Alan was done with his new school, he hated the classes, he hated the people, and he hated the homework. Nothing but hate for his new everyday life could be expressed by him, not even if he tried. Alan waited at the end of the curb in front of the school, playing back lunch like a small movie in his head. Every time he remembered it, he mentally cringed as he laughed without ever laughing.
Lunch was after the class he had with Cody, making the bell a great time to escape Cody's sight and bolted away into the flood of students. Alan thought he was in the clear, away from Cody's weird behavior and odd questions, but he was wrong. Alan began to think that Cody had the sense of a dog as he appeared next to Alan like they were just walking together.
"You escaped me." Cody laughed as he placed his arm over Alan's shoulder.
"I just wanted to see what was for lunch." Alan didn't want to befriend Cody but didn't want a new enemy either. "I got swept away with the crowd I guess."
"I guess that happens being new and all." Cody pulled Alan through the crowd of overly loud teens, making Alan cringe at the overload to his brain.
"I actually have to go to the bathroom." Alan slipped away as fast as he could, placing both of his hands over his ears as he began to shove his way through the crowd in panic. He remembered this area of the school, lockers filled most of it before it led to a dead end, right before the ending wall were the bathrooms. Alan made a B-line towards the men's as he felt the day weigh on him by feeling like bricks in his stomach, making him want to vomit where he stands. "Excuse me," Alan pushed past someone standing in front of the mirrors, blocking Alan from the bathrooms. He wanted to go to the big stall but Alan felt time slipping away as he took a sharp turn into one of the smaller ones and vomited into the toilet. His fast movement caused his heavy backpack to weigh down on his upper body, unbalancing his knees as they buckled under him. He felt the world spin as he clutched the seat of the somewhat clean bathrooms, all he wanted to do was sleep but what he felt was far from it. The urge to melt away as he gasped for air before leaning over the toilet again, his throat was burning as he gagged more than he puked. Alan thought he might be doing this for the rest of the lunchtime just because of extreme anxiety he felt in the hallway. He should have seen it coming and should have been prepared, but he never was.
"You okay, Alan?" Alan felt a large present behind him as he glanced behind him, Branden and Anthony stood in front of the stall entrance as they looked down at the sick boy. "Did Cody scare you that much?" Brendon smiled widely, unaffected by the intense urge to vomit. Anthony however, was severely infected. Even with his shirt over his nose, the smell and seeing Alan puking only pushed him over the edge as he too bolted into another stall and vomited.
"No dawg, this was not how I wanted to spend my lunch period." Cried Anthony from the next stall over. Another wave washed over Alan as he listened to Anthony puking, knowing full well they would be going back and forth until one of them had nothing else to puke.
"Should I get a nurse?" Brendon questioned as he backed away, scared he would start to puke.
"Yes."
"No." The bathroom went silent as both Anthony and Alan paused at each other's response to Brendon's question. "I don't need one, I'll be fine in a minute." Alan excused himself from needing the school nurse, refusing the check up she would want to do.
"I guess I don't need her either." Anthony sighed as he flushed the toilet and slowly walked out like an injured man, his eyes were red and glossy as if he was deprived or high. "I think I will survive if Alan doesn't puke again." Alan slightly chuckled as he too flushed before using the walls to stand before he walked past Brendon towards the sink. "Why were you puking?" Anthony only needed to take two steps towards the sink to get there, his legs were so long, Alan had to fight the constant urge to call him spider or even worse; Daddy Long Legs. If Pipe was there, he would have already called Anthony when they first met.
"I was feeling sick in class," Alan lied, daring not to say the truth in fear of getting bullied. "Then in the hallway I smelled something that was the last straw for my stomach.
"Yeah, that's understandable." Brendon sighed as he rubbed his nose on instinct. "There are always weird uncomfortable smells in the halls-" Brendon almost looked traumatized as he spoke, like a flashback was playing in his head.
"Are you okay, Mate?" Alan question as he looked at the traumatized Brendon.
