Comfortably Numb

Chapter 14: Movie Nights Are Always Fun

It’s Friday, which means that my writing assignment is due. Last night, I went over and over it to make sure everything was in order. I finally stopped after my hand began cramping. I read it two and then three times before deciding it was good.

    I hitched my backpack over my shoulder and sat down at the lunch table.

    “Did you finish?” Alexander smiled. He was happy today.

    “Yes, finally. Did you?” He nodded his head.

    “Let me read it!”

    “Nope,”

    “Why not?”

    “Because.”

    I rolled my eyes. I felt like little kids.

    “I’ll let you read mine,”

    He still shook his head.

    “I want to read it!” Marcus said next to me, so I pulled it out and let him read it. I smiled over at Alexander, and he just rolled his eyes.

    “Where’s Luciano?” I ask Rush, who is awfully quiet.

    She shrugs. “I don’t know. He only said that he wouldn’t be here today,”

    I only nodded.

    I looked down at my hamburger, and it looked pretty good. Picking it up, I took a huge bite, grease running down my chin.

    I heard Alexander laugh near me, so I turned to him. I was pretty sure I had lettuce stuck to my face and mustard running down my chin. Oh well.

    “What’s so funny?” I said, my mouth filled with hamburger, so it sounded like ‘Whabs oh bunny?”

    “Nothing, nothing,” He was still laughing.

    I continued to eat in peace for a while, before Marcus gasped. “This is good!”

    “Really?” I said once I swallowed all of my food. He nodded violently.

    “Really good,”

    “Let me read it!” Rush says, extending her arm out over the table. They began each reading it, telling me how good it was afterwards. I wasn’t expecting this type of reaction.

    Alexander read it, and I watched his expression the whole time. He started with a serious look on his face, reading it word for word. I watched his blue eyes travel left to right, and his tongue wet his lips. He would furrow his brow, in deep thought. As he read to the ending, his face softened, and he handed it back to me, emotionless.

    “Well?” I said, when he didn’t reply.

    “It was good,” Alexander’s voice was flat.

    What happened? He was lively like two minutes ago! I shrugged it off, it didn’t matter.

    “Thanks,”

    The lunch bell rang, and we all parted ways, heading to our classes. Alexander walked beside me, but he didn’t say a word. I wanted to know what made him so silent all of a sudden. Was it the paper?

    We walked into Ms. Elden’s class, and I sat down in my usual seat. The class went by okay. All  she did was ask for the assignments, graded them, and then gave them back to us. I got an A. I folded it in half neatly, and put it in the pocket of my binder.

    “What was your grade?” I asked Alexander.

    “A,” I felt invisible standing next to him. He didn’t acknowledge me at all, just stared straight ahead.