Double Life: Meals

“You didn´t swim last night” a voice said behind her in the cafeteria line

“I didn´t” she responded slightly turning her head as she was paying for her food with her ID, were they had the registered the amount of money given to them. She felt someone behind her as she walked over an empty table. It was early so the cafeteria was pretty deserted. Nichole chose a table near the wall, close to a window.

“Can I sit here?” a green eyed boy asked flashing a smile.

“No” she said and the boy anyways, he took the booth across from hers. Nichole poured her maple syrup on a side of her plate and then she separated the two pancakes, one in the center of the plate and the other one close to the edge, half on top of the one in the middle.

“Isn´t the syrup supposed to be poured on the pancakes?” the boy said taking a bite of his food. The girl said nothing and continued eating, cutting a piece of the pancake with the fork and dipping a side of it in the syrup.

“You have dark rings under your eyes like you haven´t slept for a few days…” the boy commented observing her face

“Why are here this early?” her tone was a combination of annoyance and curiosity

“I always get up early” the boy answered, she pursed her lips a little in a pensive manner.

“I had never seen you here in the mornings”

“I hardly ever eat here” he said, Nic only glanced his way.

“You´re supposed to ask why” Aaron broke the silence, she raised an eyebrow.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, that´s how you make conversation flow”

“If you want to tell me why you don´t eat here in the mornings, go on…”

“Why are you like that? That much you dislike me?”

“It was you the one who said that didn´t like me” she motioned her fork between them, a light blush crept up his cheeks

“You had broken my nose”

“No, you were running in the library and tripped against my leg –he opened his mouth- don´t you think that hurt me too?”

“I…”

“And then, I had to apologize twice and lead you and Josh to the cafeteria, return and take both your things to your respective and in different buildings rooms… all this –she stared straight to his eyes- when I hadn´t even done a thing…” her gaze was piercing, he hunched a bit and looked down at his food, the tint on his cheeks still visible.

“I’m sorry. I was a jerk to you –he said and she nodded- but you´re so cold”

“You know you don´t have to be here or anywhere near me”

“If Josh was here you wouldn’t be this cold to me” he commented

“I give no special treatment to people” she said remembering the now dead uncle of the twins, she had said to him that they got special treatment.

“Yes, you do. I doubt you take other guys to your room” he said not stopping to look at her, she lifted an eyebrow tilting her head to a side.

“Who says I´ve taken him there? Besides, who I take into my room or whose room I go to is nobody´s business”

“He said he slept there”

“Did he say that?”

“Yes”

“Mmm, I thought he only confirmed having used my shampoo”

“And now you´re saying it too”

“No, I´m not –she opened her schoolbag and took a small bottle- here… Now you can use my shampoo as well” she smirked. The boy narrowed his eyes but took the bottle.

“So, you are saying you gave him a bottle of shampoo?” he said with an incredulous voice. She shrugged.

“You two are hiding something” he said staring at her as she drank her juice. She said nothing.

“Do you have trouble sleeping? –he asked, after another silence, she raised both eyebrows- Josh often had dark rings under his eyes similar to yours when he had trouble sleeping”

“He still has those sometimes” she said.

“Yeah, but he´s been better at sleeping through the night when we were little… he often had much more trouble sleeping during winter. Do you have that?”

“I guess”

The cafeteria had started to fill. Nichole finished her food and took her apple giving it a bite.

“Later” she strolled away from him chewing another bite of her apple.

~~*~~

“I’m hungry!” Josh said as the bell for the class change sounded. It was one more class before lunch. The girl in front of his desk turned back to him and put a mint candy on his desk.

“Thanks” he said as she was turning back to look at the window.

“I´m so hungry!” the boy said again as Nichole was putting her things back in her bag. It was lunch time already.

“Go eat”

“I´m waiting for you”

“You don´t have to”

“That´s not the point” he said, she put the bag strap on her shoulder. His stomach growled. “Hurry, Nic” he prompted as she took a book that she´d let out of her bag.

“Just go ahead, Josh. I´m not even having lunch with you today”

“What? Why? Today´s Art Club day” he said. They had been having lunch together the days when they had to go to the club.

“I feel like having Chinese food and that´s not something you can get at the cafeteria” they started to walk out of the building.

“You won´t be on time for Art Club if you go out of school”

“I´m not going to the club today”

“Why not?”

“Once in a while it´s ok to ditch certain things”

“You sneak in the club room to work more, you never ditch Art Club”

“That you know of –she smirked- besides, I don´t feel like going today”

“Why not?”

“You ask too many questions, that´s not healthy”

“Asking is always ok. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You might find out something you´re better not knowing”

“I still want to know. You love Art Club” he had his brow furrowed. She looked at him with a small smile, he smiled back. His eyes seemed to smile as well.

“I´m working on my project” she said after a while. His smile grew.

“Can I see?”

“I told you that you were not looking at it before the due date” They got to the cafeteria doors.

“See you” she gave him her half smile and then turned to leave.

“Hey, hey, wait” he caught her hand. The girl turned around with a raised eyebrow “don´t go away… it´s only a week to end this school year and I don´t know if…” he trailed off, his voice less audible. She took a couple of steps closer

“I´m not going away today” she said above a whisper and then smiled looking at the other students passing by that turned their heads to see them.

“But you will next week, aren’t you? And you know it, that´s why you´re giving me that smile you have when you are not happy but feel like you should smile”

“I don´t know, Josh” she pulled him away of the center of the hall.

“Don´t leave…”