Assumptions

Two misfits find each other.

After class, I go to my locker to switch textbooks as per usual. I notice the locker to the right of mine is being used, which is odd as it’s been empty for some time. I sigh, but pay it no mind and hope they just ignore me; long shot, I know. I’m not exactly an easy guy to ignore seeing as I’m closing in on being 6 feet tall at only 13, and have the build of a seasoned soccer player. Still, one can hope.

I hear a bit of commotion to my right, but again I pay it no mind and don’t even listen until I close my locker.

“Right, Alwin?” a classmate tries to pull me into whatever he’s doing. Like everyone else, I have to look down to see him. “She has no business with that locker. You deserve a way cuter one next to you.” Parker says with a grin.

He’s objectively the best looking one of my grade… and a bully. I see how he and his minions are ganging up on the girl with the locker next to mine.

After I sigh, “F**k off” is my only reply.

They don’t think about it twice before leaving. I look at the girl and she looks up at me. She’s… terrified. And I’m not even sure if it’s of them, or me.

“I’m Eva.” She says shily, I can barely hear her.

“Don’t care, have a good day.”

I go on my way and forget about it. I’m just sick of the bullies thinking I’ll join their assholeness just because of what I look like, and I guess because my older brother is also one of the biggest bullies in school, and he has my same build; I feel sorry for anyone that has to cross paths with him. At least I learned martial arts and am big enough to put him in his place now if he tries anything with me.

Everyone else is just too scared to approach me, and I’m cool with that. I’ve made my peace with being alone. I don’t want to intimidate anyone, but I don’t know how to not be intimidating. I have thick eyebrows, a buzz cut, and a permanent frown. Not exactly the most inviting outlook.

I guess I could put some effort into it, but what for? I gave up about 2 years ago after everyone decided they already knew me before I got a chance to show them, or even before I had the chance to find out for myself.

 

At lunch, I take my food tray out of the lunchroom as usual, and get to my quite place. Except that the girl from earlier is there this time. She couldn’t be following me, right?

She locks eyes with me for a couple of seconds before either of us speak.

“Well, that’s usually my spot.” I break the awkward silence.

She starts getting up immediately. “Sorry, I’ll leave right aw-”

“Don’t, it’s fine.” I cut her off and she plops back to the cold tile floor.

I sit down a few feet away from her, resting my head against the wall and looking up through the window on the opposite side. The sky looks nice today, just slightly cloudy. It doesn’t give me the peace it usually does, though. I feel a weight on me. I look to my left and she immediately drops her glance, but I can tell she was staring at me, still terrified. Guess that answers my earlier question.

“Why are you so scared?” I blur out before I can think about it twice.

She struggles to find words, then scooches a little farther away from me and takes a deep breath. “I’m new here, today is actually my first day, and I thought it’d be different from my old school. We just moved to this area and I thought it’d be a great chance because, well, I didn’t exactly have it easy in my old school, but this one seems no different, everyone says I’m ugly and have no business around pretty or cool people, so they want to push me to the side. At my old school, they said I talked too much and needed to shut up more, so I’ve been trying to keep quiet here, but that doesn’t matter when I’m this ugly and -”

“Why do you think you’re ugly?”

She raises her head and faces me, her eyes shiny threatening to cry any second now, but instead she chuckles. “Look at me! What do you think?”

I see her. I tilt my head for a different angle. Nothing wrong with her. I raise an eyebrow and she sees my confusion.

“I have glasses, my eyes are dull, I’m covered in pimples, my hair is coarse, and I almost always have a runny nose because I’m apparently allergic to everything. How can you not see that?”

I shrug. “None of that is bad in my books. Except maybe the allergies, I guess; that must really suck for you.”

We take a few bites of our food in silence before she speaks again, so low I can barely make out the words.

“So… you think I’m pretty then?”

“Didn’t say that.” I say, again without thinking. I haven’t had much practice talking to people, so whatever’s on my mind slips up. I realized that wasn’t the best answer as soon as it left my mouth. “You’re just… ok, I guess.” I say, trying to make it better.

I can vaguely see her lips slightly curving up. Good.

We finish our food in silence and both of us stare at the sky for a while. I’m surprised she’s not on her phone or playing some videogame, reading some magazine, etc. It’s not every day I see another kid entertaining themselves with nothing but their natural surroundings.

Five minutes before the bell rings and as we stand up, she breaks the silence again. “I’m sorry for invading your space, I’ll find somewhere else to eat moving forward.”

I sigh with my eyes closed. As I open them, there it is again, that fear. “Are you scared of me?” I flat out ask.

She hesitates before responding. “I’m sorry, it’s just hard not to.”

“Because of me or because of how everyone else treats you?”

“… both?”

I rest my back against the wall, holding the food tray. “Listen, my whole life people have thought I’m a bully just because of what I look like and because my older brother, who comes to this same school, is one too. I avoid people because they always assume who I am without me having the chance to show them, and I hate that.”

“Oh.” She doesn’t seem to have more words.

“People don’t seem to care about getting to know you either, so you should know how much that sucks and not do it to others.”

After a thoughtful moment, she nods.

“Plus, I’m more of a listener anyway, and not many people talk as freely as you did earlier with me. That was… nice. Feel free to talk to me any time.” We start walking back to the lunchroom to leave our trays. “Also, there aren’t many peaceful places here; trust me, I’ve looked. So, we can share mine. Just… don’t assume who I am, ok?” I drain myself talking more than I’ve talked in months at once.

I quickly look at her and see her gleam, her eyes shiny in a positive way this time. Before I know what’s happening, that actually makes me smile too. I look back ahead and compose myself. I can’t remember when was the last time I genuinely smiled. It feels… weird. But, I seem to have had a good impact on someone today, so maybe that’s worth my smile.

And thus, both our first friendships started.