The Smith's Reasons (13RW)

Lunch

Lunch! Why do they call it that? Have you ever wondered that? I did. My mind was always filled with questions like that. Some people found me silly and annoying, but there was one guy. One very different guy. One of us actually - the Silencers.

Clay Jensen.

"Hey, Nat," he said as I sat down at our usual place.

He and I lived near each other. We were just a few houses apart and sort of grew up together. It was one of those platonic relationships that was just meant to be. We always trusted each other and could tell each other anything.

"Hey." I slumped into the chair.

"What's wrong?" I was practically an open book to him. Actually, we were open books to each other.

I scoffed. "'What's wrong?' I'll tell you what's wrong. You didn't do anything about the list!" I crossed my hands across my chest and leaned back onto my chair. I had to resist the urge to punch the wall and that's why pockets of jackets were invented.

He raised his shoulders in a shrug. "What was I supposed to do?" 

"You weren't supposed to just smile and pass it around! You were supposed to take a stand! It was an offensive list and as one of the future candidates for the valedictorian, you should've taken a stand!"

"But....I....Wha....Sorry!" He could never win an argument with me. I was that stubborn.

I nodded and accepted his apology. "You need to eat, Jensen," I said after sometime, pointing to his tray that was practically empty. How was half a sandwich supposed to help him gain any muscle?

"Nah, I'm fine." He waved his hand down. He was a friend who you could always argue with and nothing would ever go wrong between the two of you.

Right then, Hannah Baker walked into the cafeteria. "Hey." I nudged Clay's arm with my elbow. "Should we invite her over? Maybe she'll feel better."

"Uh, I don't know, Nat. I don't think she'll want to sit with us," he answered, looking down at his food.

The thing was, I knew that he liked Hannah. He had liked her ever since she moved into town but he never made the move! I had been trying to get him to ask her out ever since they started working together at The Crestmont. My brother Jeff had tried to give him some advice as well but he. just. doesn't. listen!

"Oh, come on. I'm going to ask her." I stood up.

"No no no, Nat. Don't!" 

"I can't hear you." I mouthed, rotating my index finger near my right year.

I walked over to her once her tray was full. I tapped on her shoulder and she turned around, looking quite nervous. I wouldn't have blamed her when it was right after that silly list. "Hey. Do you want to maybe sit with me and Clay for lunch?"

"Why?"

That one word was enough to break my heart. "I don't know. I just thought you would like some company."

"That's a nice offer, but no. I just want to be alone right now," she said before walking away from me and out of the door.

"O-kay." I turned around on my heel and walked back to the table. "Don't tell 'I told you so'." 

Clay zipped his mouth as I took back my seat. "I wasn't going to."

"I know you were going to." I hit his arm playfully.

He laughed. "Yeah, I was going to." 

We discussed our day for a while when I asked him an important question. "Is there a job opening in The Crestmont? I really need one right now. Jeff has his pizza-delivery job and I really want one too. If I'm to be applying for top colleges, I cannot take risk with scholarships. I should have some funds in hand."

"I wish, Smith. And I don't think you would have to worry about not getting into the college you want. You study really well. If you can explain advanced geometry to me, I'm sure you can get the best scholarship." He sighed as he saw me look away in disappointment. "But there is a good movie that I'm sure you'll like if you want to come today evening."

That was enough to get me to smile. "Oh yeah? I'll come by but first, I want to check whether there is a job offer at Monet's. I could take a job there, right?"

"Go after the movie. Plus, today's the last day of the showing."

"Why would you wait until the last day to tell me!"

"So that you wouldn't make an excuse not to come."

"Fine. I'll come." I took a sip of my chocolate milk. "But I really need to go to Monet's afterwards, okay?"

He put his fist forward and I bumped it. "All right," he said as the bell rang. "I'll see you."

The rest of the day was boring as always. I walked outside the school premises and went to the parking lot to wait for my brother - Jeff Atkins.

Yes. Jeff Atkins is my brother. Technically he was my step-brother but we didn't care about the details. His father married my mother a long time ago. My birth father was never around and neither was his mother. Somehow by fate, our parents fell in love with each other and we've been a family ever since. No matter what, Jeff was my brother and Mark was my Dad.

"Hey, Tasha." He walked towards me as I reached his parked bike.

"Can we please go home? I need to get out of here."

"Bad day?" He got on and inserted the key in the ignition.

"School is a sequence of bad days." I stated and he laughed.

"Touché." 

Our parents worked in a firm in town. Mum was a lawyer and Dad was a consultant. They worked with Clay's Mom, which was another reason for us growing up together. Getting a house near them seemed to be fate really.

After we reached home, I called Mom and told her that I was going out for a movie and that I would be a little late for dinner. Dad was fine with it and so was Jeff, who had to work anyway. So, I took Jeff's cycle that he never used and rode it to The Crestmont. I could catch the evening show in time.

I parked it outside the theatre, tied it to a lamp post and walked towards the ticket counter, where Hannah Baker sat. "Hey." I waved at her.

"Hey." She smiled. God, that was a relief. I was wondering how she was processing my approach at lunch today.

"Is Clay here?" I asked her through the glass panel in front of us.

"Hey Nat." He entered right on time with a crate of 3-D glasses. "She'll need one ticket to Screen-4." He informed Hannah.

"Screen-4 it is." She handed me the ticket after stamping it.

"Where's your helmet?" He asked me.

Oops. "Sorry, Clay. I'm just not that careful." I shrugged, knowing that he was always going on and on about wearing a helmet for safety purposes.

"Seriously? Helmet?" Hannah asked him and laughed.

"Yeah...." His face turned pink and he scratched the back of his head. "Do you want to come inside?"