True Friends

Lunch

I sat down at the only table that didn't have anyone sitting at it. The day had gone pretty quickly and now it was lunch. I took a drink of water from my bottle and was about to start eating when someone sat down across from me. I looked up and was surprised to see Max. I just stared at him for a moment and then began to eat my food.

"So you're just going to ignore me? Friends don't do that to each other." He began "I mean, if you were mad at me for some reason, then by all means, ignore me. Though, as far as I can tell, I haven't done anything wrong."

"What gave you the impression that we are friends? I hardly know you, and incase it wasn't obvious enough, I like to be alone." I looked him squarly in the eyes, part of me hoping he would go and the other hoping he would stay. This is the first time someone has ever sat at lunch with me and honestly, I was kinda enjoying it.

"Well, you hardly know me but I know more about you than I do about anyone else in this school and because I don't want to go home to my parents telling them that I made no friends on the first day of school, you have become my friend. Also, the fact that you don't really want me to be your friend, makes me want to be your friend even more. You see, it shows that you're not desperate, which means that if we do become friends, it will be because we actually get along." After he finished his little speech, he took a breath and smiled at me. I don't really know why I did it, but I thought that what he had just said, was kind of funny, so I gave him a little clap.

"Nice. I was truely moved by that, except it isn't going to happen. You can leave now." I turned my attention back to my food. However, when I looked up, he was still there. "What are you doing?"

"Well, I am going to sit at this table for lunch whether you want me to or not. I decided that while I am sitting across from you, I would take in your appearance so that I can explain what you look like to my parents." He stated this so simply, as if it were the most natural thing to say.

"You tell your parents a lot of stuff." I mumbled

"Well, yeah. So let me practice what I will tell them. I will say that you have, dirt brown hair, your eyes are a really boring grey-ish blue colour, and you look pretty average." He finished with a smile.

I smirked a bit. "Well I already know what I look like, and nice way to build up my self-esteem."

"Well friends always tell the truth. It's the rule." He replied.

His smile never left his face and it seemed like it was a genuine smile. I half expected him to look past me and wink at one of the other popular guys so as to confirm my suspicions that he was put up to this. He did no such thing. He held my gaze until he finally looked down at my food.

"So what are you eating?" He asked, trying to make more conversation.

"Food."

"Good observation. What kind of food?"

"Um... Salami and cheese and tomato and lettuce... In between some bread." I answered looking at my sandwich.

"Sounds... Nice?"

"Yup." I say popping the 'P' and raising my eyebrows. After I had said that, Brooke Knowles walked over to our table and stood between me and Max. Brooke was popular, attractive, and smart. I had never really talked to her before, but she seemed nice enough. It's a bit strange though that the popular girl could be nice. In all the movies and books, the popular girl is horrible; But brooke seemed... Decent.

"Hey Max," she said in her sweetest voice. "So I was wondering if you wanted to be my lab partner for the semester. My old lab partner recently changed schools and I thought that you wouldn't have one yet so, I thought I would offer." Max looked up at her and then looked at me. It seemed like he was asking me for permission.

"Sure." He said tentatively.

"Great! Also, do you want to come sit with us?"

"Nah, I 'm enjoying sitting with my friend Beth here." He gestured to me.

Brooke turned her head and looked at me, surprised. "Oh, okay then. See you later." With that, she turned on her heel and walked back to her table where all her friends had been watching, swishing her hips as she went.

"Are you mad?" I looked up and saw Max watching me as if I were a ticking bomb.

"Why would I be mad? You and I aren't actually friends and she is smart. Plus, you guys would be a cute couple." I replied smoothly.

"We are friends! You just don't want to admit it. We get along so well and we are complete opposites so we are just made to be friends. You're the boring one who doesn't like anybody, and I am the fun one who thinks the best of everybody." He argued back.

I didn't have time for this. As nice as it was that Max wanted to be my friend, it just wasn't going to happen. I am a broken vessel. There are things in my past that I don't want to tell anyone and things that people won't want to know about. I am always hurting and people will always let me down. There was no way I was going to let anyone into my life. Ever.

"I have to go." I stood up and left, taking my food with me. I was headed for the Library. It always made me feel better. No one talks, no one disrupts you and you can just sit in there and think. Thinking is quite possibly my favourite past time. It helps me rationalise things and I have become so good at thinking, that I can always convince myself that my actions, whatever they may have been, were justified. There is a rule, that if you are in the library, you must be reading a book. So I walked up to a shelf and grabbed whatever book looked nicest. I opened it to the first page and just sat there staring at it. Every now and then turning the page.