Lunch Alone? (Open)

[Mid]

Phoenix sat down at a table after getting his lunch from the school's cafeteria workers. He picked up a sandwich and slowly began taking bites, looking around the cafeteria and wondering where she was.

When she didn't arrive in a few minutes, Phoenix decided that Sabrina was absent and hadn't been able to message him on Skype about it that morning. He knew she hated phones, thus she didn't have one, and she had to hide in areas where there was wi-fi, so it wasn't always easy.

With that, Phoenix sat quietly eating, feeling a bit embarrassed, but not caring too much. He wondered if anyone would care to join him this lunch.

[splashofkayos]

Ivan had brought his own lunch, apprehensive of the American foods that may have been served. However, he found that in this aspect, there weren't many differences between his home and this town in the aspects of lunch. That was good - he wouldn't have to make a lunch every-time he came to school. Walking into the cafeteria, he looked around for one of two thing - first and empty spot. Second, and more preferable, a kid sitting alone. Sitting alone was never good and rather embarrassing. So kids who sat alone probably wouldn't mind company nearly as much as kids in groups. After a couple glances over the cafeteria, he finally found a good target. A boy who looked a bit younger then him, though he guessed that the kid wouldn't be much shorter then him. He slowly slid through the lunchroom towards the other boy.

He'd spent most of the day silent and the teachers hadn't bothered him much, merely introducing him in front of class and then letting him go back to his seat. He was planning to make as many allies as possible before anything else. But allies meant taking a leap and seeing if they would actually be allies or enemies. There was no safe way to do it. There was no safe way to tell before you talked to someone if they were intelligent. Some times, people made it clear, but, more often then not, you had to take a leap and hope they weren't jerks. Once he accepted that it was easier to take those jumps because there was no better way. Ivan sat down next to the kid, though not uncomfortably close, and started unpacking his lunch. It was pretty simple - one passion fruit, an exotic, sour fruit that is parents had loved and gotten shipped to them (honestly, he loved it too), a water bottle, a ham sandwich, and some chips.

"Hello." He stated, a casual greeting to the kid on his left. "Ivan. And you are?" He introduced himself, unwrapping the sandwich from the plastic and biting into it. Ick. The mayo had soaked into the bread. Perhaps he'd have to separated out the ingredients and assemble then next time he brought packed lunch.

[Mid]

Under the table, Phoenix had been checking his phone. Although Sabrina had told him that the rumors about phones being allowed at any point in a non-classroom situation, he decided to be cautious, because he knew that she would've taken a risk, whereas he, clearly, would not.

When another boy sat near him, Phoenix snapped his head up, slipping his phone into his sleeve. His heart raced for a moment, then when he noticed it wasn't a teacher, he pulled his phone back out and continued playing the game app he'd recently purchased.

Phoenix hadn't expected the other boy to speak; he figured that there weren't any other tables open (he hadn't payed attention when he was searching for Sabrina), and when he did speak, Phoenix paused the game and looked at him in respect.

When asked his name, Phoenix nodded and said, "Phoenix." He squinted a little, "You new here?"

[splashofkayos]

Ivan noticed the phone, but, made not a mention of it and didn't pay much attention to it. He personally had an iPod in his pocket - he didn't use it in schools, though considering he had no friends here and there weren't any sports payed at recess that he knew, he might start listing to music in the field. Well, wouldn't that be a nice low to fall too? He prided himself on being athletic, but, going off into the corner of the field to practice karate didn't seem like a genius idea either. That was sure to get him laughed at. Perhaps he would see what sports were played, read up on them, and see whether or not he would be able to stand taking part in them. The answer would probably be no, if he was honest, but that was just a curse he'd have to deal with. Perhaps he could convince some kids to play real football. With feet.

When the boy answered, he recognized the name. Oh, so this is Sabrina's boyfriend. From what I've heard then, he's pretty cool. But he does actually look a bit like her. I might've mistaken them for siblings if I'd meet them together. But that leaves options. If I play along for a bit, pretending I don't know him, will I slip up? I don't want to create any drama by saying 'oh yeah, I was talking with your girlfriend'. Well, I'll not mention it off the bit, but, if I say something and he inquires, I'll be honest. That's the best way to go. He thought, solidifying the plan in his head.

"Yeah, all the way from London. Just moved in." Ivan replied. Ya know, you haven't messed up and called anyone 'mate' yet. That's a good sign. If you did that, people would really start looking at you weird. He took another bite of his sandwich, again reminding himself he'd have to make a better one next time.

[Mid]

"London, huh?" Phoenix asked, shutting his phone off. "I've heard that's a pretty nice place," he felt kind of awkward sitting with one other person at lunch, but didn't mind it too much. It was one of those things; at least this wasn't a girl, though, because then Phoenix would've most likely walked away. He hated when girls who knew he had a girlfriend walked up to him and started flirting with him. Sabrina trusted him, Phoenix knew that, but no matter what, whenever an unknown girl was flirting with Phoenix, Sabrina went ballistic on their asses.

