True Beauty

Chapter 10: Advancing

"Are you sure I have to do this?" Damian asked.

"Yes, and you promised you would keep these conditions," Lindsey said. "Unless you don't want to be friends."

Damian sighed and made his "Tt" sound.

It was the Thursday after the Homecoming dance. Lindsey had to remind Damian of his promise to sit with her friends once a week, which he begrudgingly said he'd sit with them today. Now the two of them were standing outside the cafeteria, getting ready to go in.

"Let's get this over with," Damian said.

"At least be nice," Lindsey said. Damian gave her a look. "Okay, then be tolerable."

"If they are," Damian muttered.

"Come on," Lindsey grabbed Damian's hand and pulled him to the table with all her friends. Damian looked down at their entwined hands. He wanted to continue holding her hand the rest of the day. Unfortunately, she let go of his hand when they reached the table.

"Just think about it," Noah was saying, "the spacebar is an empty space of nothing."

"Noah, what are you even talking about?" Kelsey asked.

"The spacebar, you know, on a keyboard," Noah explained.

"Noah, no one knows what you are talking about," Juliet said.

"Yeah, you weirdo, just stick to eating your heart out," Logan said.

"If Wayne were to hear you say that he is going to think you are insane," Ryeanne laughed.

"I believe it's too late for him then," Lindsey said.

Everyone looked up at the two of them. Damian standing next to little Lindsey. Together they looked really cute. If Damian would only look a little less scary, they would be a perfect couple.

"Hey, Wayne," Ryeanne said.

"Girl," Wayne said.

"How nice that you remembered my name," Ryeanne hissed.

"Am I supposed to?" Damian asked.

"Why don't we sit down?" Lindsey said quickly.

They sat down right beside each other at the end of the table. Ryeanne sat across from Lindsey and glared at Damian. The two brought out their lunches and began eating. The rest were staring at both of them. Silence consumed the table. Ryeanne and Noah remembered the cute altercation between the two at the dance and couldn't believe this was the same guy who begged Lindsey not to leave him.

"I can explain what I was talking about," Noah said quickly, trying to break the ice.

"Explain to me, then," Damian said leaning closer to him.

"I – I actually can't," Noah whispered to himself.

"What's your name?" Damian asked Noah. He then glanced around the table before saying,

"What are all of your names?"

"The name's Noah Philips."

"I'm Blaine Curiel."

"Juliet Rosen."

"I'm Logan Mckenna."

"Giovanni Donati."

"I'm Abigail Horton."

"I'm Kelsey Buchanan."

"And I'm Ryeanne Lewis."

"Right," Damian said before going back to his lunch.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Abigail asked down the table.