February 5th. Monday, 12:16 PM.
The cafeteria was quieter than usual. The majority of tables were half full with empty seats between students, and some students were roaming around the cafeteria. Standing and leaning against tables.
"I remember when this place used to be packed out", Frank said, weakly scanning the cafeteria.
"Quite a few people still come here", Luna replied, glancing at the people around, flicking her hair out of her left eye.
"When I think back to it, the start of the year was so weird", Isabella said, putting down her phone and joining their glances. "No one wanted to talk to anyone".
The three of them sat at a table near the wall, having lunch. Usually Frank would be with Alexander, but Alexander went back to his dorm to get something. Frank couldn't be bothered to leave the academy, so he stayed.
"Our class is still kinda like that", Luna replied, sipping her orange juice through a straw. "Especially the guys. I don't see any of the guys group together".
"Why is that?" Isabella curiously asked Frank. "Do all the guys not like each other?".
Frank raised both of his eyebrows, actually thinking about it. "I have no clue", he replied, shrugging. "I'm always around Alexander, so no one comes up to us", he said, looking at Isabella. "I'll talk to anyone, though, I don't mind".
"No one comes up to you guys because everyone's scared of Alexander", Isabella said bluntly.
"No, they're not scared of him", Frank denied, smiling, shaking his head, thinking that was silly. "They just…", he paused, searching for the right words to use. "Don't want to talk to him. Which is understandable".
"Doesn't that make you kind of sad?" Luna asked, sliding her juice carton from side to side with her finger. "He's your friend and all, but don't you want him to get along with more people?".
Frank folded his arms and relaxed in his seat. "I have told him he should talk to more people. He's just not interested", he exhaled and shrugged again. "He's always been like that".
"How was he when he was younger?" Isabella asked, leaning forward and becoming interested. "He can't have always been like that".
"He's exactly the same. He hasn't changed", Frank replied, lightly shaking his head. "Our high school was like this academy in terms of the rules and high standards. Most people minded their own business, so there wasn't anyone there that could make him change".
"This academy has a high standard, but the people here must be much different from your high school", Luna said.
"Yeah", Frank lightly chuckled. "Not everyone's stuck up here. This isn't a school, it's a university, so it makes sense. People are freer, and everyone is an adult here".
"How did you two become friends?" Luna directly asked. "It does look like you're more of his bodyguard than his friend. No offence", she quickly added.
Frank smiled a little, "Non taken. I've heard everyone say that. I've accepted it now", he said. "But funny enough, that's how we become friends", he continued, rubbing the back of his neck. "I protected him when we were in middle school".
"You're kidding", Isabella replied, her head leaning forward, mouth hanging.
"It's true", Frank nodded, his smile widening. "An older kid was starting a fight with him". His expression brightened, reminiscing about it. "I stepped in and helped Alexander because it was the right thing to do. I've always been a big kid, I thought I might aswell put it to good use. From then on, I randomly spoke to him from time to time because I used to talk to everyone. Then, over time, we naturally became closer".
"Did he thank you for helping him?" Luna asked, a smile slowly forming on her face.
"Heh, no", Frank smirked and said like it was obvious. "He didn't say anything. We haven't spoken about what happened that day ever. It happened, and that's it".
"You two went to the same middle and high school?" Isabella asked, liking how they've known each other for a long time.
"Yeah. At first, I was going to go to a different high school. But in the last week of middle school, Alexander asked me which high school I was going to, and I told him. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was sad", Frank said, smiling, glancing down. "All of a sudden, I told my parents I wanted to go to a different high school". He looked up, showing his grin.
"You changed just like that?" Luna asked, surprised. "Did you not want to go to the other high school?".
Frank tilted his head and scrunched his face like he didn't care. "Meh. The high school I was going to go to was a regular public one".
"Were your parents okay with that?" Isabella asked, wondering about the money side.
"Yeah. There was no problem with it", Frank said, shaking his head. "I'm not as rich as Alexander, but luckily I am blessed, so money wasn't a problem", he cautiously continued, guiltily looking away, not wanting to sound snobby.
"Are you Alexander's only friend?" Luna carefully yet curiously asked.
"To my knowledge? yeah", Frank said without hesitation.
"Doesn't he want more friends?" Luna asked back without hesitation.
"Nope", Frank confidently shook his head. "I've tried telling him to try and make friends with people, but he doesn't want to". He gestured to Isabella, "Isabella tried, and it didn't work".
Isabella awkwardly laughed. "I tried... but not too hard", she said, not wanting to come across desperate. "It was hard to talk to him. There was this weird pressure when I did speak to him".
