Where is Zachary?
Where can I find him?
I asked myself as I got out of the class room. I brought my phone out from my front pocket, intent on calling him and finding out where he was.
"Hey Zachary, where are you?" I asked immediately he answered the call.
"I was just about to call you—" he replied and I rolled my eyes.
"So where are you?" I didn't even allow him to finish what he was saying before I asked the next question. I was anxious already. I felt awkward standing here by myself and I could see that people were staring at me.
Perhaps my voice was a bit too loud?
"I'm on my way to your class right now." He replied.
I instantly sighed out in relief, knowing that he was coming to me and I didn't have to go around looking for him. "Anyway, I'm waiting for you so that we can have lunch together, but you don't need to come to my class because I already left. I'm standing right—"
"No need, I can see you already." he said.
I turned left hoping to see him, but when I didn't, I turned to my right, yet I still didn't see him. "But I can't see you." I complained.
"Just look straight ahead. Same direction, remember?" I could hear a laughter in his voice. He was teasing me. Just then, I saw him walking towards me.
A huge smile split my face and the moment his eyes met mine, he quickened his steps. "I see you."
"Hey. How have you been so far? How was your first class?" He asked, wrapping his arms around me in a quick hug.
"It was alright, I guess. Not that bad for a first day." I shrugged. "I'm really hungry now though, you know we had a really light breakfast."
"Oh, yeah, that's right. Let's go to the cafeteria, then." He slipped his hands into mine, looping our hands together as we walked to the cafeteria.
There were a lot of people at the cafeteria, but what bad I been expecting? It was a huge school with a lot of students, and it was lunch time. Of course, the cafeteria would be filled up.
"I really do not feel comfortable with this much people around." I told Zachary, staring unsurely at the students miling around.
"Don't worry, I'm here." Zachary assured me with a smile on his face to soothe my nerves. He knew how I felt about people.
Being the only child of my parents, I was used to being alone and not having much people around. Zachary had been my only friend before we started to have feelings for each other recently and he asked me out. We had started dating three months ago, but I had been friends with him my whole life, so I was really comfortable around him.
"Let's sit over there." Zachary pointed at a set of chairs and an empty table, which was highly prefeerable and what I would have wanted because the lesser people the better.
"What would you like to eat?" He asked.
"I want two slices of pizza and a bottle of soda." I smiled sweetly at him.
He tsked. "You know your mom doesn't like you eating junks, Ariana. Let's get real food."
"She's not here, is she? Besides, that's what I want to eat." I said in a small voice, trying to convince him.
"You know, you're really cute. " He squeezed my cheeks lightly, and I knew that I had won him over at last. "Okay then, we are having pizza just this this once."
It wasn't like I couldn't eat what I want. It's just that Zachary took good care of me and over time, I had come to rely on him. Maybe even too much.
I had a really bad tooth ache last month because I ate too much junks and when my mom had taken me to the dentist, he warned me against them and ever since then, my mom and Zachary had been extra careful over them. So, I was glad that he had agreed to let me have them.
"I'll be right back." He said and rose up, giving me a kiss on my head before walking away.
"Try to hurry up!" I called after him.
"I will!" He called back.
Why his he taking so long?, I grumbled, my eyes wandering the huge hall, hoping to see a trace of him. He had been away for like five minutes now and I was starting to become impatient.
Thinking about it now, maybe I should have went with him. I felt awkward as hell sitting here all alone. Also, I could feel eyes on me. Okay, maybe they weren't staring at me, but I definitely didn't feel comfortable sitting here idle.
"Hi, can I sit here?" I looked up when I heard the somewhat familiar voice. It was Ugly Betty. I mean, that wasn't her name, but I was going to stick to that until I found out.
"Why would you want to sit here?" I asked, feeling feeling a little bit irritated.
She seemed to hesitate before speaking. "I... thought since you are alone here, maybe I could sit with you and keep you company."
I hoped that I wasn't being too mean, not like I cared anyway, but I just didn't want anyone crying because of me.
"I'm sorry, but you can't sit here. And I'm not alone. Zachary is here with me actually." I told her, pushing on even when her face fell. "He left a few minutes ago to go get lunch for the both of us." I added a smile for her benefit.
"Who is Zachary?" She asked.
"He's my boyfriend"
"That's okay, I guess." She shrugged. "At least, now I know you're not alone."
I nodded. Then just before she left, she said, "My name is Victoria."
"Nice to meet you, Victoria." I waved.
So her name was Victoria. It was a really pretty name, but I didn't think it suited her much seeing that she was anything but that. But then again, at least now I knew her name and could stop referring to her as Ugly Betty.