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 Posted: Thu May 12, 2022 9:02 pm
It was another normal Monday at school. Chad sat in the corner of the cafeteria with the last of his scavenged bagels from the week before. It was hard now, and had bits of mold that he was trying to pick off and convince himself it was okay to eat, but even if he was hungry, he wasn’t looking forward to it.
He wasn’t sitting by himself because he wanted to be away from people. He liked being able to talk to them and listen to their stories. But he hadn’t been able to take a proper shower since digging around in the dumpster. As punishment for getting dirty in the first place. He was glad he hid his bagels, because going without lunch was also part of his punishment.
Not that he didn’t try to get clean! He used soap from the bathroom to scrub at his arms and hands and face, but now his face felt icky and dry and almost worse than it did when he was covered in filth. He knew his clothes probably didn’t smell that great either.
So, like any other normal day at school, Chad kept to himself in the hopes of not giving people something else to pick on him about.
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2022 9:08 pm
Elliot had been sitting at his regular spot, a busy table with a bunch of overzealous kids. They were usually a boisterous group–sometimes too much for Elliot, even. It wasn’t uncommon for him to excuse himself, he often went to visit someone across the cafeteria or drop in elsewhere.
So, when he saw Chad all alone across the room, nobody batted an eye when he said he’d be back in a minute. He left most of his lunch at his seat but he closed up his lunch box and brought it with him as he wove around people.
“Chad,” he said brightly when he took a seat across from him. “There you are, I’ve been looking for you all day. You look like you’ve been through the wringer, bad Monday? Oh–I saved you a cupcake. And some pizza. You’re having bagels today? Plain?”
He gave him a look, but unzipped his lunchbox and pulled out a cupcake carefully packaged in a tupperware container and a piece of pizza in a bit of aluminum foil. “Well, they’re good bagels, but I have to have cream cheese on mine at least. I hope you’ve still got room for more?” he asked as he laid out what he’d brought over and slid them over to Chad.
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Posted: Thu May 12, 2022 9:12 pm
Chad nearly jumped a foot in the air when he heard his name and saw none other than Elliot Reid take a seat across from him. He gaped at him, eyes wide and startled, face immediately flushed.
What was he doing?? Why was he sitting across from him? Chad hoped that Elliot would just forget that he ever saw him.
His eyes felt wet even as he forced a bright smile, and he swallowed down the strange cascading of emotions.
Elliot noticed how he looked, which… wasn’t great. His short hair felt greasy, his face dry, his clothes stiff, and everything was itchy. But Elliot was also offering him pizza. And a cupcake that his dad made.
“Thank you so much. You didn’t have to save me anything, but thank you. That was really nice of you.” It certainly looked better than the bagel with half of the outer layer already peeled off. Which he quickly brushed off the table and into his own lap. He would just clean up later when Elliot wasn’t there.
“Oh… yes, I didn’t get a chance to… um, get any cream cheese, but I don’t mind!”
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 4:28 am
“There’s a lot of cream cheese in the frosting. If you really wanted, you might be able to use some of that? My dad’s got a really big sweet tooth, it’s got a lot of sugar in it. You probably don’t even need that much icing on top. It’s vanilla and raspberry. The pizza’s just cheese, I didn’t know if you’d like mushrooms or pepperoni or anything? But I figure, if you’re going to eat a pizza, it’ll always have cheese on it, so can’t go wrong there.”
He didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with the weird way that Chad was eating his bagel–maybe he was just a picky eater? He knew there were people who couldn’t eat a sandwich if it had the crust. And people who would eat the crust for them.
He had one father who was very particular with his food, and another father who would eat just about anything. So, they were a good match. He couldn’t figure Chad out yet, but he had only just met him.
“I thought I saw you at the game, I kept an eye out for you. But you weren’t there when it was over, so maybe you have a lookalike out there! We won,” he said, just in case Chad hadn’t been there to see it. “It was close, though. Could have gone either way right up until the end.”