Buuut, because this wasn't a girl, things weren't as bad as they could've been. "How do you like it here in Chillton Bay, Ivan?" He wasn't too partial to talking about Sabrina randomly; he didn't want to seem like an obsessive boyfriend, and although he wasn't constantly bugging her, she was constantly on his thoughts, and he always worried about her. However, at the same time, Phoenix knew that Sabrina was more than capable of handling herself.

[splashofkayos]

"Yep, London. 'tis a lovely city, but, it's the polar opposite of this place." He said, agreeing with the statement. And I loved it. So how do you think I feel about this place? If you were observant, you'd know that I don't like this place. But, as always, no one will make that connection. They'll get that London is the opposite of this place. They'll know that I loved London. But they won't, of course connect the facts. People don't. There are always connections. First of all, from the way he was sitting and the way he spoke, you could tell he was uncomfortable. So, in this town people don't go and make conversation, though they will be within the same school for many years. Interesting. Not very sensible, but interesting. It'll make life harder for me though. The groups must be already made and I am an outsider and always will be. That's a problem. But one cannot merely pull friends out of thin air, and it's hardly a good idea to go around and finding friendly people, as that doesn't appear to be too socially acceptable here.

"How do you like it here in Chillton Bay, Ivan?" Ivan pressed down the rather smug feeling because 'ha' he did ask when he could have known before then. Well, if you really take a look at your previous knowledge, you'll find that I must be rather unhappy with my current living arrangements due to the way I talk about London, with an almost wistful tone. It's a simple deduction, but, not one made by many. I would point it out.... Well, actually, I'm not the type to point it out. I prefer being one of the more observant people and I like that group to be exclusive. I hardly want others counting themselves in the same aspect of intelligence as me when I stumbled across a fact through work and merely handed it to them. He thought.

"It's okay, I guess. Haven't been here too long but it's so small and isolated." He replied. Ivan still dumbed it down, keeping it pleasant. He always liked to play along - not particularly to impress the other person, but, merely get to know them a bit and lead them away from any rumors that might pop up. And saying he hated their little craphole of a town was not a good thing to do.

[Mid]

"Sabrina, who I can imagine you've spoken to or at least heard about, wants to move to a big city like London one day. I'm not a huge fan of small, dumpy towns like this myself. It's probably weird coming from someone who's lived here their whole life; after all, you tend to love what you know best, and this town is all I know, but I've always dreamed of being somewhere more. Who knows, though? I can't say whether or not I'll ever get out," Phoenix replied, letting out a sigh afterward. "I can't imagine how it is for you; coming from a place such as London to this town. You don't seem too keen about living here, so I guess I can't help but say I feel bad for ya."

It was true for most people; city-dwellers loved the city as much as those born and raised in wide farmlands tended to have a knack for living in the quiet country. It wasn't just those two general areas, either; big cities, smaller cities, medium-sized towns, small towns... a lot of it depended on where one grew up, or at least, this was the case for many people. For both Sabrina and Phoenix, two who'd been born and raised in Chillton Bay, only a few months apart, the city seemed amazing, and this town had a sad feeling to it. It was huge when they were little, but once they got older, it felt so wrong to live here; it felt as if a place wonderful for starting out, but one would need to spread their wings and move on.

[splashofkayos]

"Ah, yes. I have spoken to Sabrina. In fact, that very subject came up. Can't say the city is for everyone, but I'd suggest checking it out - perhaps living in an apartment for a couple months - when one turns 18. It's a good venue to check out." He said in reply, "But it is, honestly, different then this place. It's a rush - I was used to it, so I've been going that speed my whole life. And someone just slowed it down. Moving in and out of a city... it's like top of the mountain/bottom of the mountain difference." Ivan, in his occasionally impaired understanding of people, made the possibly foolish inference that everyone knew what top of the mountain/bottom of the mountain meant. When people live at a top of a mountain, they are used to thinner air and when they come down, the air is much easier to breath and they do better then those at the bottom of the mountain until they adapt. Whereas people at the bottom of the mountain had trouble breathing at the top of the mountain, breathing heavily. It was, in a way, an insult though he hadn't thought of it as such.

"Indeed. Perhaps I should be better at adapting to change though. It is, for every young city kid, a dream to go live on a farm, riding horses all day. When you get older, you want to vacation in the countryside. Heck, Every year I spent a month or two on my cousins' farm. But the actual prospect of living somewhere else, that's harder to cope with after the first month or two. Because it's different and you grew up somewhere else and everybody else is different and even if the other place wasn't all new and magical you understood it." Ivan glanced over at Phoenix. It was another theory of sorts. The grass is always greener on the other side. And then when you get there and look back, you see greener pastures over where you came from. That's how it worked. Ivan had never really been enticed by this illusion. He was happy with home - if he wanted to go somewhere else, he'd stay for a short time and leave happy. But it was a popular way to feel - after all, the grass would always look greener to most. You just had to step carefully over that line and check around before packing up your life and going there only to find it wasn't paradise.

