13 | Lunch Break

lmao half the story is just them during lunch but eyy,, you can't disagree with me when I say lunch is like the best part of school

also this was written after I took a long break due to exams so if you notice a change in the writing that's why

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Samuel woke up to the sound of June dropping his- himself. There was a loud thud! as he fell on the ground, knocking over the nightlamp that was previously rested on top of his drawer next to his bed. Sam got up, eyes scrunching due to being exposed to sudden light, and was beyond surprised when he saw June lying on the ground, almost falling asleep again. Since when were our roles switched? he thought. It was usually June who got up before Sam as he was a very light sleeper; waking up Sam wasn't an easy thing to do and yet here he was - with June half asleep and Samuel fully awake. He silently laughed to himself as he got up to pick up the lamp, only to see that it had broken. The wires were all over, and some of the insulation had come out. The pieces of plastic that had broken due to the impact were now dangling on pieces of tape that were under the shade - which was also broken.

You're lucky it wasn't glass.

"The mister on the ground who's pretending to sleep, can you please wake up to see what havoc you've wrecked?" he called out.

"Hm... yeah..." June groaned as he stuffed his face back into his pillow.

Wow, how convenient. He took his pillow down with him.

"Get up!! You're never like this, did the fever mess with you head so much that you aren't able to comprehend that there's literally broken pieces of plastic all over the ground and- wow, you're sleeping on some of it. And now you're acting like you can't hear m-"

"Oh my God, shut up," June was now fully up and was looking at Sam with accusing eyes.

"Look at this!" he exclaimed, bringing into June's view his hand that was wrapped with wires and pieces of tape.

"It's just tape. Just... I don't know, peel it off or something."

Sam heaved out an exasperating sigh. He's totally missing the point. Well, whatever. I'll just clean it myself, he thought, wondering what on earth was up with June early in the morning. While he struggled to peel the tape off his skin (the tape stuck to the hair on his arm, so it was bound to hurt like a female dog), June finally decided to get up and make his bed. Then he lazily went over to his bathroom to brush and shower and Sam was still sitting on his bed, not really knowing what to do since June's house had only one bathroom. He decided to check his phone and see if he had any messages - which he did. He was quite surprised when he saw a message from Charles, whom he'd given his number to just the previous day. He opened it and saw a small message that said, "Good night :)" and was a stuttering mess - internally, that is. I didn't see it yesterday!! Oh, God, what am I supposed to reply? He typed out a reply - numerous ones, actually - and hit send, but deleted them the next second. He's not that close to you for you to caps-spam him. Say something small and leave it. Sam decided to just say sorry and send him a "Good morning." Yeah, this should work. Wait, should I have typed emojis? Or an exclamation? Wait, no, that's too girly. Wow, now I'm gender-shaming and being stereotypical. Way to go, Sam.

During this mental crisis of his, June had already come out of the bathroom, all cleaned up and dressed. And so he quickly went in to do the same, keeping his thoughts aside. Or rather, trying to keep them aside.

Y'all would never leave me, would you?  he asked them, to which he himself replied, no, of course not.

Soon enough, he got out of the room, only to see that Anna, June's mother, was up and making them breakfast. He could tell that she was talking to her son, but couldn't quite make out the words. And so he made his way towards them, being a little nervous - she was really friendly and easy-going, yes, but Sam was Sam.

"-ame late. I was worried sick, okay- what if you just went to sleep without eating anything? But then I came into your room to check on you and saw my baby- oh, there he is! Good morning, Sam," Anna said, with a huge smile plastered on her face. June and his mom had an adorable relationship - they talked to each other like friends. Since it was just the two of them at home - unless they had guests visiting (which was pretty rare because they lived really far away) - they made the most of it and that strengthened their bond. Sam was happy to be a witness to it all; it was wholesome. And at the same time, June's mom was really fond of Sam, too. She, just like his own mom did June, saw him as her own son. She even joked about how much easier it would've been had he been her son instead of June.

"Good morning," he responded, albeit a little shy.

"So, I saw the unwashed dishes on the kitchen sink, want to tell me about that?" she asked to the both of them.