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 5:51 am
He’d heard Elliot talk a lot before. Of course he had. He’d been to his debates. Hiding in the back of the room and trying not to look too interested. If anyone asked him what he was doing there (no one did) he was prepared to say how he was working on an assignment and his teacher was making him go or something that could have been very easily disproved.
But Elliot had never talked to him before. And Chad couldn’t help but stare at how blue his eyes were, and how dark and cloud-like his hair was. He had a strange urge to run his fingers through but -- oh, that would probably not be good.
“Oh,” he said, his smile still forcibly in place as he looked down at the cupcake. “Oh, I wouldn’t to-- um…” He didn’t want to put what was probably very good cream cheese frosting (what even was that?) on a crummy bagel. But he also didn’t want to offend Elliot by rejecting his suggestion.
So with great difficulty, Chad dug his fingers into the almost solid bagel, enough to rip a small piece of it off, and carefully scooped some of the frosting onto it. His heart was pounding so quickly that he couldn’t even enjoy the frosting -- no, it wasn’t that. It was the hardness of the bagel that made everything so disappointing.
“It’s really good! Good idea. Thank you,” he insisted as he covered his mouth as he gnawed on the piece of bagel. He just needed to chew on it for a bit and then maybe it would be small enough to swallow.
“You won? That’s great! I’m sorry I missed it.” He hadn’t. He knew that it was Elliot scooping up a grounded ball, which allowed them to make a double play at the end.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 6:02 am
Elliot laughed again and it was a friendly, pleasant sound. He seemed to want to share it with Chad, and he seemed like he was in a good mood. “That’s okay. I didn’t know you liked sports. I shouldn’t have judged you, I thought you were like, the mysterious artsy sort. I told you that icing was sweet! My dad keeps saying he’s going to make orange creamsicle cupcakes next, do you want to try one of those, too? Well, if he makes them. I might be having raspberry cupcakes for the rest of my life with how much he loves making them. They are his best. Except for the three inches of icing on top.”
But, he smiled anyway and seemed like he was in a good mood about it even if he was teasing. He unscrewed his water bottle and took a few swigs. “Do you play any sports, Chad? Nobody seems to know anything about you. Are you in any clubs or anything?”
Because, when he couldn’t find Chad, of course he’d wound up asking. Maybe he was too obvious about his curiosity, but meeting him the other day was like finding out that he practically lived next door. How could he not know him! How could anyone not know him?
What they did have to say wasn’t very nice, either, so it wasn’t like Elliot could even trust that they knew what they were talking about. He’d just have to go to Chad and ask him directly.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 10:56 am
Was it possible to fall in love with someone’s laughter? Not that he was in love with Elliot! That was a little too stalkerish, right?? He just admired him, and had a crush on him for years, and that was completely normal except for the fact that they were both boys, and he’d been told all his life that that was wrong.
“That does sound very good. He sounds like a really great dad,” Chad smiled, forcing himself to sit up straight even when he just wanted to slide under the table and disappear. He was glad he hadn’t had much to eat yet, because he might have thrown it up from nervousness.
“Oh-- I mean, yeah. Of course I like sports! They’re great,” he insisted, because what if Elliot found out that he did like art. And mysterious?? Did Elliot really think he was mysterious? Was that a good or bad thing?
“I mean, I’m not very good at sports, but. My dad, uh… I watch games with him sometimes.” There seemed to be a little more there than just watching sports together, but Chad distracted himself by hesitantly reaching for the pizza. Normally he would have waited until Elliot left and then would have squirreled it away for when he was hungry later, but he was hungry now, and couldn’t resist taking a bite. He didn’t care if it was just cheese. Anything was better than his stupid bagel.