Now the thing was Ivan had grown up in a limitless city. He was so used to the urban sprawl, a giant place to roam. And now he'd been shoved from a giant mansion into a little storage box. He was used to so many things, so much space. And now there was so little. And his parents thought he would just adapt? Oh, no. He couldn't leave on his own - heck, he'd been stuck in America anyway if he ran off - but he was sure as hell leaving the second he got a chance. It was a cute town, but, IT ISN'T HOME. He thought. It was such an overpowering rule of his mind and had been for the past few months when they'd been planning to leave. LONDON IS HOME, LONDON IS HOME. He thought around it but never was it truly silenced. It was always there, in the background. Like a heartbeat. He sighed a little and refocused on Phoenix and the lunchroom around him.

[Mid]

"Heh," Phoenix chuckled in amusement, "Yeah, I can imagine she'd have started talking about how she dreams of living in the big city all day. I hope she didn't chop your head off in any metaphoric way." A bit of amusement sparked in the 14-year-old's green eyes. Phoenix understood the metaphor, but he'd made his own abstract definition of it, "Top of the mountain is rocky and dangerous, while the bottom's safer and probably more leveled, even, and easy to get around on, right?"

"So I guess Sab and I aren't odd for wanting out of the small town life? I mean, if those in the big cities enjoy being in the countryside... I just figured it was more normal to want to live the lifestyle that one is accustomed to, but I suppose it's actually very subjective and based on the person at hand," Phoenix also said.

"What's up with the sigh?" Phoenix asked. "I mean, I've never really thought about it before, but it can't be that bad moving to America, right? At least we all speak English, so it's not like you moved to China or something, where no one can understand you. Did your parents move here for new jobs or something?"

[splashofkayos]

"She didn't chop my head off, so I guess I'm pretty lucky. She's a very smart person. Likes you quite a lot - I'd go so far as to say loves. You two must be close." Ivan replied. He could recall the conversation without much problem - it was one of the things he had took time to, not memorize, but summarize if that makes much sense. Ivan rarely quoted people unless it was witty or clever. He choose to remember, in general, what they had done or said, but, not exactly as they'd said or done it. It was a good way to remember things, but, it meant he occasionally missed details. "That's a way to think of it. But also.... Ah, never mind. The prospect, I guess, is still the same." Ivan said, deciding that explaining his version of the top of the mountain/bottom of the mountain theory wasn't worth the time.

"Well, yes. But don't jinx yourself. You have to want to live live in a city, not just vacation there. That's the difference, the problem with it. You have to be okay that you're leaving what you know behind." Ivan said with an almost wistful glance toward the window. What did he expect to see? Buckingham palace just appear there? Inwardly snorting at himself, he returned his focus to the conversation. It was natural, really, for people to be interested in places different then theirs. But honestly, they soon wished to return home. Humans are like birds - they stretch their wings and fly away. But, a lot of the time, they return to the nest. Like his parented, who'd spent half their lives in London and then came back to their home.

"Well, my parents moved here for many reasons, though there was one reason that stood out most, but....." Ivan shook his head slightly. "That's a reason I'll elect not to share. Let's just say my parents and I aren't on good terms." He looked up for a second, plotting out what to say. "It's not America that is, necessarily, the problem. Honestly, Australia or another English-speaking country would be just as bad. My parents, I honestly hate them. So imagine going to a place where you didn't know anyone and everyone else speaks differently and does things differently and all your friends are far a way, back in a place you loved. Naturally, you would do the human thing and hate where you were because you looked back." Ivan figured that it wasn't the best job at explaining he'd ever done, but, emotions were not compatible with the filter he used when talking.

[Mid]

(Sorry for late reply.)

"She didn't chop your head off?" Phoenix asked, an amused, surprised look in his eyes. "You did get lucky, then! It's rare for Sabrina to leave anyone's head attached for more than a few minutes." He chuckled a second, then shrugged, blushing slightly, when the boy said they must've been close and that Sabrina loved him. "She doesn't seem to have a heart, but I know she does." Phoenix bit at his lip, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"What I'm leaving behind," Phoenix snorted and shook his head, "Look around you, man. There's not much for me to leave behind. The main focus here is her, really. Sabrina has a lot to leave behind, but it's not my place to tell you the details. She'd kill me if she knew I'd said even that."

He listened to the other boy's explanation as to how he'd ended up in Chillton Bay. "Of course," Phoenix said, nodding in agreement. He didn't at all care that Ivan didn't want to share his parents' true motives; after all, Phoenix kept Sabrina's secrets safe, and he completely understood secrets. "If I had to leave everyone behind, I'd do it, but only on one condition... I can imagine I don't have to say it out loud?"