"I can imagine", Luna said quietly. She turned to Frank again. "Frank, the dynamic you have with Alexander is unusual. Because you're easy to talk with. But from the outside, it doesn't look like it because you're always with Alexander".
"Yeah, Frank. You'd be so popular with everyone if you hung out with different people", Isabella added, nodding along. "I know Alexander's your best friend, but haven't you thought you'd have more fun with other people?".
Frank's expression didn't change much. He shook his head slowly, "I haven't thought about it", he honestly said. "Being popular isn't my thing".
"Are you worried about Alexander?" Luna randomly asked. "Is that why you're always around him, because you don't want to leave him by himself?"
That question made Frank pause. He looked down at the table. It was like someone had spoken his thoughts. "Yeah", he softly said with a single nod. "I'm not worried in a way you might think", he continued, lifting his eyes. "I know if I left him alone, he'd be fine, and he'd be more than comfortable being alone", he stopped and gazed around the cafeteria, seeing groups of people together smiling. "But I am worried about him missing out".
Isabella frowned slightly, "Doesn't he know he's missing out?" she asked, slightly confused. "He's really smart. Surely he knows having more friends would be fun".
"He doesn't know. Well, he doesn't feel like he's missing out", Frank replied. "He feels most complete how he is now. He doesn't see the reason to hang around other people".
"It doesn't help that he looks down on everyone", he thought, tightening his jaw, knowing that flaw.
Isabella blinked. "Has he tried at least?" she asked.
"No", Frank replied, resting his forearms on the table. "He's been in situations where he's had to hang around people like group projects, events, and just hanging out", he continued. "From those experiences, he decided he didn't need anyone".
"Were those experiences enough to decide that?" Isabella asked, sounding sceptical.
"No", Franks scoffed. "And the people we were with were people who were kind of the same. It was dull".
"At least he has you", Luna said, highlighting the positives. "So you don't have to be that worried".
Frank gave a small, reluctant smile.
"I'm not enough", he replied. "He needs more personalities. People who'll make him laughand smile regularly. People who'll push him and make him competitive. I want him to experience that and have those feelings".
"Have you experienced that?" Isabella asked, tilting her head.
"Yeah", Frank nodded. "Especially in middle school. Not as much in high school. In this academy, I have had a few good laughs".
"With Alexander?" Isabella raised a brow.
"Yeah", Frank said. "A few".
"I can't even imagine Alexander laughing", Luna said, her mind blanking thinking of that image.
"Same", Isabella added.
"He laughs a bit", Frank said with a smile. "It's not a laugh-out-loud laugh, but it's still a laugh".
"Has he ever laughed out loud?" Isabella asked.
Frank paused to think, "Twice".
"Twice?" Luna repeated, surprised.
"Yeah. But even then, I felt like he could've laughed more", Frank said.
There was a short silence after that. The conversation had to breathe a little.
"I just want some people to bring something out of him", Frank suddenly said, sounding like he really cared. "I don't want him to grow up and realise he should've had more fun and regret everything".
Luna watched as he was deep in thought. "You're looking out for him like you're his older brother".
Frank smirked faintly, "I don't need to act like his older brother. He's already got one".
"Oh yeah", Isabella said, snapping her fingers as she remembered. "Doesn't he hate his brother?".
"I wouldn't say hate", Frank replied carefully. "Just a bit disappointed", he said, looking down at the table.
He remembered all the times he had met Alexander's brother. It wasn't a lot, but the first conversation, which was also the last he had with him, stuck with him.
"What about you guys? We've talked too much about me", he asked, taking the conversation off of him. "Luna, how was your high school?".
"Normal", Luna shrugged, finishing the last bit of her juice. "No one from my high school came here".
"Was your hair this long in high school too?" Frank casually asked, always curious about her hair.
"A little shorter than this", Luna replied, brushing it behind her shoulders.
"Whoa. Have you ever cut your hair?" Frank asked.
"No", Luna replied, shaking her head, hair swaying slightly.
"She's scared to cut her hair", Isabella quickly said, with a teasing smirk.
"No I'm not", Luna refused just as quickly. "I feel most comfortable with my hair long".
"Would you ever cut it?" Frank asked. "Even a little?".
Luna hesitated. "Maybe a little", she half-heartedly replied, putting two fingers together.
"Maintaining that must be so much effort", Frank said, eyeing her hair, which looked silky as always.
"It is", Luna replied, running her fingers through it. "But it's worth it".
Frank got a little chill imagining the process. "I can't have long hair. I'm happy with my short hair", he said, brushing his hair down with his hand.
"Your hair suits you", Luna replied, looking at his hair. "I think if you decide to grow it out, it'll work too".
