Shine Like Silver

As I expected, the cafeteria ran out of chicken sandwiches. The next best thing on the menu is a good helping of spaghetti and meatballs, good for a school menu that is. As I went on to the register to pay for my meal, something to the left of me caught my attention. A girl couldn't pay for her meal and was trying to persuade the cafeteria lady to let her eat.

"Come on, I'll pay for it next week." I girl pleaded.

"Sorry. If you don't have the money then I can't let you take the food." The cafeteria lady reached over and grabbed the food from the girl's hand.

I step in to intervene.

"Wait a minute, I'll pay for it."

"You don't have to do that," the girl said in a low voice.

"You don't have to go hungry either. " I took out some cash and gave it to the lunch lady and gave the tray back to the girl.

"Thank you," she said with a low voice, avoiding eye contact.

"Don't mention it," I walked away hoping to look for an empty table to sit at.

"Well look at you, paying for that girl to eat. You're so noble, Ken!" Harper said.

"I don't think I am noble, Harper. I just did what anybody would do if they were in my position. Or at least I would hope they would." I said telepathically.

"I believe anybody would help that girl out just like you did. You were just at the right place at the right time."

I didn't say anything. Noel might be correct and somebody else could have paid for her food, but I highly doubt that. Despite this school being based on religion, not everybody here actually practices the teaching of the White Church. I try to help people as much as I can whenever I can, but I am just one guy that has no power to change the world positively.

I was able to find an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria. Man, I wish I was allowed to eat somewhere else. Lunchtime is my least favorite day of school because it's the time of day when people of my age are the worst. Bullying, sexual harassment, rumors, and many other horrendous things occur during lunchtime. It's the prime example that I avoid talking to people.

Speaking of, Scott came over to where I was sitting dragging a poor girl with him. The first thing that stood out to me about her was her long silver hair and golden eyes.

The two of them sat across from me, putting down their lunch trays. Scott and his new friend decided to go with a cheeseburger and fries, a food item that I had sworn off after having it once. The meat patty was well-done, the cheese tasted like plastic, and the buns were not toasted. The worst culinary crime of the "meal" is that it comes with a side of soggy fries. I can overlook not toasting the buns, but having soggy fries is a crime against nature.

"Ken, this is Chloe Monroe. Chloe, this is Ken." Scott said.

"Hey, I saw what you did to that girl. It was really awesome of you to pay for her food!"

Cole said with a big, white smile.

"Uh, I don't think I did anything that special."

"Wow, you're nice and humble!"

"Ken is always like that. He goes out of his way to help anybody and everybody in need. One time, he sub in for a guy on the Kickball team because he broke his ankle. Not only was he good enough to actually play, but he helped win the game."

"No, he did not, shut up!" She said wide-eyed.

"Will you quit telling people about that, it's embarrassing," I said as I brought a fork full of spaghetti to my mouth.

"Why keep the truth bottled up? More people should learn of your incredible feats."

"I don't know, man. It just sounds like you're living vicariously through me."

"Pfft, no I'm not." He stuffed some fries into his mouth, probably in an attempt to run front the truth.

"Anyways, where did you come from before coming here?' I asked. Since Scott decided to force me to socialize, I might as well fulfill my obligation as a human being.

"I'm originally from the Mid-Plains and moved here because my mom had a job offer."

"The Mid-Plains huh? If I could, I would move there in a heartbeat." I said, putting my fork down. My food had gotten cold and inedible.

"Really? Why would you want to leave the big city just to live in the boonies?"

"Ken lives on his own so he can be a real cheapskate sometimes," Scott interjected.

I glared at him.

For all of the gods in the world, I will never understand Scott's way of trying to pick up women? Why use my life to impress them instead of just talking to them like a normal person. I swear he's trying to hook me up with Chole.

"No way! You live on your own?! How did you manage that?"

"By being abandoned by my parents when I was a baby," I said matter-of-factly.

"Oh." Chloe's face went dark. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not like I ever knew my parents to begin with. I'm actually content with my life right now."

"Way to bring the mood down, dude," Scott said in an annoyed tone.

"You know me, I am the dark and brooding type."

"How long have you two been friends?" Chloe said, finally taking a bite of her burger. Which probably went cold by now.

"Who said anything about us being friends? Scott is just a guy who just randomly talked to me one day back in middle school."

"You're making that up? There's no way that can be true?" She asked incredulously.

"No, it is true. Back in the day, Ken was a quiet kid so I decided to talk to him because I thought he was lonely. So after we fought, I just started hanging around him."

"You guys seriously fought?"

"Believe it or not, Scott can be very annoying. If I was you I would bail when you have the chance. Now if you excuse me," I got up to throw away my uneaten food, despite it being classified as a sin in the school.

It is after school and I decided to stick around for a little while. Nothing beats being alone in an empty classroom, the only downside is that I have to wait in the library for the teacher to go home.

"Is there a particular reason for you to stay here after everybody has already left?" Noel said, emerging from my body, with her sister right behind her.

"I just like the aesthetics of the sunset lighting the room. Living in Liberty City you can miss out on scenery like this, so I take what I can get."

It may sound a little bit corny, but that was one of the reasons I tried to be a superhero before I found out about the demons.

After fifteen minutes of sitting there alone, I decided to leave the building. To my surprise, Chloe was standing right in front of the door of the classroom. We both jump from the shock of seeing one another.

"Chloe? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same question, Ken?"