THE JOCK JUST WANTS THE NERD [2]

3

||JACKSON||

"Didn't have any expectations of seeing you here," Damian mumbled, relaxed on his bed with his hands behind his head.

"Me neither..." I said, sat awkwardly on mine. Never in a million years would I have thought to be acquainted with Damian. I didn't exactly like him. The fact that he can openly act homophobic unsettles me.

"Well shit, I'm roommates with one of my rival school's football player," Damian puffs out a breath, placing his palm on his face and drags his skin downwards. I nodded silently, not knowing how to respond. "So what major are you taking?" Damian asks, turning to his side to look at me.

"Agriculture," I straightened my back.

Damien looks at me with his brows raised and shook his head, "okay?"

"What about you?" I said. I didn't exactly care to know about him, I just felt the need to keep this unusual conversation going from getting quiet and end embarrassingly.

"Athletic training," he sighs.

I tightened my lips, bit my tongue, then proceeded to just stare outside the window. The whole time, I was making up random questions that Damian would answer and just straight out ignored others; though, I never brought up anything that related to Noah or Brad, thinking that might trigger something in his mind.

-

Ironically, I left again after a few minutes because I really didn't know how to handle the situation. I was outside, sat down in one of the campus benches, just staring to nowhere. My classes don't start in two days which means I have lots of time to kill; the only problem is that I don't know how to spend it. Ever since we graduated, everyone has their own plans, and eventually, we all split up to follow our paths. I frowned as the sad thought clouded my head. This was one of the few things that bothered me when it comes to "starting a new life in college;" to let go of a few memories and make space for new ones. I sighed and gave a little slap to my cheek. I need to get myself back together. Moping won't solve shit. Standing up from my seat, I decided that I'll just take a joy-drive around to take my mind off things. I made my way to the parking space behind the complex and into my car.

-

I rarely traverse around these parts because there was no way I would commute three hours to get here. I wasn't going to spend a single bit of data on my phone for maps, so I had to make sure I remembered where I came from. I wasn't going too far neither, fearing I would get lost. Playing music on my radio, I nodded and tapped on my wheel to the beat. A weird urge of me wanted to sing my heart out, but I know all too well that I wasn't good and would only leave me to cringe at myself. I wish I could sing, but I suck at it so badly that I could go deaf from it. I noticed that as I was driving, the scenery starts changing to a more tropical area. Palm trees frequently started appearing more rather than the basic generic ones. It was also less urban but still had many shops and cafes. I passed by a lake which looked like the sandy beachy coast because of the fact that it was a pretty huge body of water. Now that I think of it, I kinda regret not coming over here as often, this place is amazing. I felt my stomach rumble. I checked the time in my watch and saw that it was past twelve. Remembering that I haven't eaten anything, I thought it would be nice to take a break since this was the perfect place to look for food. Searching for somewhere to eat, my attention was caught when my eyes landed on a cute restaurant that had a sign that said "Romantic pairs." Seeing as it looks like a good place to stop, I drove to it and parked my car. The place had beautiful greenery, vine-covered brick walls, and with a European styled concept to it. I smiled as I headed to the door. Pushing it open, it hit a ringing bell from the corner of the frame. The place looked really nice with only a couple of people in it. It almost indeed looked romantic, I thought: soft lighting, quiet, and the small round tables that were mostly for two. I headed towards the counter which was tended by a freckled boy who looked very bored. "Hello, welcome," he said quite monotoned. I smiled at him and eyed around the menu boards that hung above. Giving thought, I looked back at him, "can I have the beef schnitzel?" I said.

He nods and writes down on a piece of paper, "anything else?" He asks.

"That'll be all."

The boy tears out the paper and inputs something on the cashier. I lend him my money, which he takes and gives back my change. "Your order will be served in a few minutes by Ethan, have a good evening," he says before turning to place the piece of paper into a space in the wall that leads to the kitchen. I nodded then I realized the name he said. I stood frozen when I recalled. Ethan. Wait, no way. I blinked multiple as I thought that the world can't be that small, that the "Ethan," wouldn't be working here. The chances can't be that insane, can it? A part of me felt weirdly excited, hoping that it was him, but another part of me thought pessimistically and also wanted to look for a place to hide, feeling a bit nervous to meet with him face to face. Shaking my head, I took a spot near a wall with a window to look outside the nearly, golden, setting sun in the distance.