Solivagant

~2.2 - Diego~

I walked out of Home Ec with Karla giggling beside me. I smirked. The joke hadn't even been that funny. I didn't mind the sound of her laugh though. It's beautiful. She smiled as her laughter died down, illuminating the whole hallway. Nervous, I turned to her. "Hey, where do you eat lunch?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't usually eat lunch. I just eat when I get home."

I sighed, my brow creasing slightly in worry. That's not a great idea Kitten. Meals are important. "Well where did you go during lunch yesterday?" I asked. "I didn't see you in the cafeteria."

"The library." She pointed down the hallway to the left. "I knew where it was and figured it would be better than a disgusting cafeteria." Well, now I knew why she didn't eat lunch. I had to agree though; the cafeteria had repulsive food.

Karla started walking away. The library was just down the hall, and I figured that was where she was heading. Damnit no. I quickly reached out, grabbing her upper arm to stop her. She turned back toward me. I smiled to hide my sudden panic at the strange look in her grey eyes. What the fuck is wrong with me? She's not going to go jump off a cliff. "You wanna come eat lunch with me?" I blurted. My phone buzzed in my back pocket, signaling an incoming text. It was probably Malik. "It's not cafeteria food." I added hastily.

She hesitated, thinking it over. I already knew she wasn't going to come with me, and I felt my shoulders droop involuntarily. Why would she want to anyway? We were already partners in English and Home Ec. Why would she want to waste even more of her time around me? After a moment, she nodded. "If it's not cafeteria food, what is it?"

I let go of her arm, my stomach fluttering. We walked down the right end of the hall, and I even shortened my gait so she didn't have to hurry so much to keep up. She was so cute and short, I wanted to try using her speed and stride for a moment. "Some of my friends got Burger King for me." I explained. "They're already here too, waiting outside." Without thinking, I took her hand and tugged her along beside me. It took me a moment to actually realize that I was holding her hand. I kept walking toward the door that led to the parking lot as though nothing was wrong with my action, biting my lip. I was a little afraid she would pull away from me though.

Surprisingly, she squeezed my hand gently. "That sounds a lot better than whatever the cafeteria is serving." She kept pace beside me, smiling softly. "You aren't walking as fast today."

I shrugged, pushing open the exit doors. "Decided to try walking slower." I moved towards a sleek red car idling a few rows back in the lot. Karla sighed softly, making me slow down even more. Shockingly, I didn't mind the leisure pace. "What is it Kitten?"

She shook her head. "Are you sure you want me to eat with you?" I looked back at her out of the corner of my eye. She looked genuinely worried. "I mean, you eat with your friends, right? I don't want to interrupt... anything."

"I'm one hundred percent sure that I want to eat with you." I reassured her, reaching over to ruffle her hair with my free hand. "My friends don't eat with me when I'm with a guest."

Karla smirked, swatting at my hand. She looked so adorable and smug. "I'm a guest?"

I chuckled. "I mean, if you don't wanna eat with my friends."

She squeezed my hand tighter. "Does that mean we're not eating in the cafeteria?"

I stopped walking a few feet away from the car, turning to face her. Her eyes glimmered with a bit of hope as she gazed up at me. Hope for what though? Did she want to be in the cafeteria or not? Uncertain, I shrugged. "Do you want to?"

She shook her head violently, making me laugh. "Hell no." She asserted. "I'm not eating with anyone in that place!"