June started to answer that with his mouth twitching a little - he was holding in his laughter. "Ah that- Sam came yesterday and made me breakfast-"

"You ungrateful brat!" Sam interrupted, clearly offended. "Why did I even think of making you food, huh? I should've just eaten all of it and- I-...nothing, n-never mind..."

"No, go on," Anna said before erupting into fits of laughter. She then came forward and ruffled Sam's hair and said something along the lines of 'you're so cute' under hear breath and went back to making breakfast while Sam was left to wonder what to do. His face was soon starting to look like he dunked it in red paint. He never really talked much, even to Anna, which shouldn't come off as a surprise, but now here he was, calling June a brat in front of his own mom. June walked over and poked his nose and made fun of how red his face allegedly was. "Gee, look who turned as red as Lightning McQueen."

Shut up, he wanted to say, but was too embarrassed. So, without another word, he went and sat on the dining table and ate the breakfast that Anna had so lovingly made.

Suddenly, mid-meal, he remembered that it was a week-day and that all of his books were at his house. He quickly checked the clock and saw that there wasn't enough time for them to make a trip to his house - which was on the opposite direction - and then to school, so he gulped down the remaining food and raced across the living room, almost at the door when June called out with a worried tone. "What happened?"

"I- my books, I didn't bring those last night and we wouldn't have time- I mean, we'll get late and-"

"Okay, yeah, got it. You go ahead, then. I'll see you at school," he replied, smiling a small smile. Sam nodded and quickly left, hurrying down the street to get to his house on time.

* * *

"So... you want to go sit with your new friend or...?" June nudged Sam with his elbow. They were now in the lunch hall and were searching for places to sit when June noticed his friend searching for someone. He didn't need any confirmation to know who he was searching for.

"Huh? No, I'll sit with all of y'all, as usual..."

"Dude, just go socia- I mean, interact with more people! And Charles isn't any stranger - he's your friend. You said so yourself, right?"

"Um... I guess...?"

"Nice. Now, go. Bye," June said, pushing him away from himself and towards Charles and his tiny group. June wasn't worried about too many people asking Sam unnecessary questions as he knew how Charles was - just like Sam, but a tad better at talking to strangers. So his friends would be understanding and welcoming, he didn't doubt it.

On the other hand, Sam was a ball of nerves. How am I supposed to just- what do I even say?? 'Hey, can I sit with you? My best friend kinda abandoned me'? Sam walked like a sloth, questioning if he really wanted to do this with each step he took. I'm fine with just June, why should I-

"Hey, Charles!!" he heard a familiar voice call out. June's. What is he doing?! Sam thought worriedly as the boy in question looked up and gave a small, hesitant wave. June jogged his way past him and towards the group of three and beckoned Sam to do the same.

Here goes nothing.

Sam slowly walked towards the place he was supposed to have already been in, but wasn't. And now, thanks to his dear friend June, he was there - clutching his packet of cream-cheese bun and a box of salad. He couldn't even fidget with the sleeves of his hoodie, damn it.

"Hi." Immediately after uttering those words, he wanted to bang his head on a wall. Who the hell says 'hi'? Are you just dumb or is there something that's seriously wron-

"Oh, hi, Sam!" June said with a cheeky smile on his face. Sam tried not to glare at him and placed his food on the table. He heard Madeline burst out laughing and was immediately embarrassed. Once. Just for once, be a normal human. As a first step, get your head up and look at the people standing before you.

"Oh, by the way, thank you for taking care of my tiny friend while I wasn't around. He wasn't too much trouble, was he?" June was really asking for it.

"I'm not tiny!!" Sam burst out. "And what are you, my mom? What am I, five?"

"...that's the most I've ever heard him talk," said Madeline.

"I know, right..." agreed Simon.

If only I could suddenly not exist. If only.

"Uh- n-no, I wouldn't call it trouble... I was the one who kept talking to him, so I'd be the annoying one, not him, haha..." Charles interrupted and Sam silently thanked him. At last, someone who understands me... wait no, he wasn't annoying-

"Hm, I'd figure. This dude here doesn't even talk to some of the people in our group, you know?"

