Shadows and Popularity

Chapter 12: Full Table

Chapter 12: Full Table

It was an exciting day.

For Nathan, at least, it was exciting. All day he had been nothing but mobbed and run down by countless questions. Who is that girl? Since when were you two an item!? The questions made his demeanor rigid, but he couldn’t make himself ward anyone off. He was naturally a socialite, and he never had experience in making people back off. Lunch was hell, and so was P.E. Clarisse, his classmate in home ec then, would seldom step in and make the others back off, but that was it. When they go their separate ways for different classes, Nathan fended for himself.

Maya was the exact opposite. Being in different buildings because of their year levels, Maya had no idea what Nathan was going through. No one bothered talking to her, or even noticing her. It was the same as usual. She would walk in class, say she was present, and eyes would look back at her. She’d hear them whispering and planning to talk to her later, but at the end of the period, they would all seem as though they’d forgotten. Lunch was the same. She got her meal and sat alone on her usual table, the same place where she met Nathan.

She took a bite on her veggie sandwich as she looked out the window, students walking pass as others hung out in groups on the quad. Oh, how she wished she had her own group to hang out with. Sure she would forever be loyal to Nathan, Clarisse, and Sakri, but they weren’t even in her year level. She wasn’t even sure if Sakri was a student or not. Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t quite sure about anything concerning Sakri. All she knew about him was that he was friends with Clarisse, but that was about it.

“Excuse me?”

Her shoulders jerked up when she looked back to see the guy who spoke. Tall with broad shoulders, he was terribly drabbed in black, the only colors bright was his pale complexion and the pink that tipped his long hair. He obviously wore contacts, but the beguiling shade of violet reached out to her in a cold, but emotional manner.

“May I sit with you?” He asked, his voice stoic but polite.

Maya was never rude. “Of course.” She shyly said.

He took the seat in front of her, the same place where Nathan had sat on, and placed his trey of mashed potatoes and gravy on the table. He reached his hand out to her.

“Aditya.” He said, his face blank.

She shook it once before pulling her hand back. “Maya. Maya Tanberry.”

He cocked a brow at her, but said nothing when he nodded and started eating his potatoes. Maya wondered how mashed potatoes could be lunch.

“Aditya!”

Both of them turned back to see a lovely lady also garbed in black. Her brown hair was braided and swung gracefully over one shoulder. Pink highlights dazzled her hair as her beautiful grey eyes behind her heavy mascara looked at the guy sitting on the table. She walked up to them, and Maya noticed she never looked at her.

“Olivia.” Aditya said in acknowledgement.

“It’s a good thing you got an empty table. I really thought this place was packed!”

Aditya never said anything. Instead, he raised a hand up the table and pointed at Maya. That was when the girl named Olivia looked at her, her grey eyes widening as she stepped back as though she had just seen a ghost. Just when Maya was sure Olivia was going to scream, the girl held her hands out of her sandwich and vehemently apologized. Maya couldn’t get her to stop or find a way to make her believer it was all right. Aditya saved the day when he grabbed Olivia by the strap of her bag and pulled her on the seat next to him.