Frank shook his head immediately. "My hair has always been short", he said. "I'm not in the experimenting mood at the moment, so this is going to stay for a while".
"Why don't you dye your hair silver like me?" Isabella joked.
Luna covered her laugh with her hand, thinking about it.
Frank laughed, "Never".
6:34 PM
"Time for gym", Eric muttered to himself as he stepped out of his room, his water bottle in hand.
He walked into the kitchen area and headed straight to the sink to fill his bottle. He twisted the lid of his bottle and opened the faucet, filling it. Once it was filled, he noticed a few dirty dishes sat in the sink. He stared at them as they weren't his dishes.
"Whatever", he mumbled, reaching for the sponge.
He began washing them one by one. They weren't his, but he felt like he had to do them. It wasn't a thorough job, but it cleaned them. Luckily enough, the dishes weren't that dirty.
Two minutes later, he placed the last clean plate on the drying rack and grabbed a towel to dry his hands.
He put the towel back and turned to leave, ready for his gym session. Or he thought. His body stopped when he saw Sasha turning the corner, holding a dirty plate.
Sasha's expression mimiced his as she locked eyes with him. "H-hey", she awkwardly said.
"Hey", Eric awkwardly replied, his eyes frantically moving around after looking into her eyes once.
Sasha glanced at the rack of freshly cleaned dishes.
"You didn't need to wash the dishes. I was about to do them", Sasha sheepishly said, walking towards the kitchen. "The plates were mine after all", she continued, embarrassingly avoiding eye contact.
"It's cool", Eric replied, sounding calm, but nervous on the inside. "I felt like doing them".
"I don't usually leave dirty plates in the sink", Sasha said, still embarrassed, wanting to quickly clarify.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. I know", Eric replied, madly nodding, not wanting her to be embarrassed, despite being embarrassed himself.
"What now? What do I say?" he thought, not wanting a second of silence.
"Are you going to the gym?" Sasha asked, putting her plate in the sink, still not looking at him.
"Y-yeah", Eric replied, sounding unsure even though he was clearly going to the gym.
"Cool", Sasha said. She briefly glanced at him. "You look good".
Eric's mouth shut. His body malfunctioned for a quick sec. Leaving the silence to stretch uncomfortably longer than it should have.
"I meant that as a compliment. I wasn't trying to flirt", Sasha replied, turning to him, waving her hands like she said something she wasn't supposed to.
"Thanks. Thanks", Eric quickly said. "I-I didn't know how to respond to that".
Sasha winced slightly, "I made that awkward. Sorry about that".
Eric shifted his weight from one foot ot the other. He didn't know where to look.
"What do I even say. This is so awkward. This is the first time we've spoken like this since we broke up. The most we've said is 'hey'. Nothing comes after that", he thought, tightening his grip around his bottle. "I'll leave before she says anything else".
"I'm gonna go now", Eric slowly said, half turning.
"Eric... wait".
Eric's body instantly stopped and turned to her.
Sasha nervously made sure Eric was looking at her before she spoke.
"I just want to let you know, I'm not seeing anyone. And I'm not interested in anyone", Sasha said, a little quietly but loud enough for Eric to hear. She kept glancing from Eric to the floor, not having the confidence to lock eyes. "I didn't break up with you because of another person", her voice kept getting lower and lower the longer she talked. "I just had to let you know".
Eric took a moment to process that.
"A-um". That moment still wasn't enough for him to process. His mind was running too fast for his mouth.
"I more or less knew that from the beginning", he finally said. "I know you're not the type of person to cheat or anything like that, so don't worry about that". There was a little pause before he started again. "But we're not together anymore. You don't have to worry about me or what I think".
The two struggled to maintain eye contact. They both kept glancing at one another at random times, occasionally catching glimpses of each other's eyes.
Eric shrugged, "You can do whatever you want".
Sasha waited to see if he was going to add anything else. "I know", she said softly. "I wanted to get it off my chest, that's all".
Another awkward silence appeared.
Eric shifted, "I'm gonna go now", he said for the second time.
"Y-yeah", Sasha replied, not wanting to waste more of his time. "Bye".
Eric glanced at her one more time. Sasha's eyes were glued to the floor, so he didn't meet them. He silently turned and walked down the hallway towards the door.
"I'm so sorry Eric", Sasha thought, just about catching a glimpse as he turned the corner.
"I don't hate you. I want things to be normal between us. But asking to be friends is too selfish". She felt her chest tighten as she heard the door close. "I'm sorry I couldn't reciprocate your love. Love you as much as you loved me. I just couldn't do it... You looked much better than you ever did when you were with me", she tilted her head up to the ceiling to stop tears from falling.
"I wasn't good for you".