>>66829230I'll call them related, sure.
>I gotta deal with Naser, today. From what Reed told me he... harbors some sort of interest in me. Surely this is some sort of mistake. Some miscommunication. I spy him at the usual lunch table, Naomi accompanying. I can't really bring this up with her here. I guess I can join them, regardless. It's that or sit alone, the band's not in the auditorium today.>I sigh and approach the table. >"Oh, hey Nona." Naser greets me with a smile. >"How nice of you to join us!" Naomi puts on her plastic smile and fake bubbly voice to address me. Hate that a lot.>"Heya." I try to casually as I can take a seat. I almost catch my foot on the chair and lose footing. I hear Naser chuckle and blush to myself.>Naomi starts the conversation immediately.>"So how're you?">"Fine." I brush along as well as I can. I'm not given reprieve yet.>"How's Fang and the band?" A smidge of concern lands itself in my psyche. She cares a lot about how Fang's doing. I try not to make a deal of it.>"Fine I guess. Still kind of upset at the concert a few weeks back, otherwise fine." I cringe at the thought of having to admit I was at the thing to them, much less inform them that I did indeed join the raucous laughter.>"I hope she gets better! Now I hate to do this but I gotta go." I blink as she tucks away the final parts of her lunch into her purse.>"Busy busy busy!" her voice has a tinge of exasperation in it.>"You can do it, babe." Naser assures her. Naomi and Naser rub snouts. Cute.>Naomi bids farewell, blaming anything from delinquent students to the board of education.>And now it's just us two. Alone. I start to clam up. I can't do this why did I think I could? Not on either of our lives.>"Hey, Nona?" he startles me>"Y-yeah?" my internal alarms reminding me loudly that I'm about two feet away from an apex stud.>"Can I... vent for a second?" I relax a bit. Oh thank god he's not just outright dropping it on me.cont.
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