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The Alton School boys who had girlfriends at Aster School practically clocked in at the cafeteria every single day.
Hunter also ate lunch here on the days he had this class. His logic was simple: he was hungry, and to get to the Alton cafeteria, he would have to walk across the street and climb up to the fourth floor, so he might as well eat somewhere close.
The Alton School cafeteria, where students flocked in to fill their bellies and then flocked out again, was a simple space with rows of rectangular tables and no particular decoration.
In contrast, the Aster School cafeteria felt cute and bright, with various types of tables placed freely and walls decorated with potted plants, paintings, and photographs.
It had everything: from mini tables for two, to tables for four, round party tables, bench-style seating along the windows and walls, and long communal tables.
[Peyton told me that the 12th-grade seniors sit at the window bench tables, 11th-grade juniors at the wall benches, 10th graders at the center tables near the salad bar, and 9th graders at the tables around them. Apparently, that's the tradition, and if you don't follow it, they give you a fucking hard time. Aster is way stricter than Alton.]
Jason Richter babbled the things he had heard from his girlfriend, his shoulders shrugging.
Every school had its own hierarchy based on custom. Aster School was famous for being even stricter than Alton School in that regard.
At Alton School, the pecking order had long been decided in the barbaric way typical of boys that age. Therefore, who sat where had nothing to do with rank.
Simply put, the area around wherever the strongest guy claimed a spot became the inner circle.
The one thing the two schools had in common was that the outsiders, regardless of their grade, sat at the outermost communal tables, far from the center.
Hunter knew that Jiyu's table was a small two-person table hidden behind a pillar away from the center. There, she would sit across from her twin popsicle, quietly nibbling on something, and then leave the cafeteria still clinging closely to the other once they were finished.
But today, neither Jiyu nor Popsicle were in that spot. As he scanned the room, he spotted Jiyu just as she was turning away from the serving line.
With her head bowed low to avoid making eye contact with anyone, she walked without presence, as if floating like a ghost. Then, she went and sat in the furthest corner of the communal tables.
It was the spot where the "weirdos"—the outsiders who didn't even have a single friend—sat.
Throb.
His mouth tasted bitter, as if gastric acid had refluxed.
Maybe it was because he was too hungry.
After getting his food, Hunter impulsively stopped by the salad bar. He picked up two square slices of toast bread, smeared spread thickly on top, and pressed them together to make a sandwich.
[Hunter, over here!]
Jason called out to him.
His friends had dragged several chairs to a round table in the center and were sitting mixed in with the girls.
It was a common sight: Aster's Popular Clique and Alton's athletic clique mingling together. He saw that a seat had been left open for him.
Walking over unconsciously, Hunter set down his tray and pulled out a chair, only to realize the girl sitting next to him was Sienna. He shoved the chair back roughly and picked up his tray again.
[It's too cramped.]
[Just slide over. Guys, squeeze in a bit more!]
Sienna urged, waving her hand.
[How are we supposed to squeeze in more, Sienna?]
[Stop being so picky. Just sit down, Triple.]
His friends grumbled, but they shifted their hips to try and make room. Sienna brushed her hair back and looked up at Hunter with a meaningful smile, and a strong scent of perfume wafted over him.
Hunter's face crumpled instantly.
[I hate the smell of perfume.]
He turned away coldly and walked in the opposite direction.
[What's wrong with him today?]
[Leave him. Don't mess with that bastard when he's hungry. He becomes a mad dog.]
He heard the grumbling behind him, but he didn't care.
Strolling over to the edge of the communal tables, he slid out the chair next to Jiyu with a loud clatter.
She, who had been picking at her food with her head bowed, glanced up and her eyes widened upon discovering Hunter. Then, with a pale face, she hurriedly looked around her surroundings.
'Why on earth does she live her life walking on eggshells like that?'
Setting down his tray, Hunter gulped down water out of frustration, then looked around with a frown. The eyes that had been openly watching them with curiosity and shock quickly averted their gaze.
With a sigh, he flopped down and stared at Jiyu, who had hidden her face by bowing her head again.
'She's not a ruminant, so why is she chewing a single piece of romaine lettuce so many times?'
It was obvious she was barely enduring the lunch hour.
'If I were Jewel Parker, I wouldn't have let those bullies get away with it. No, before that, no one would have even thought of bullying me in the first place.'
He had never once put himself in someone else's shoes. However, he vaguely felt that living as Jewel Parker might be quite different from living as Hunter Hamilton.
Despite being fearful, timid, and lacking courage, he had to admit her tenacity for somehow enduring such treatment.
Meanwhile, the friends who hadn't secured seats at the center table began to sit around Hunter. Except for the spot in front of Jiyu, the large table was quickly filled. Everyone, unable to contain their curiosity, whispered while glancing at the two of them as if they were side dishes.
Jiyu couldn't wrap her head around it.
'Why did Hunter suddenly come and sit next to me?'
It was uncomfortable. But at the same time, she felt a strange sense of relief.
Hunter always evoked ambivalent emotions.
[Aren't you eating that?]
Jiyu started and lifted her head. She could feel the entire table pricking up their ears and glancing sideways. She looked down at the tray he was pointing to and shook her head slightly.
[Then swap it with this.]
Hunter tossed the sandwich from his tray onto the empty space on her tray. Then, he used his fork to stab the untouched grilled chicken breast and moved it to his own tray.
Jiyu's heart raced as if she had just finished a five-mile run. She stared at the sandwich, then slowly picked it up and took a bite.
It was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was smeared so heavily that the grape jelly mixed with peanut butter peeked out from the edges.
The absurd thought occurred to her that this sweet and salty taste resembled Hunter Hamilton.
She felt like she might burst into laughter, or perhaps burst into tears.
It was humiliating that Hunter had found out she was being ostracized by the entire student body, yet she was grateful that he was comforting her in the only way he knew how.
She envied how Hunter remained confident and natural even while sitting at the edge of the communal table. Perhaps that was why his friends flocked to him.
[That seat is taken.]
Jiyu looked up at Hunter's voice, which contained an obvious threat. The boy who had been pulling out the chair to sit in front of her froze with a bewildered expression.
Steven Burlinsky.
He was the boy who had asked for her phone number at the Spring Fling.
Wondering why he said the seat was taken when it was clearly empty, Jiyu looked around. Who on earth would want to sit in front of her?
Just then, she noticed Chloe lingering nearby, hesitating with her tray.
[Chloe!]
Jiyu called out to her without thinking. Her voice cut through the noise and sliced through the air.
A whimsical thought occurred to her: perhaps the sandwich Hunter gave her had his brazenness and confidence spread on it instead of peanut butter and jelly.
Chloe's face lit up, and she approached stealthily like a cat, biting her lip.
'I'm glad I plucked up the courage.'
As soon as Steve grumbled and backed away, Chloe quickly set her tray down in front of Jiyu and beamed. Jiyu smiled back, her eyes brimming with tears.
Hunter, who was cutting a piece of chicken to bring to his mouth, froze upon seeing the dimple that popped up at the corner of Jiyu's mouth.
'She just shows that thing off anywhere.'
He wanted to be angry, but the corners of his mouth curled up involuntarily.
[Triple, is she your girlfriend?]
Philip Chavrier, sitting opposite Hunter, pointed his fork back and forth between Jiyu and him. He was famous for tactlessly firing off words without filtering them through his brain.
The students at the table sat with their mouths agape, their hearing sharpened as they waited for Hunter's answer.
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