls. Walls that gave her very limited space. Grey walls with a few drawings on it, separating more of her cafeteria. 

But, the thing was, it wasn't a cafeteria.

Layla was somewhere else - she was at the limited space; the table replaced with her lap and the chair replaced with a toilet. 

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