Chapter 15
Nicolas stared at Zachary when he heavily plopped himself on a seat on his righthand side. He looked drained as all get out, had faint cuts on his face and bandages scattered across his hand. Azure was also staring at her brother with worriment, void of words and in abundance of guilt as Nicolas could tell by her face. Zachary put on a dumb smile, "What, aren't you glad I'm back?" he asked playfully before he leaned over closer to them. He made hand movements that mimicked a quacking duck, signifying a talkative fellow.
"He tried talking my ear off," he expressed, now exaggerating his facial expressions. "When that didn't work, he made me run! Run several miles, without stopping, without water, all around the campus. I could have fallen out, he would have been in big trouble, but he didn't care." He stopped when a lady came over to their table.
He laid back a little more in his chair, having a spaced out look. The woman looked like a waiter, as Nicolas thought correctly when she asked them their order in a moment's time. She seemed at least remotely content with life, not really giving a happy air but still not despondent. Azure gave an order of salad and a generous amount of lasagna that the three of them could split. Zachary wearily told the waiter to get him a burger and fries, ignoring Azure's scowl.
When it was Nicolas's turn, he didn't want to be bothered with it, asking her to give him the finest thing on the menu. She turned around, walked off, and whispered something to an off-standing chef. The chef nodded and then went back through a door which Nicolas thought led to the kitchen. Azure waited until the waiter was out of an earshot to lecture Zachary about his food choices.
"Could you be anymore unhealthy?" She rebuked, then switched to telling off a list of her worries about him. Nicolas tuned her out, glancing over to another table that housed Benjamin, the grinning, mischievous boy who was cackling along with his friends, probably about something delinquent. Benjamin spotted his unapologetic glare, making him turn away within a second. He could hear footsteps coming from that side.
There he was, the guy himself, standing over Nicolas like a trying authority figure ready to instigate. Nicolas slowly upturned his eyes, peering into Benjamin's irksome gaze. The Abbycats had gone silent, so as not to interrupt this heavy game of a staring contest.
"Do you have an issue with me?" He queried somberly. Nicolas scoffed, reaching over to take his glass of water and drinking it before replying. "No," he said when he finished, "I just have a problem with the obvious ones." Benjamin squinted his bronze-colored eyes before breaking out into another Cheshire grin. "Obvious, huh? I don't think you know what you're talking about, bud. Everyone thinks I'm trouble by getting an ear of my status. I'm just here to get my education like everyone here, is that so much to ask?" He looked back at his gang, who shook their heads and tried to contain their giggles.
Benjamin looked back at Nicolas, who still wasn't buying this "flawless" facade. Still trying to convince him, he stuck his hand out in fellowship, visibly expecting Nicolas to take it. "I want to be allies, not enemies. On behalf of our fathers, I suggest we be good friends."
It sparked Nicolas's interest to hear of his father. He didn't entirely resent him, for indeed, he idolized him for all of his life. Hearing him referenced was equivalent to hearing your father's mention as a king; such nobility and respect upon a person's parent can boost one's ego.
He smirked, pondering on the fact that maybe he was only jumping to conclusions about this kid. If he was, in fact, a mischievous goblin with nefarious intentions, Nicolas thought it would be better to be on that side of the court than the opposing one. He went and clasped Benjamin's hand, shaking it strongly. In turn, the boy smiled at him. "I knew you'd come around," he said, "I think we see more eye to eye than others. I could sense your equal genius when I talked to you our first class." He softly spun to the other direction and made off back to his table.
Nicolas turned back to see the Abbycats' wide-eyed faces. "What?" he asked, irked. Zachary turned down his eyebrows, clenching his white-wrapped fist. "You were approached by the richest kid here, and he wants to be your friend... Do you have any idea how lucky you are?" he asked, practically whispering. Nicolas narrowed his eyes, causing Zachary to audibly sigh. "It takes a lot for him to respect another person. You must be really important for him to do that. He has a high name here, so he can't just hang out with anyone."
The waiter came swiftly with their plates filled with delicious aliments. Azure thanked the waiter profusely, immediately digging in. Zachary picked his burger up and sinked his teeth into it, making satisfied noises as he chewed. Nicolas saw his plate, which had lasagna in one corner, spaghetti and meatballs in the other, and a generous amount of chicken parmesan pieces in the bottom half, accompanied with pasta alfredo.
He didn't understand how hungry he was until the wind collected the mouthwatering aroma of the food and gracefully entered his nose, sending him to some sort of appetizing nirvana. He asked the waiter was this meal was called, to which she replied, "The Italian Special."
Nicolas laughed to himself, now having no doubt as to why it was so enjoyable. It was a feast that would please his Latin heritage, knowing that he shared his ancestors' tastes. He took a short bite of the chicken parmesan, absolutely loving every second of it.
It seemed that he always found his way back into tranquility.
End of Chapter
Ah, so, this took 2 days to make x3
Hope you enjoyed,
Love ya'll,
nobodyimportant out—