“My dad doesn’t like me to be in any kind of clubs. He’s… I guess… protective.” It was a horrible word for it. His dad was not a very protective type in the sense of taking care of him, but… more like possessive. Controlling. Not that Elliot needed to know that. And he wouldn’t say anything like that out loud.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 11:04 am
Elliot nodded in what seemed to be an understanding fashion. “Oh, yeah. My parents are kind of protective too. My dad covers his eyes any time someone hits a ball in my direction. But my parents are also both teachers, so it’s kinda better if I’m in a club or something I can do after school. It means they can finish up what they have to do and I’ve got somewhere to be where they don’t have to worry about me. We have games at the park, not a real team or anything, just for fun. If you ever want to play, you should come by. You don’t have to be good. And we play different things all the time. I’m not good at basketball. Or volleyball. Maybe after I hit my growth spurt or something.”
He shrugged and shifted positions so he was sitting on his ankle. “Anyway, no pressure to play if you just like to watch. Just wanted to make sure you knew you were invited. I am a little competitive, so I’m not always the most fun to play with if we’re on opposing teams. I really like to win.”
He shrugged and glanced back at his table, but everyone still seemed like they were having their own conversations without missing him too much, so he made himself a little more comfortable and smiled again at Chad when he turned back to face him.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 11:30 am
Was Elliot really inviting him to play with him after school? Being able to spend time with him seemed like a dream come true. He also couldn’t help but smile a little at the thought of Elliot getting a growth spurt. Right now he was a little shorter than Chad, it seemed. And yet --
Chad followed Elliot’s glance to his other table with his friends, and Chad felt himself deflate a little as he remembered the reality of things.
“Thank you. That’s very kind of you to offer. I don’t want to cause you any problems, though. You don’t have to stay over here with me. I don’t want people thinking we’re friends.”
Wait, that didn’t come out right.
Chad felt his face flush as he quickly shook his head to try and explain himself. “I don’t want people treating you differently because they see you with me. It’s okay! You’ve been very nice to me and I really appreciate the food. But.”
No one wanted to hang out with a kid who looks like they hadn’t showered in days, or didn’t have good hygiene, or were always doing weird things like climbing under bleachers and picking up discarded food. Oh… what if he smelled bad and Elliot noticed? He was pretty sure there wasn’t enough soup in the bathroom to help.
His eyes felt hot again, but he laughed and smiled at Elliot before ducking his head in shame. Maybe if he hid, then no one would realize Elliot was sitting with him and could possibly ruin his reputation.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 11:42 am
At first, and very briefly, Elliot was flustered when Chad said he didn’t want people thinking they were friends. He took it very much the wrong way and thought Chad was saying he didn’t want Elliot around, but it clicked into place quickly afterwards that he was worried about Elliot and his expression changed.
“Oh.”
His expression settled a bit, but his lips remained pursed and his brows furrowed just slightly.
“Well, I’m not worried about that. Nobody’s going to treat me differently for anything.”
Did people do that? His friends weren’t so petty. They were always nice to him.
“Anyway, we are friends, so if people think that, good. They got the right idea.”
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 4:39 pm
It was no secret that Elliot was incredibly nice to everyone. He was a good sport, even if he liked being competitive, and was an incredible debater. People still liked him even if he got into arguments with them. Well, debate was a predetermined argument, so it probably didn’t really count.
But for Elliot to say that they were friends, even though Elliot barely even knew him…? Chad felt as though his heart was surely going to burst. He felt happy at the same time he felt incredibly nervous. How could anyone just decide to be friends with him?
Chad shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and tugged anxiously at the fabric of his clothes because he didn’t know what else to do with his hands. He didn’t want to get his hopes up. He wasn’t usually so lucky -- and what if Elliot finds out how weird he was and decides that they actually shouldn’t be friends?
He was desperately trying to hold the tears back, and he rubbed at his eyes a couple times before burying his face against his palms. Not only was he overwhelmed by how nice Elliot was, but he also didn’t want to make a scene. Should he leave? Would that make it more obvious that he was crying? Maybe he could just take some deep breaths and-- maybe Elliot will decide now that he wasn’t actually worthy of being his friend.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 4:54 pm
Chad must have been having a really bad Monday. He looked miserable, and Elliot was pretty sure that the pizza and cupcakes weren’t so horrible that it was worth upsetting someone. Well–no, they were good. And Elliot was pretty sure he hadn’t said anything horrible!
