The cafeteria courtyard was spacious and beautiful. Flowering bushes guarded the perimeter, politely reminding students of their limits. Within the large outlined area were a number of metal picnic benches to eat at, with either a huge umbrella overhead or a shady tree nearby. Most students preferred to eat on a low balcony area, which was attached to the cafeteria's outside wall and provided ample space for eating.
I ended up on the very edge of that floral perimeter. The boy unfolded a pink picnic blanket and laid it under a large tree. The perimeter bushes brushed against our backs and blocked the sun when we sat down. It was as if we had found a quiet cove in an otherwise chaotic sea of high schoolers. Even the cafeteria noise was as soft as ocean waves from this distance. For the first time, I felt at peace during the lunch hour. No wonder he had wanted for us to sit here.
I was still admiring our beautiful surroundings when he took out his lunch box and began dividing its contents. If I had been paying better attention, I probably would have noticed that the food was very strange. He had only two juice boxes for himself and some jello. The only actual food was a sandwich and side salad, which he gave entirely to me. He even divided the cutlery: I got the fork, while he opted to eat with just a spoon.
Without hesitation, I took a big bite of the sandwich. It was obnoxiously good. I would even go as far as calling it gourmet. But as long as I got to eat this great food, I wouldn't complain about how stupidly perfect he was. I would only think it to myself.
"Thanks for joining me, Ophelia." He said, his sweet voice a harsh contrast my bitter thoughts, "To be honest, I've always thought about trying to talk to you. You just seem so scary."
"I-I'm not scary." I lifted my fork and waved it like a finger, "I'm just not very good at talking to people."
"Heh. I can see that." Don't agree with me!
"But you've always been so kind." He said. Once again reassuring me that at least his list of unfair talents doesn't include reading peoples' minds. Otherwise, he would not have called me and my thoughts 'kind.'
He went on to say something even weird. "You probably don't remember saving my life, do you?"
"I what?" It was impossible to hide my skepticism. I even worried that there had been some confusion. He must have confused me for another brunette in our class.
"It's okay if you forgot." He chuckled softly, "We were at the vending machine at the same time, and you bought the last orange juice. When you saw that I couldn't get one too, you graciously gave me your juice instead."
The way that he sighed contently, as if that were a pleasant memory, made me worry for his priorities. Was orange juice really that important to him? Was that all I was going to know about him? Not his name, not his hobbies… Just that he liked orange juice?
"I don't think that is dramatic enough to warrant a label like 'saved your life.'" I blurted, "Besides. I'll bet that I asked you to trade me a cola for the juice, right?"
"Yes! You did!" He gasped in shock, "So you DO remember!"
No, I didn't. I just know that I'm a selfish and greedy person. Buying orange juice was a way to pretend I was responsible, but I would have preferred a fizzy cola. I bet that I jumped at the chance to pretend I was doing a good deed by taking the unhealthy option. I wasn't thinking about saving him at that time. I had only been thinking about myself.
He looked excited about me remembering, so I didn't say anything. I tried to smile at him. When the smile felt fake, I decided to shove the sandwich into my mouth to hide my bad acting skills. The orange juice fiend didn't question me. I wish that he had. If both of us had higher observation skills, maybe we could have been spared our present heartache.
Instead, like a happy idiot, he continued with his weird story.
"You see, I hadn't been drinking enough blood that month. I really needed any form of plasma, or I bet I'd have actually died!" The strange boy laughed, "And even though you'd figured out I was a vampire, you kept my secret. I've really appreciated it."
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I what?