Our Communications

Chapter 5

Nina’s POV

I look around the cafeteria when I enter. Kiara told me that her table is the one nearest to the doors that are closest to the front office, definitely not the doors near the Class Building. That means I'm on the opposite side of where I'm supposed to be… I feel slightly annoyed with myself for having had to ask her where she sits at lunch last night. She’s one of my closest friends, along with Adrianna and Elaine, but on the second week of school this year I sort of lost track of her during lunch periods. I sigh even though I'm almost at the table I think she specified. I didn’t get a good amount of sleep last night. I don’t usually do.

“Ahem.” I hear a low, throaty voice cough and I climb out of my thoughts. “Lost in your mind there?” Michael asks me. I nod slowly, looking at him warily.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him.

“Well,” he begins. “I could say that I'm here to learn, if you're referring to the school. I could say that I'm here to eat, if you're referring to the cafeteria. If you're referring to life, then I could even say that I have no idea why I'm here or, more accurately, why I exist. However, I assume that you're asking me why I'm sitting at this specific table and in response to that, it’s because I sit with Kiara. She seems to be running a bit late today.”

I blink. “You know her well.” He raises his eyebrows.

“She’s my best friend.” He states plainly.

I nod. “You talk like her, exactly like her. It’s a bit weird, but sort of cute.”

He seems a bit taken back when I say that. It almost looks strange on his normally dark face. “You would know.” He says slowly. “She talks about you a lot.”

I smile slightly. She would. It’s strange - I don’t usually like knowing that people talk about me - but it’s nice in this case. Michael looks slightly disappointed when I glance at him. “Oh!” I exclaim. “She talks about you, too…”

“Sure.” He slumps down in his seat, taking out his phone.

“No, no, she does!” I tell him. “I just didn’t think you guys were that close.” I bite my lip and play with the sleeves in my sweater, afraid that I offended him somehow.

He cocks his head and looks at me, putting his phone in his pocket. I feel slightly uncomfortable under his stare, but there’s something about it that makes me want to stare right back and figure him out. Something clicks in his eyes and he smiles at me.

“Put your stuff down if you're going to sit with us.” He pulls out a chair with his right arm. “It’s been two minutes since the bell rang for lunch and so far Kiara hasn’t rushed in with news about the social events she’s witnessed and groans of relief that she gets to eat her food. I think she might be a while.”

I sit down and register the fact that she feels comfortable eating around Michael. She loves to eat. It’s all she seems to do. Sometimes though, eating in a group of people makes her uncomfortable, usually if some are boys. This might be something good.

An awkward silence settles between Michael and I and we just stare at each other. He has plump lips and pale, pale skin, like mine, but without freckles. His eyes are green, accompanied by unkempt, though pleasant-looking eyebrows and dirty blonde hair that falls over his forehead messily. He seems very large, hulking even, wearing a simple outfit composed of a gray tee, jeans and black Vans.

“Are you really in Gamers’ Club?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “Sometimes,” He says. “Why?”

I shrug this time. I don’t admit that I’ve seen him on my bus on most Mondays and that’s when Gamers’ Club meets. I only know that from Kiara because she goes to play Assassin’s Creed with Ally sometimes.

Michael takes a sandwich out of his lunch-bag. “You know what a really bad quality game is?” He asks me and then takes an unnaturally large bite out of it.

“Love,” I respond absentmindedly, setting my own lunch out on the table in front of me.

“Exactly,” he says. He looks at me. I blink. “It can be fun to play, though.”

“Yeah,” I lean back in my chair, “if everyone wins.”

Author’s Note:

It’s short (sorry), but I like it. ;) I like how Michael and Nina interact, however awkward it may be.