"Flatty"

Chapter 9

I stand up in excitement as Jez approaches. Surprisingly enough, he's wearing a baby blue shirt this time. Who cares, maybe he just felt like changing the color.

"Hey," He says in the most natural way once he makes it to the bench.

I'm taken aback by the looks of him. Turns out that he didn't just change his shirt, he actually put on quite a lot of weight.

"Hey," I answer, "Sorry for leaving you to eat alone for the past two weeks... I was sick as a stick."

He seems confused, "Sick as a stick? Never heard that one before."

"Well, since fat people recover more quickly from a cold than stick-thin people" His eyebrows raise up in surprise, "being sick as a stick means that you are really sick for a long time. You never heard that?"

"Nope."

I break the silence that follows by stating "You've gained weight." as innocently as I can.

He seems startled by my comment and looks himself over while answering, "Well yeah, I guess I have. My roommates said that I suffered from malnutrition so I've been eating a lot lately... you know, to try and get better."

"Oh," I guess I'm happy for him since he's healthier now but a small part of me is kind of disappointed that he's starting to fit society's standards.

"Anyways," He brushes it off, "I'm a master in the art of using a Padlet now so we can use it to chat... right?" He sits down on the bench and I do the same.

"Yes that's true." I perk up, "Now we don't have to wait for the lunch hour to talk, we can "see" each other anytime."

He nods in approval while opening up his lunch. I too, for once, have my own lunch since Cheska is on a business trip with her dad and she apparently forgot to remind Ryker to steal it. I look at what I'm working with: a salad, a sandwich, a bowl of blueberries and a dad-added chocolate bar. I grab the salad and the blueberries and am about to put down the rest when Jez speaks up.

"What's the shiny thing?"

It takes me a while to realize that he's referring to the chocolate bar I was about to discard.

"Oh this?" He nods, "it's just chocolate." I say.

"Chocolate?"

"You've never had it?"

He gives me a sorry look.

"It's sweet and rich and it melts on your tongue and... Well in fact, you can just find out for yourself." I say while handing him the bar, "I don't like chocolate."

He takes it and, in a child like manner, opens it up with eyes as big as a cake. He breaks off a piece and delicately puts it on his tongue. His expression of mixed surprise and joy brings a smile onto my face.

"This is really good." he exclaims surprised, "How come I've never had any of this before?"

"It's kind of like alcohol. I mean, both have a high caloric value and are considered as a treat so they are in high demand and very expensive." I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"How come you had some then?" He asks while avidly chomping another piece.

"My dad's has a big company." I say dismissively while taking a big bite of my salad.

"What about your parents?" I ask realizing that he never once talked about them, "Did they move here with you?"

He stops eating and sits up. "No," He answers in a tone that clearly indicates that the subject is closed before taking another bite of his now half-eaten chocolate bar.