Bitter Pills

Chapter 2

"What are you doing?"

The campus cafeteria was bustling during the dinnertime rush — the tables and lounges full of chatty, animated students. But there is only one that holds Alex's attention at the moment. Matt is at the same egg-shaped table -the one tucked into the farthest corner of the room, because Ezekiel doesn't like feeling exposed and this is the only way Matt could get him to leave the room and eat with the group- sitting in between Ezekiel and the empty chair he always leaves for Alex. As per normal, he is leaned back and balancing like a trapeze artist on two of the chair's legs. Again, this is nothing new, it is as much of a habit for him as it is for Alex to tuck her feet under her bottom — Maya had joked that her feet touched the ground just about as much as a helium balloon, which was apparently not often.

Matt furrows his thick brow before responding to Alex's question in a slow, monotone voice, "Eating cheese puffs." He looks down at the bag in his hand, as if he's confirming the obvious. Alex shakes her head and rounds the table to her chair. After curling her legs up onto the seat, she turns to face Matt fully.

"I see that," she arches a brow and adds, "but with chopsticks?" Her eyes dart over to the slender sticks of bamboo perched within his long, slender fingers, now frozen mid-air with an unnaturally orange puff in its grasp.

"Uh, yeah. I don't want orange fingers," he shrugs, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. But this is Matt they were talking about, "weird" and "normal" are one and the same for him. "I asked the grumpy lunch-lady if I could use her tongs and she handed me these. Works out better anyways, the tongs would have been too bulky."

Alex still has her brow cocked, "but why?"

Matt lowers his chair, smiling and shaking his head. "Oh sweet little Violet," he speaks like he is humoring a young child. He sets the bag and the chopsticks onto the table before he lifts his hands in front of Alex's face, "See these hands?" he waits until Alex nods, "these hands are my most important tools. I must keep them pristine and in perfect working condition at all times." Alex chuckles, shaking her head while Matt picks up snack and continues eating.

Not long after, Alex notices something else, "what's with the paper and the rubber bands?" She gestures limply at the back end of the chopsticks, where it looks like Matt had shoved a giant spit-wad and anchored it with little neon hair bands.

Her question makes Matt blush and he dips his head sheepishly. "Oh...well. I don't actually know how to use chopsticks, but look!" He grabs an unopened set from the table and waves it in front of her. She can see that the sleeve has something printed on it -pictures and maybe some words- but it's a blur thanks to Matt's wild movements. "It came with instructions for kids, so I thought, 'why not?'"

Most of the group had been ignoring them, too caught up in their own conversations -or in Ezekiel's case, his permanently attached laptop- but now Annabel snorts a laugh from across the table. "Of course you did! Because you," she points her fork at Matt with narrowed eyes, "are a man-sized child! If happy meals came with more food, that's all you'd ever buy!"