Return to the cafeteria.

My problem with the cafeteria was simple: all tables were in use. Oh, there were empty seats alright. Plenty of them. The problem was that there were never any empty TABLES. Even the few times I managed to get one for myself and thought I’d be safe, some other student would come and sit with me because they simply needed a seat.

‘Oh, but it was a good opportunity to socialize and make friends!’ you might say. And yes, you’d be correct. But the two times I tried, I stumbled over my words so hard that both times the other person moved to another table. I started to avoid the cafeteria entirely after that, mostly out of shame.

Now, three years later, I was stepping into it again, accompanied by Mila, Grace and Sarah. That should be proof enough that things weren’t the same as before.

The cafeteria was a single, large room on the first floor, at the very back of the main building. It had white tiled floor and a high roof that made me think that at one point it was going to be either a gym or an auditorium. Tables for six people were stacked together by threes and in many rows.

The girls and I always brought our own lunches, so we went directly to an open table. And as soon as we were settled, two more people joined us without warning.

“My, my. This is a rare sight,” said Lena, our classmate. She was smiling and clearly in a good mood. “We never see you in the cafeteria. To what do we owe the honor?”

“Yeah, what brings you here to eat with us lowly, cafeteria food eating peasants?” Kevin joked.

“A change of pace,” Grace said easily.

“Where do you guys usually have lunch, anyway?” Kevin asked.

I was glad. At this table for six, I was sitting at the very edge, and the rest of the seats were filled with people I knew. They were asking some harmless questions that were difficult to answer, but fortunately, my good friend Thomas gave me ammo for a misdirection shot that very morning.

I stared intently at Kevin, just long enough to make him a little uncomfortable, and the tall guy blinked at me.

“W-What?”

“Did Thomas find you?” I asked him. Kevin flinched and hung his head in shame. “So he did.”

“What? What happened?” Lena asked, looking from me to her ashamed boyfriend.

“You don’t know?”

“Know what? What happened?” Lena asked again. My girlfriends also seemed to be growing curious.

I grimaced. “It’s not for me to say.”

“Kevin?” Lena’s tone was close to that of a mother who was ready to give you a good scolding if she didn’t like what she heard.

“R-Remember last Thursday when we went to see a movie?” Kevin started, grinning nervously and rubbing the back of his neck.

Lena raised an eyebrow. “Yes. You said basketball practice had been canceled.”

“Well…”

“You skipped!” Sarah said in an accusatory tone.

“Kevin!” Lena did sound like a mother scolding you. Huh.

“Hm? So he skipped once,” Mila said. “What’s the big deal?”

“The basketball club is probably one of the most serious clubs in school, along with the tennis and drama clubs,” Grace explained. “The basketball club always goes to regional and sometimes even national tournaments.”

“Skipping a practice day is a huge waste for a team that wants to stay competitive at the higher levels,” Sarah added.

“Thomas already chewed me out,” Kevin said, dragging his hand down his face. Lena looked disappointed.

“You’re a starter on the team, aren’t you?” I asked him.

“Yeah…”

“And you want to get replaced?” It was his girlfriend who asked him. “Do you want the coach to see that you’re not putting in the effort and choose someone else for your position next tournament?”

“N-No! Of course not!”

“Then why’d you skip?”

“You said that Thursday was the last day they’d be showing that movie you wanted to see! I figured if it was just one day…”

“I don’t care, Kevin,” Lena said, now softly, smiling. “A stupid movie is not more important than your own priorities. We can always go on a date when we’re both free, but I don’t want you to skip on your own responsibilities.”

Kevin grimaced, now looking more ashamed than before. In contrast, I smiled.

“You guys make a nice couple.” It was a comment that simply came out of me while I started to dig into my lunch, but it made Lena and Kevin blush madly.

“S-S-Sorry! We shouldn’t be talking about this stuff here, ahaha!” Lena laughed awkwardly, making her friends burst out laughing.

“He’s right. You guys are cute,” Mila said.

“Be careful you’re not too caught up with each other that you forget to study for midterms,” Grace warned.

“Or that you forget your friends,” Sarah added, grinning teasingly at Lena. “Amanda was complaining the other day that you canceled plans with her to go out with Mr. Boyfriend here.”

It was Lena’s turn to look down in shame. “That was… It’s not the same!”

“If you guys get together to study, make sure you ACTUALLY study,” Grace teased. “Or else I’m gonna have to step in.”

“Grace, come on!” Lena moaned, face red as a tomato.

Mila smirked. “Oooh, that face says some things…”

I started to feel bad for them. The girls would be merciless when the teasing bug got inside them. Besides, Kevin knew about us. The last thing we needed was him asking dangerous questions to get back at us, so I changed the topic.

“Speaking of studying, how are your grades, Kevin?”

“Mine? I guess I’m alright. I have passing grades.”

“The minimum passing grades,” Lena said. “You do need to study more.”

Both seemed to relax as the topic changed, and my girlfriends got into it as well.

Lunch was lively. Livelier than it ever had been for more. Lunch with just the girls was fun and full of laughter, but calm and relaxing, in a way. This was hectic, we had to talk loudly so we could be heard over the general noise of the cafeteria, and at times everyone was fighting to get a word in. Everyone but me. I was happy just to watch, ask questions, and listen.

It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it’d be.

Maybe people were right, and I did over exaggerate the possible… unpleasantness of certain situations. Or maybe it was more proof that I was changing. Whatever the case, it was a confidence boost.