When are you going to stop talking? I'm curious, that's all.

Sam really wanted to talk. He wanted to get out of his comfort zone and do things people usually do - like going on group trips, having a group sleepover, having movie-nights as a group. Even though he insisted that it all sounded exhausting to him, he wanted to see for himself if it really was. Or was it just him being too lazy and ignorant?

"-ant to try some? Samuel?"

"H-huh?" He wasn't listening.

He looked at Simon, Charles' other friend, who gave him a small laugh before repeating himself.

"I said, do you want to try some of my food? I actually made it, and I'd like feedback. Because this kind individual here said it tastes like fine sand. And you look like someone who doesn't lie. So?"

"O-okay, sure..." he said, and realized that it could be meat. "Wait, uh... it's not meat or seafood or anything, right? I'm vegetarian..."

"Oh... It's chicken," Simon said with a sad face. "But don't you worry! I'll cook some stuff you can eat tomorrow, yeah?"

Why's he the one reassuring me?

"Sure, I-...I'd love to try something new..."

"Great!"

With that, the rest of them started talking about the most random things, June easily fitting in. Sighing, he began to eat, satisfying his grumbling stomach. He didn't like the food that his school's canteen provided, but he was to blame - he'd been late and his mom just handed him money to buy some food. She rarely ever did that - Sam's stomach didn't agree with most food bought outside - but she knew that Sam wouldn't eat anything unhealthy. This tastes so bland, he thought after taking a bite of the bun. Well, what else can he expect? It was school food after all, and it didn't really promise "delicious, hot, mouth-watering food." The salad- don't even get him started about that. Who adds so much mayonnaise? How can it be considered a "salad" if it's just leaves and a few other raw vegetables dipped in it? Anyway, he didn't really have a choice, so without another thought, he ate the food he was provided with. So many people don't even have the privilege of this, he reminded himself.

When he realized that he'd been so focused on the food for the whole time and hadn't looked at anyone, he raised his head. His eyes travelled across the table, from one person to another - he wasn't surprised to see June having the time of his life laughing at something Madeline had said - and finally landed on Charles, only to see him staring right back. Sam quickly put his head down and continued to nibble on his food in embarrassment. Once he was done (and the others as well),  he went to throw the empty plastic packet and box in the dustbin when he saw Charles making his way towards him.

"You... weren't that uncomfortable, right? From the times we've talked, I gather you don't really hang out with random- I mean, no one would, that's not what I meant, what I'm trying to say is- you...did y-you..." he looked lost for words. And Sam unintentionally laughed out loud, which eased the tension for both of them.

"No, I just... I'm so bad at making conversation. Even at home, I just fool around with my sister, but when it comes to actually talking, I kind of just disintegrate and don't know- n-not that you need to know all of this...but to answer your question, no, I wasn't uncomfortable, I was just so... um, nervous, I guess? Yeah..." When Sam looked up at Charles' face - he never looked at people when he talked, not even June's - he saw that it held a small smile. And for that, he was glad. Glad he hadn't let his nervousness consume him. Glad he hadn't let awkwardness hold them both captive in its cell again.

"Trust me, I understand..." he said, lightly laughing. "So, I'll see you after school, then? What class do you have now?"

"Uhh..." he thought for a second and his face contorted into an expression of disgust when he remembered. "History. Ew."

"All the best. I have physics. Yay. Okay, then. I'll... see you later?"

"Yeah," he said. There was a funny feeling at the pit of his stomach - or was it his chest? His heart raced. He could feel the adrenaline that coursed through his entire body every time he made a satisfying conversation with Charles - which wasn't a lot, but it still counted, right?

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sorry I'm being so vague with the food they eat cuz I swear I eat rice 24/7 so I'm not too familiar with what people usually eat abroad (since my settings and characters kinda give off American-ish vibes?? idk man) also, I don't want my characters to eat only bread :)

(yea I'm a hypocrite I just made my baby sam eat plain bread but that's only for this chap) so yeah just imagine they're eating your fav food or smth kk,,

ps : SOMEONE TEACH ME HOW TO END CHAPTERS. ITS SO HARD FOR NO REASON.