Northern Kingston Academy

Chapter 2

After music Raven tells me I'm going to have lunch with her and her friends. She doesn't even ask if I want to or not, she's making me. Not like I would object if she did ask, I have no one else to eat with.

I've heard a lot about cafeterias and read about what happens in cafeterias in books but it is definitely not what I expected. The entire ceiling and all of the walls are made out of glass paneling, giving clear view of the bright blue sky and a few straw white clouds mix with the tall skyscrapers built around us. That is definitely something that will take a while for me to get used to.

The floors are white marble and reflect the sunlight off of them, while the dark oak tables contrast with the brightness of everything else. There are artificial trees and various plants placed throughout the room. They probably want the place to have a more natural feel but to someone who is used to looking at real trees, it doesn't necessarily work.

"This way." Raven grabs me lightly by the arm and leads me over to a group of people sitting at one of the circular tables.

Sitting at a table located beside the one Raven is leading me to, surprisingly sits Xavier. Its not surprising he's eating in the cafeteria, the surprising factor is that he's sitting and eating his lunch alone. I thought he was popular? Shouldn't he be eating with a bunch of his friends?

I was too busy staring curiously at Xavier to notice Raven had taken a seat at the table and was beckoning me to sit down. I cautiously take a seat beside her and glance at the other three people seated at the table.

"This is Derek." Ravens points to a dark haired boy with a few tattoos and a mysterious vibe to him. He has clear skin and perfectly straight teeth with an amazing jawline. "And this is Angel." She gestures to a strikingly handsome boy with white hair. His hair obviously isn't naturally white and it makes him stand out amongst the others. He frowns as she says his name and I wonder if its a nickname he doesn't like. "And this is veronica, but we all call her Roni." She points to a girl with short brown hair and a gorgeous smile.

I feel like a potato surrounded by all these beautiful people.

"I'm Hale." I smile at them.

"We know." All three of them say at the exact same time, all wearimh matching grins. It was so in sync it was actually kind of creepy.

"Okay." I say awkwardly, dragging out the word and turn towards Raven. "Why is Mr. Impeccable sitting alone?" I ask, referring to Xavier. She laughs at the nickname before answering.

"He always sits alone." She shrugs her shoulders. "No one else here is good enough for him." She says loud enough for Xavier to hear.

He scowls at her before returning back to his food and eating it like hasn't eaten in days. Probably to distract himself from hearing us talk about him.

"But everyone needs friends." I frown at her. I never had a friend before and I know how lonely you can get when you have none. I never went to school and I was always on my own, this is my first time ever socializing with people my age.

"Whatever, he's the most popular guy in the school. I doubt he even cares." Raven rolls her eyes.

No one says anything after that. The silence is slightly awkward as all of Ravens friends stare at me curiously until Roni decides to break it.