So On

Chapter 18 - Lunch: It's Not About Food

     Leo was staring at me ridiculously weird, like he was internally freaking out or something. We were at our usual table at lunch, only this time, Sam joined us.

     Brandon's usual seat beside me was taken by Sam, so the original owner decided to take the seat adjacent to us. I don't think he looked all that pleased, but he managed to hide it pretty well seeing that he gave our guest a small smile.

     Nichole pretended like Sam wasn't there. But her little act just made the situation all the more tense, awkward. Leo was still staring - glaring at me, silently asking why Sam was here. I shrugged my shoulders, a bit confused as to why they were acting this way. I thought they made up already?

     I cleared my throat before stealing a quick glance at Brandon. He was looking at Sam carefully, as if analyzing him. What the heck is with my friends? They're treating Sam like a total leach.

     Rude.

       "Umm," Sam slowly sunk into his (my potato's) seat. "I get it. I'm unwanted. I just wanna talk about something."

       "Don't say you're unwanted," I said, shooting my friends a sharp look each. They were being so immature right now. They should know how much it sucks to be treated like this. "What did you want to talk about?"

     I was honestly more enthusiastic about what he was about to say than his own presence - he doesn't need to know that though. I was finally gonna know what the hell was going on.

     Sam sent me a small smile, and I was relieved to know that he was taking this coolly despite my friends' unwelcoming auras. "Yeah, it's about what happened weeks ago. You know, when I accidentally bruised Nichole's wrists, which I apologize for again," he nodded at Nichole. She gave him an acknowledging nod in turn.

     He then turned to Leo. "Like I told you before, I didn't mean it. I just wanted to know where Mira was. You were ignoring me, so I grabbed a hold of your wrist but I didn't realize you got bruised easily."

      "You also didn't realize your own strength until you saw my bruises." Nichole cut in. Sam agreed guiltily.

       "Wait," I interrupted, earning all of their attention. I think I'm missing something here. "Why were you looking for me?"

     A barely visible shade of pink filled his face. "I just wanted to talk to you."

       "About?"

       "Nothing. Just casual talk. That's all."

     I looked at him like crazy. "What do you mean that's all? I beat you up. You bad-mouthed me to the principal. I don't think you just wanted to talk."

     I was totally unconvinced. Was what he was saying true? Was he lying? I looked at my friends' expressions to confirm if what he was saying matched what he told them weeks ago. Nichole and Leo nodded, meaning what he was saying was indeed true.

     Did I just make a really big issue out of a really tiny one.

     Facepalm.

       "Alright then," Sam said. "I'll elaborate."

     I looked at him closely, paying attention to every word that comes out of his mouth. "I got mad at you in the principal's office because, well, duh, you beat me up. Sorry 'bout that too by the way, I lost my temper. And I've had a crush on you since freshmen year. Good enough?"

     I gaped at him.

     Gaped at him like a freaking goldfish.

     I closed my mouth and leaned back on my seat, folding my arms on the process. My brows were knitted and my eyes were focused on my untouched food. "That doesn't make sense," I shook my head. "You don't have a crush on me."