It's lunchtime and the lunch room is packed. Murmurs of conversations surround Ava as she walks in. Long and blue plastic tables with seats attached to them fill the room. This place is like a battlefield, each squad has their usual spot and if you fail to join a squad, the introvert table and toilet stalls are always opened. Mean Girls actually did a great scene about high school lunch room, it's just that there are more students and empty tables in real life.
Ava usually eats on her own, especially when she hates socializing. But as she gets her tray and walks towards her usual spot — an empty table, she sees an outstanding figure in the crowd.
There he is, sitting in a wheelchair and eating with some of his friends.
Jesse seems nice to me, right? He approached me first.
The word 'friends' has been deleted from Ava's dictionary since that day. She is tired. She doubts that if she can still ever befriend another stranger.
But he's not a stranger. Or... He's not my friend. Yep that's better. Not my friend, just a person I know.
Ava changes her route and walks towards Jesse. Before she even knows what she is doing as if she can't control her feet, she is standing opposite to Jesse.
"Hey!" Jesse looks up as he notices her.
Ava doesn't say anything. She kind of creeps herself out by unconsciously walking towards Jesse.
"Come here, there's a seat there," Jesse says as he points to a seat next to a girl with red, long curly hair. There are thin rings on all of her fingers and several long silver necklaces. Artsy. That's the first word which comes to Ava's mind.
Ava walks to the seat. She clutches the corner of her t-shirt as she sits down slowly. She has not joined a group for a while.
"So, who's this?" The artsy girl asks and the whole table, five pairs of eyes, including Ava's, stare at Jesse.
Jesse clears his throat and raises his voice for a bit. "This is Ava, she's a nerd."
Ava's jaw unhinges and her face turns into a scowl. "Hey!"
Jesse tilts his head and grins amusedly.
The artsy girl opposite to her stretches her hand out for a handshake, "Melanie."
She blinks and slowly shakes Melanie's hand.
"Hey Ava, Elliot." A guy from the other side of the table nods with a small smile. He has freckles on his peachy skin while his blonde hair sweeps over to the side.
A black-haired girl is holding another white guy's right hand inside the front pocket of his hoodie. She looks at Ava and silently judges her, calculating if Ava will fall in love with her own boyfriend. She finally raises her eyebrows and starts, "I'm Ronnie, that's my boyfriend Liam." She holds her right hand up which is still in Liam's hoodie.
Ava turns back to Jesse after she greets everyone. The proximity of her and the squad fills the air as the burning sensations of being observed hit her on the face.
"I told you, I'm not a nerd." Ava stares into Jesse's eyes.
"Come on, don't be so tough." Jesse tilts his head.
His smile is bright and cheerful. Ava pulls her eyes away from him, but she finds it hard to. She can't help but returning her gaze to him. She breathes in deeply and widens her eyes.
Stop staring!
Ava pauses for a while and asks Jesse, "Why did you pop out of nowhere in the research club and sit next to me in class?"
YOU ARE READING
Paralyzed Love ✓
Teen Fiction[The Fiction Awards 2020 Winner in Diverse Fiction!] Jesse is paralyzed from his waist down, but he makes sure he gets what he wants, for he has already lost too many things in his life. Yet when he finally gets to meet Ava, who has anxiety and depr...
