Transition (Rewrite)

Chapter 4: Draw-ing Conclusions

Alex thought it was best that he accompany me to each class, and I didn't protest. I felt safer with someone by my side, and Alex was the only one willing to be by my side. Not to mention, Alex had always been there for me, able to keep the assholes at bay. So when, at lunch, he was joined suddenly by an unfamiliar face, I was more willing to trust the newcomer.

"Hey, Alex! Good to see you again!" the new kid greeted with a wide smile that seemed to warm their chocolate brown eyes.

Alex held out his hand and the pair engaged in a bro high-five/hug/handshake thing I had seen him do with some of his teammates at games. "Hey Blue! Good to see you, too!" He gestured the blue-haired individual's attention over to me with a smile. "This is Andrew. He's the guy I told you about."

Blue offered an olive-skinned hand to me, contrasting sharply against my own pale, freckled appendage. "I'm Blue Rogers. I use they, them, and theirs. What about you?"

I was caught off guard. "I...uh..." I shook my head, trying to straighten my thoughts. "Andrew. Patton. He/him pronouns." I internally cringed, acutely aware of the squeakiness of my voice in that moment.

Blue nodded reassuringly. "From what Alex here has told me, I think we'll get along just fine."

I shot Alex a 'how much did you fucking tell this person' look before sitting down at our unspoken assigned table. The other two followed suit, dropping their backpacks down and taking off to obtain their servings of astoundingly sub-par spaghetti from the school's kitchen. I immediately brought out my sketchbook and a pencil and continued a drawing commission I had already started in the last class, tearing into a ham sammitch with my teeth.

"Not bad, Andrew. You're really bringing that character together better than I ever could," Alex complimented when he returned to our table. He always helped me with giving feedback on my character drawings—suggesting tweaks to the design of the clothing, bringing up personality traits that I'd mentioned to him and how I can better portray them, reminding me of inspiration I had found in life that I had forgotten about—especially when it was a character he has requested, which this one was.

"Holy shit!" Blue grinned, eyes practically glowing with joy. "You're an artist, too? That's awesome! I knew I'd like you."

I smiled shyly. "Yeah, I draw a bit..."

Alex gave me a 'what the hell are you talking about' look. "A bit? Andrew, you draw nonstop!" The athlete then turned to Blue with proud-mama-bear-esc energy. "He even does commissions for other people!"

Alex continued gushing to our new friend about my skills as an artist. I would periodically interject, mostly sheepishly focusing on my sketching. Every time I looked up, however, Blue was watching my every stroke with genuine interest. I smiled, warming up to the idea of adding another to the group. Lunch continued this way, but I felt like Blue and I made more connection without a single word than Alex could've ever hoped to talk into existence.