Once inside the cafeteria, Jeane, Tricia, and Darren split up. After gathering their meals from the various stations around the dining hall, they found each other among the crowd of hungry students.
Jeane's plate had a meagre offering of stir-fry. They had asked for extra baby-corn on theirs, on the side they'd brought with them a glass of water, some milk, and a single éclair on a saucer.
Compared to Jeane's, Tricia's meal was significantly more substantial. Although eating solid food hadn't been a concern of Jeane's for a long time, they were nevertheless impressed by what Tricia had brought to the table. on her plate sat a hamburger, a massive pile of fries and enough coleslaw to feed a cavalry of horses. On the side she had brought a cup of soda, a donut, and strangely enough, a large, empty plastic cup.
Darren meanwhile, had arrived with only a bowl of soup, some crackers, and a glass of water.
Never one to let even a moment of silence go unfilled, Tricia spoke up:
"So why did you decide to come here anyway?" She asked Jeane.
"None of my classmates were coming here, so it seemed like a good choice."
"Oh? Why would that be a criteria?"
"Well..." Said Jeane, "Them and I didn't exactly have the greatest relationship..."
"Do tell."
"Well you know how it is. We all got along pretty well in grade school, but come puberty, and suddenly you go from being just another kid to class freak, just like that."
"Oh my god, that's horrible!" Said Tricia as she chewed on a bunch of french-fries.
"Yeah, I ended up making most of my friends online in high-school. Things were pretty lonely."
"So you didn't have any IRL friends at all?"
"Not really." Jeane decided to change the topic. "So how about you? You and Darren seem pretty tight-knit. What brought you here?"
"well we were friends all throughout highschool. Darren here has never been much of a talker, so I guess I was just his interpreter through high-school." explained Tricia. "Him and I are thick as thieves."
Satisfied, Trician and Jeane went back to chewing on their food. Jeane had saved the best part for last, and began sucking on the baby corns on their plate.
As Jeane ate, Tricia turned to Darren and whispered something in his ear. Suddenly the two of them got up and left, without saying a word.
Jeane was concerned. Had they said something to offend the pair of friends? Or perhaps were they too weirded out by Jeane's strange eating habits? Jeane's mind raced as they sat alone at their seat, finishing their meal.
Then, just as swiftly as they'd left. Jeane could see Tricia and Darren marching back to where Jeane was sitting. Tricia seemed to have a determined look on her face, while Darren seemed only a little bit less indifferent that he usually was.
"We got you something special!" said Tricia as she put down the cup she was holding. She seemed proud about her achievement, even though her quest had only taken a few minutes. "Go on" said Tricia, motioning towards the cup she had just placed on the table.
In the cup was a yellow liquid, which, judging by the warmth of the cup as they grasped it, Jeane could only assume was a tea of some kind. Jeane brought the cup to their nose and sniffed it. "Oh shit!" thought Jeane. The liquid had a very familiar acrid aroma Jeane had encountered many times before.
"Did you... make this?" Jeane inquired timidly to Darren and Tricia.
"Yes!" Beamed Tricia, "Do you like it?"
Jeane was dumbstruck. They could only speculate as to the source of the liquid they now held in their hand. Was it the product of Tricia alone? Or Darren? Had they filled the cup together somehow? Jeane thought better than to question it however, and tentatively took a sip of the warm liquid.
As the drink hit Jeane's lips, they were immediately filled with a sense of relief. They hadn't realized just how much their anxiety over where they would get their next meal had been affecting them. The familiar warm and salty flavour helped Jeane to appreciate the kindness of the gesture Tricia and Darren had just made. Jeane knew this kind of thing wasn't at all normal for them, and to have the pair embrace them unquestioningly was far more than Jeane has expected on their first day away from home.
"So?" pressed Tricia "What do you think?"
"Sgood" Mumbled Jeane, as they downed more of the liquid, their malleable throat opening up to accept as much of the liquid as possible.
Once Jeane had emptied the tinted plastic cup that had held their meal for the evening. The trio picked up their things, and prepared to head back to the dormitory. Jeane was thankful for the discretion whit which Tricia and Darren had prepared their first meal at their new school. In high-school, sitting down for lunch had be a humiliating process. Though they could never quite be sure what it contained, Jeane's classmates understood exactly what the large thermos they kept in their lunchbox was for.
Now finished with their meals, Jeane, Tricia, and Darren headed back to the dormitory for the evening.