“Do you want me to go get you a bottle of water or something? I can give you a minute to finish this up. We’ve only got like, what, seven minutes of lunch? You can keep the tupperware for the cupcake if you want to finish it later, or just give it back when I see you again? It’s no big deal.”
He shifted positions again and propped his elbows on the table so he could just slightly lean forward a bit more. “Unless I’m bothering you! I mean, I just sort of assumed we were friends now. If you don’t want me hanging around during school, maybe we could hang out after school sometime? Oh, but your dad is protective. Well–no pressure. Sorry, I talk a lot.” Probably should give him a minute to answer, he didn't want him to feel like he was benign rushed.
Elliot just didn’t want to let any weird silence settle in; he got the impression that if something got awkward, Chad might bolt.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 5:10 pm
Oh, was lunch time almost over already? It felt like it only just started. Oh, but Chad had spent most of it picking gross spots off his bagel. He hadn’t expected Elliot to come over and talk to him, much less give him food, or tell him that he decided they were friends.
This probably meant that Chad would have to find somewhere else to sit, if only to make sure Elliot didn’t get associated with him. And he didn’t want to sit around Elliot’s friends, because he didn’t want anyone to have to deal with how gross he was.
But he was afraid if he said anything that he would just start sobbing, and he really didn’t want to do that in the middle of lunch! Or end of lunch. So he tried shaking his head when Elliot suggested he might have been bothering him.
He took a deep breath and held it for a few moments, rubbed his eyes again, and made himself smile as he looked up at Elliot once more. “Thank you. I can take the cupcake now. That way you don’t have to worry about missing the tupperware!” he explained. And if Elliot decided to not be around him, then he wouldn’t have to worry about being awkward when giving it back.
Carefully, Chad reached into the container to pick up the cupcake. His stomach was still grumbling and empty, but he could save the rest of the pizza for later at least. He just needed to wrap it back up. The cupcake was definitely worth eating now.
“It’s okay, but thank you. You don’t have to get me anything. We should probably get ready to go back to class, anyway! Thank you for the cupcake and pizza, Elliot. And please thank your dad for making them?”
If he could escape, he could maybe cry in the bathroom a bit before class started.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 5:28 pm
Elliot lingered for a moment, but in the end he just smiled. “All right, I’ll tell him. I guess I’ll head back to my table and pack up my lunch, I sort of left a mess over there.”
He zipped up his lunchbox and glanced back at the table.
He didn’t really want to go back, but he had the distinct impression that he’d startled Chad and he remembered that in third grade that he’d been too enthusiastic about meeting the class pet and his teacher had told him, ‘If you want him to come out you have to be gentle and let him come to you’.
Chad was not a hamster, but he seemed spooked. Cute! Sweet! But ready to bolt.
The teacher had also said that the best way to win over small animals was to give them treats. So, maybe he’d bring some more tomorrow, too.
Wait, no–Chad wasn’t a hamster.
…
It didn’t matter, he was going to bring something else tomorrow, too. Maybe another cupcake, there were still half a dozen and he couldn’t eat any more.
“You have a really nice smile, Chad. I’ll see you later, okay?”
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2022 5:40 pm
Chad smiled as Elliot picked up his things, but couldn’t stop his cheeks from once again flushing when Elliot complimented his smile.
He had imagined talking to Elliot, of course. They had all been nice, pleasant conversations. Maybe talking about how Elliot noticed him watching his games, or maybe Elliot being impressed by the things Chad made, or maybe Elliot not knowing how to solve an answer for something and asking Chad who would somehow have an answer that Elliot hadn’t thought of before and would be incredibly grateful.
But those were all just fantasies. Reality wasn’t as rosey tinted as his daydreams were. Instead, he was worried that he not only made a bad impression, but that Chad was going to think he was weird.
He lifted a hand to wave goodbye to Elliot, but as soon as he was back with his friends, Chad, gathered up his things and quickly escaped.
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