"Let's just go to lunch, yeah?" His eyes were large as he began to walk out of the bathroom. After Anthony got his bearings back, he no longer could control his laughter as he too followed Brendon. Alan felt better, almost lighter physically. He had no reason to not follow the two boys to lunch, so he too gathered himself mentally and began to follow.
By the time they got to lunch, all tables were full of chatting and or sleeping teens as they headed towards the counter that was filled with trays of food.
"It's a mini prison full of not so good." Anthony hummed as he stepped in toe with Alan. "They lore parents in by a great looking building but then they starve the kids thinking this is the way of the future."
"Starve?" Alan questioned.
"The food is so bad, you think you were puking in the bathroom today? Well that's like a small smack rather than the punch the food gives you." Brendon was the one to speak up as he grabbed a tray of food like a routine. Alan followed, grabbing the red plastic tray while following Brendon. He looked down at his food, a mixer of pasty white gope and a slab of what Alan could only hope was chicken was on his plate. Alan began to think, maybe he would just be having chocolate milk for lunch today, but vivid memories of the thick chocolate milk that came out like slimy putty, bouncing on his plate and still holding form. That memory harassed him from 3rd grade till now.
"This might actually make me puke again." Alan was talking to himself, but it was aloud enough to get a laugh from Anthony and Brendon.
"I promise, it will get better. sometimes." A new voice arose behind Alan, signaling that Max was back. "Welcome to prison Compañeros de clase." Spanish flew out of Max's mouth like an AK 47 with an itchy finger holding the trigger.
"Really, Spanish?" MayMay walked in toe with Max as they held their trays of unrecognizable food.
"Yes, Spanish. Why not?" Max sassed back to MayMay. Alan glanced back, wanting to walk with Max and MayMay rather than Anthony and Brendon. He was friends with all of them, but he felt he had a better bond with Max rather than the guy he was vomiting with. And MayMay, he wanted to know her, and the only way to do that was to walk with Max.
"Because half of us failed Spanish class, the other half is still failing as we speak. So, no to the Spanish. Only ingles."
"Why is it not fair that I speak Spanish but you can say 'English' in Spanish?" Max mouthed off.
"I said no to the Mexican speaking Spanish, not to the people who failed Spanish." MayMay spoke like it wasn't a joke, but the way her eyes glistened with the slight smirk made it all funnier as Max became furious in a joking manner.
The five of them piled into one of the further back seats as conversation from both sides erupted. Alan didn't want to intrude, so he sat on the side, leaving an empty spot where White sat minutes later. They didn't speak, but White kept glancing back at him as time passed.
"You shouldn't like her." White wasn't loud, but he was firm.
"Excuse me?" Alan questioned as he turned towards White. "Who are you talking about?"
"MayMay." White chirped as he stabbed at the chicken violently. "Every guy likes her, but she doesn't play on the same level as them. She's a heartbreaker in the flesh, and if you keep it up, you're gonna be next." White spoke like he had said this a thousand times, almost enjoying it a bit.
"Okay, thanks I guess." Alan felt awkward now, extreme blush covering his face like he was sick again.
After the lunch period ended, Alan had two more classes before he ended up standing at the curb he was at now, waiting for a late Charlies to pick him up. 30 minutes passed, cars came and went. By 4:45 P.M. Alan began to get anxiety waves as he stared down at Charlie's messages and or the lack of messages.
"What are you doing here?" Alan looked up to see MayMay staring down at him as he sat curbside.
"My ride is late, what are you doing here?" Alan questioned back. MayMay looked at him with a stone face before sitting down next to him and staring further down the road.
"My ride doesn't leave until 5:30." She said as she glanced at Alan.
"What do you do until then?" Alan questioned as he rested his arms on his knees.
"I guess wait here until your ride gets here." A slight smile grazed her face as she stared at the cloudy sky, dreaming of unspeakable things. Alan didn't respond, only followed her gaze as he waited next to her. A bond was forming, but it couldn't be explained just yet. The only thing Alan could describe it as, was peace.