Choices [ENG]

15.

It's two in the afternoon and I haven't eaten yet. We leave Tommy to rest and go to the cafeteria. I don't expect to find anyone from my group, considering the time. I grab something to eat then look for a free table, but as soon as I'm about to sit down, I see Glenn's broad shoulders in the distance. I walk over and see him leaning on his elbow playing with some scraps of food on his plate.

I knock on the table. "Hey there! Earth calls Glenn, are you there?" I say tilting my head to meet his gaze. Glenn quickly raises his head as if he is scared and I notice his extremely tired expression. "Oh, hi Charlie. Sit down" he says, moving his tray to the left. I sit hesitantly. "Is everything okay?" I ask before I start eating. "Er, not really ..." he says even though it can be read on his forehead. "Would you like to talk about it?" I ask. Glenn nods without looking at me: I don't appreciate his behavior, but it's understandable since he's not very well.

"It's about Alison ..." he says.

"Did you guys have a fight?" I ask.

"Oh, no between us, everything is just fine..." he continues.

"So what's the deal?" I ask confused.

"I think I really like her ..." he says. I still do not understand.

"So what? You should be happy, right?"

"Yes, but you see, I've never had so many problems with girls, and often they weren't serious, but now it's different ..." he explains. "I'm afraid of not being ready, of not being able and of ruining everything ..." he says seriously worried. "I don't think you should have these problems, Gle. If you like her, try to do everything to make her understand and then the rest will come by itself..." I say. Glenn looks up, gives me a smile and thanks me. I don't understand if she managed to help him or not.

I continue to eat in the awkward silence that has been created between us. Ellie joins us after a few minutes.

"Oh finally, I've been looking for you for hours!" she exclaims.

"We've always been here" Glenn says with the least enthusiasm in the world.

"Anyway..." Ellie continues, perhaps shaken by Glenn's excessive joy. "Tonight, we are at my house for a game night: I would say that we deserve it after all the work of the last few days" she says. Enthusiastic, I accept and then look at Glenn who seems to have heard nothing of what Ellie just said. "Are you there too, Glenn?" Ellie asks trying to catch the boy's gaze. "Er, yes ..." he says almost apathetically. "Well! We really need your boundless enthusiasm" replies the red-haired girl sarcastically. Glenn grins at her, to which Ellie responds by hitting him perhaps too hard on the back of the head. "Ouch, fuck Ellie!" He exclaims.

"It was to give you a wake up call! Alison likes you, stop doing all these problems, you'll never find another one like her!" she exclaims as she walks away. If before it was a secret, now everyone in the canteen knows it. "How did she know that?" He almost asks to himself. "That girl will never cease to amaze me" he finally says smiling.

I love the relationship between the two of them: it's as if they know each other well enough to know, even what goes respectively in their heads. I get up from the table: I want to go and rest for a while before going to the gym. "Hey, Charlie, thanks for the company and ... er, the advice " he says almost embarrassed. I nod and leave.

I arrive at the dorm to change before the gym, quickly reviewing everything that has happened in the last few hours: Tommy's statement, Maria's hug, Glenn's depression, and Ellie's invitation. Man, I can't wait for it to be tonight!

I open the door to my room and find Ashley lying on her bed reading a comic.

"Hey, Charlie!" she says turning to me and then going back to reading. "Hi Ashley" I reply.