Loners

Chapter One

"Hera what are you looking at?" My boyfriend Hayden asked.

"Nothing?" I replied shaking my head. "It's just that boy over there, he looks so-"

"He looks like a loner" He interrupted. "anyways like I was asking you earlier, I wanted to know if you could come to the party after the game tonight?"

"Well, I don't know. I think the cheer coach wants us to clean the stadium afterwards. The janitors deserve a day off occasionally."

"Does she want you to stay after or is this a typical act of Hera kindness?"

I giggled. "Yeah, it's kind of just Hera kindness. I don't even think they'll stay if you boys are having a party." I sighed. "Tell you what, I'll come as soon as I'm done helping."

"Do you want me to come or are you good--I mean if we win this game we're going to playoffs and I really want to celebrate with the boys because I mean of course we're winning, we always do--but I don't like the idea of leaving you alone."

"No way! You have to go. You deserve it, I'll be fine. I think some other kids from recycling club will be staying anyways."

"Okay." He smiled pecking my lips quickly. The boys at our table shouted simultaneously and I rolled my eyes. "Catch ya late babe!"

"Yeah in the bedroom!" Kyle giggled like a curl high-fiving another player--Caleb, from Hayden's football  team. I sighed and picked up my lunch tray threw it away. I walked back and sat down with my best friends Samantha and Cara, they were both on the cheer team and had boyfriends on the Lacrosse team as well. We were practically identical yet totally different. Cara was outrageous and a wild soul whereas Samantha was all about glamour and social media, she knew about everything going on and I on the other hand am something else entirely. I was a nerd, I hated partying and I would rather snuggle up with a good book and I would gladly do a history report than go to a football game but for some reason I ended up becoming a co-captain of a Varsity cheer team with a boyfriend who was the captain of one of the best high school football teams in the country.

In a way I was a freak who sort of just made it.

With that being said we were sort of all freaks who found comfort in each other. The group of friends you would see in a movie, we were reliable. We had lake weekends and we spent Christmas's together, we found comfort in each other. However I wish we had met for some cool abstract reason but the reality was that our parents were busy, and by busy I meant they had business meetings every spare second of the day and for that reason they put is in the same daycare, which I mean is kind of cool.

"Hey do you guys mind staying after the game to help clean up?"

Samantha shrugged. "Sure, Caleb won't care." Cara nodded as well. "Yeah whatever, Kyle can suck it."

I giggled and checked my watch for the time which read twelve on the dot which meant there was a full forty minutes left in full. I stared back at the boy I was staring at earlier. I hadn't seen him before and for some reason I was attracted to him. I couldn't quite make out his face because his hood was shadowing his face. He was wearing all black and had layered on a hoodie and leather jacket in the cold November air. The boy had ear buds plugged in and was staring down at a black notebook in which he was writing something in.

"Hey Samantha?" I asked turning around.

"Yeah?"

"Do you know that boy?"

She pursed her lips and shook her head. "No, which is weird because I know everybody at this school, he's probably a loner. Why do you care anyways?"

"I don't know, he just looks so alone."

"Maybe he likes being alone." Samantha said while putting on lip-gloss.

"Yeah but he looks so sad." I said softly.

Cara raised her eyebrow. "Well you need to stop looking at him. It's scaring me because it looks like you're ready to go over there and sit down with him. And seriously why do you want to? He looks so pasty and gross. Like I get it if he was hot-"

"Would that really be so bad?" I asked staring at both of them. "Imagine being all alone at a school like this, it must be horrible knowing that there's so many people yet you're still alone for some odd reason."

"In case you haven't noticed we sort of have a reputation here, you do that and this will be like some teen movie." Samantha explained.

I giggled. "That's right?"

"Yeah! Just watch! Next thing you know we'll all be singing and dancing on tables like in High School Musical!" Cara explained causing us to all laugh. I sighed and Samantha got up. "We still have like thirty-five minutes till lunch ends so do you guys want to go grab some coffee?"

I shook my head. "No thanks, besides my off campus card is in my locker and I'm not going all the way up the stairs to get it. I'm lazy."

Cara pursed her lips. "Mmhm, that's what it is? Not an excuse to go ruin our lives?"

"Guys seriously?" I said shaking my head. "It's not a big deal, he looks so lonely."

"You're too kind Hera." Samantha said. "And I know you have your card, your the most organized person ever."

"I really don't--but grab me some please! Black as usual." Samantha nodded and I handed her a five dollar bill. They stood there for a few seconds. "Are you guys going to go?"

"Well I mean I kind of want to see you go up to him. I wonder if Hayden will come out and become Troy." Cara laughed.

I sighed and grabbed my backpack. "You guys are making a big deal out of something so small."

"Go for it!" Samantha and Cara grinned with their thumbs held up. I took a deep breath and began to walk towards the boy. The cafeteria fell silent as I people began to notice that our table was unusually quite. All eyes were on me and the boy looked up and pulled out his ear buds when he came to the realization that the courtyard was dead silent, almost as if the world had paused.

I held out my hand in front of him and tension in the air was at an all time high, I was nearly suffocating. I smiled and held my hand higher. "Hi, I'm Hera."

My Black-Friday deal is sort of awesome right?

Love,
VintageAutumn