1000 Paper Cuts \\ KELLIC

7

Later that night there was still a little bit of awkwardness between Vic and I. After all, I had attempted to spend less time with him, but I quickly changed my mind about that. I actually liked spending time with him in here, and that surprised me because just a few days ago I never thought I'd be able to feel a tiny spark of joy again, and here I was, feeling comfortable and content with him sitting across from me at one of the tables in the dining hall.

"It's nice to see you acting a little more normal, I mean after our conversation this morning," he said. That was true. Our conversation this evening, or mostly him talking to me, went a lot more smoothly, much like it had the past few days, excluding this morning.

"I was just being silly then," I told him.

"Yeah...why was that?" he asked curiously. He was always so full of curiosity and wanting to know everything. I shrugged in response. I definitely wasn't ready to tell him that I was confused about my feelings towards him. It was difficult to tell what emotions were real and what were artificial in here. I couldn't deny the warm feeling in my heart that I got when I talked to him though.

"Doesn't matter anyway, as long as we're still friends," he spoke quietly, but with that bright smile on his face. I glanced around us. The last of the few people in the cafeteria were just leaving. I suppose Vic and I should be leaving soon too, but that meant I would be having a shower then going off to my room, and I didn't quite want to leave yet.

I didn't say anything to him. I didn't feel the need to. The fact that I was sitting here with him was enough proof that I liked his company. He rested his chin on his hand and watched me. I felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, so I got up, taking my tray of half eaten food with me. I threw away the contents and put the tray with the others. I looked back over at Vic who was still watching my every move with a sense of intensity. When I sat back down, he spoke, and what he asked caught me off guard.

"Why are you in this place?" he asked. It was something I had been asked by people around here many times before, but never wanted to answer and I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to answer it now or not.

"Why are you?" I countered. He chuckled a little at me.

"I have the time on my hands, so why not help someone?" he said. Were there really people that genuinely good in the world?

"There are plenty of ways to help people, so why do it here?" I asked. Why in a place so depressing? Vic frowned at the question and shrugged a little.

"I don't know..." He paused and thought about his answer, "I guess in my group of friends when I was in school, I was always the one to help them through their problems no matter what. I don't know what people saw in me that made them think that I could help, but apparently talking to me did help. I figured I had this natural talent of making people feel better, so why not put it to good use when I get the chance? And I like making people happy. I like making people smile and...yeah..."

He was rambling and I didn't mind it one bit, but he noticed what he was doing and quickly stopped talking with a sheepish smile. His answer was as good an answer as any. I didn't expect anything more or less from him.

"Your turn. Why are you here?" he urged me again.

I didn't know if I wanted to tell him. I didn't know what he would think of me. Would this change how he saw me? Would he think I was just some stupid lovesick teenager who over-exaggerated about a break-up? That's what I knew everyone else would think if I told them. They didn't understand how I felt though.

"Come on, I told you why I work here, it's only fair," he prodded. I looked up at him, my expression no doubt conveying the pain I was feeling about this topic.