Hunter's Uninvited Lunch
Lunch at High School was at 1 PM and the cafeteria was wide open after the rowdy lunch rush of the Lower and Middle Schools had passed like the peak season frenzy of Times Square giving them a relatively comfortable atmosphere to spread out.
The Alton School boys who had girlfriends at Astor School almost never missed punching in at the cafeteria each day.
Hunter ate there on days he had class as well. His stomach was empty and the walk to Alton’s cafeteria meant climbing four flights across the street so the simple logic of eating nearby won out.
The Alton cafeteria overflowed with hungry students and then emptied out again a plain rectangular space with nothing but straight tables and zero decoration.
In contrast Astor’s cafeteria offered every possible table arrangement from little two-person minis to four-seaters round party tables window benches wall benches and long communal tables with walls adorned by planters and framed pictures that gave the place a charmingly cheerful vibe.
[Peyton says that the twelfth-grade seniors claim the window benches the eleventh-grade juniors the wall benches the tenth-graders the center table near the salad bar and the ninth-graders the surrounding tables it’s tradition he says they get the stink eye if you don’t follow it Astor is way stricter than Alton]
Jason Richter shivered while he told his girlfriend every detail he’d overheard.
Every school had its own unwritten hierarchy and Astor’s was notoriously stricter than Alton’s.
Alton had been ranking its boys in that barbaric teenage way for years so seating was meaningless just the strong ones around the inner circle.
The common rule for both schools was that outsiders sat far from the center at the edge communal tables no matter their grade.
Hunter knew the small two-person table tucked behind a pillar at the center edge was Jiyu’s spot where the twins would sit facing each other quietly munching whatever they’d brought then leaving together with their lips still glued on the way out.
Today however neither Jiyu nor the twins appeared at that table.
He scanned the room and caught sight of Jiyu turning away from the serving line head bowed so low she avoided every pair of eyes floating through the crowd like a ghost before she slid into the farthest corner table among the outsiders the ones with no friends the weirs.
His mouth turned bitter like acid rising in his throat.
Was it just because his stomach was so empty?
Hunter downed a casual lunch then impulsively stopped at the salad bar grabbed two slices of square toast slathered peanut butter and jelly on top and pressed them together into a sandwich.
[Hunter here!]
Jason called out to him.
His friends had dragged several chairs to the big round table in the center where they were already mixed with girls a normal sight of Astor’s popular crowd and Alton’s athletes mingling and one seat left empty for him.
Hunter walked over without thinking set his tray down pulled out the chair and noticed the girl next to him was Siena then yanked the chair in with a scrape and snatched up his tray again.
[It’s tight in here.]
[Just scoot over guys bunch up!]
Siena waved her hands in encouragement.
[How can I scoot with you three acting like this Siena?]
[Just shut up and sit Triple.]
His friends grumbled but slid closer hips bumping in the tiny space.
Siena swept her hair back with a meaningful smile while a thick wave of perfume hit Hunter.
He wrinkled his nose in disgust.
[Perfume—disgusting.]
He turned coldly and walked in the opposite direction.
[Why is he acting like that today?]
[Leave him alone he gets a beast when he’s hungry don’t mess with him.]
Muttering voices followed from behind but Hunter didn’t care.
He wandered toward the edge communal table and slid the chair next to Jiyu with a loud scrape.
She had been chewing silently with her head down then flicked her eyes up spotted him and her eyes widened in shock before her face drained of all color as she glanced around frantically.
‘Why does she keep looking around like that?’
Hunter set his tray down with a clatter gulped water from his bottle in rapid swallows then scanned the room with a scowl every curious and shocked gaze darting away like they were hiding.
He sighed and dropped into the chair covering his face with his hand while he stared at Jiyu.
‘She’s not even chewing properly she’s biting one leaf of romaine lettuce over and over again.’
It was obvious she was forcing herself through lunch.
‘If I were Jiyu Parker I wouldn’t let anyone bother me like this but before that no one would dare bother me.’
He had never once put himself in someone else’s shoes yet the idea that living as Jiyu Parker could be very different from living as Hunter Hamilton flickered through his mind.
Despite being scared and timid and lacking courage she was holding on somehow and Hunter had to admit there was a stubborn strength in that.
At the same time the friends who hadn’t made it to the center table started arriving and the large table filled up in seconds except for Jiyu’s seat everyone leaning in with faces full of curiosity they couldn’t hide stealing glances at the two of them like snacks whispering among themselves.
Jiyu couldn’t think straight.
‘Why did Hunter suddenly sit next to me?’
It felt uncomfortable yet at the same time a strange sense of relief washed over her.
Hunter always stirred complicated feelings in her.
[Aren’t you eating?]
Jiyu startled and looked up every head at the table snapping toward them ears pricked eyes flicking sideways.
She glanced at the untouched plate in front of him then shook her head slightly.
[Then swap with this.]
Hunter flicked the untouched sandwich from his own plate onto the empty space in front of her then speared the untouched chicken breast with his fork and placed it on his own tray.
Jiyu’s heart pounded as if she’d just finished a five-mile sprint.
She stared at the sandwich for a moment then slowly lifted it and took a bite.
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and it was slathered so thick the edges oozed out grape jelly mixed with peanut butter bubbling over the sides.
The absurd thought hit her that this taste somehow matched Hunter Hamilton.
It could have been a laugh or a tear both at the same time.
She was ashamed that Hunter knew she was being bullied yet touched that he had comforted her in the only way he knew how.
She envied his calm and natural posture even while sitting alone at the edge of the communal table and wondered if that was why his friends kept gathering around him.
[This seat has an owner.]
Hunter’s voice carried clear threat and Jiyu looked up.
A boy who had been pulling out a chair to sit there froze with panic on his face.
Steven Berlinski the kid who had asked for her number at Spring Fling.
Jiyu looked around in confusion who did he think would want to sit in front of her?
At that moment Chloe appeared walking slowly with her tray scanning the area and Jiyu couldn’t help calling out.
[Chloe!]
Her voice sliced straight through the noise.
Maybe the sandwich Hunter gave her had somehow carried his arrogance and confidence instead of just peanut butter and jelly a ridiculous thought.
Chloe’s face lit up she covered her mouth with her hand and approached on silent cat feet.
‘Good for you girl.’
As soon as Steve grumbled and left Chloe set the tray down right in front of Jiyu and beamed and Jiyu smiled back through watery eyes.
Hunter was slicing a piece of chicken and bringing it to his mouth when he noticed the dimple on Jiyu’s lip and froze completely.
‘She’s showing that off like it’s nothing.’
He wanted to get angry but the corner of his mouth twitched upward anyway.
[Triple is that your girlfriend?]
Philip Shavrier sitting across from him pointed at Jiyu and Hunter with his fork known for blurting out whatever came to mind without thinking.
Every kid at the table leaned in mouths open ears wide waiting for Hunter’s answer.