Chapter 49: Heartwarming
Compared to every other week in Spirit Week at Silverlake High, Thursday was the one with the least activity, with most of the activities concentrated towards the tail end of the day.
It was also why the rest of their tests were fixed on that very same day, one that did a good job of sapping away all the energy of the senior students after their vibrance from the previous day.
Nonetheless, there were still a few nice events, the rare gratitude chain exchange being one of it and the photo ops at the school park being the other.
The latter especially, was what a lot of the ladies were really looking forward to.
Afterall, asides from all the photo booths spots, it was also the moment the banners from each respective class would be revealed, allowing for more photo opportunities for them.
More than that though, was the general theme and dress code for the day; Career Day.
Considering a lot of students had surprisingly taken it seriously, everywhere looked pretty lively despite the overall lack of activities.
Half of the gang had equally come prepared, with Clyde dressing up as a DJ, Benjamin as a head chef and Larry as a rockstar.
As for Aiden, Casper and Theo, they were all in normal fits, prompting their buddies to curiously question them... especially since they’d all confirmed they would indeed dress to school for the day.
"Lemme guess..." Clyde pointed to Casper and said, his eyes squinting;
"Author?"
"Oui." Casper snapped a finger at him in response with an effortless wink.
"How about you, Theo?" Larry asked of the youth who simply smiled with a quiet pride, his response honest;
"You all already know what it is..."
To that, the gang seemed to don an ’Ah...’ expression, their heads bobbing softly in acknowledgement.
Game developer. They didn’t need any fancy dress codes.
"And what about you?" Benjamin naturally turned his attention to Aiden, as did everyone else.
"Take a guess," the youth folded his arms across his chest... only to realize he had given the gang the worst possible ammo to riddle him with.
"Professional cuddler?" Larry ventured first, his grin mischievous.
"Guys," Aiden let out a resigned sigh.
"Motivational speaker?" Clyde asked with a gestured palm.
"Guys," he repeated.
"Train pusher?" Benjamin ’thoughtfully’ tilted his head.
"What?" he confusedly asked.
"Oh! I’ve got it! Feng shui consultant?" Casper snapped his fingers, his eyes gleaming in amusement.
"The hell is that?!" Aiden remarked in genuine concern to which he immediately dismissed as he began walking away;
"You know what, forget it. I’m done with you four,"
Naturally, his buddies laughed in response whilst trailing behind him. Theo, on the other hand, had a genuinely thoughtful expression on his features as he walked alongside the gang.
Just as he was about to offer a genuine guess though, the bell rung and a unified groan swept through the lawns, Benjamin and Larry similarly joining in.
They did have three tests today after all, with Calculus being the very first one.
In any case, it didn’t take long before the students settled into their respective classes and the periods began.
...
...
...
Lunch break came around, and the gang proceeded to head out of the class and over to the cafeteria.
This time though, they were planning to grab snacks that could be eaten on the go and return to the computer room to check in on a couple things Theo wanted to bring their attention to.
They had also decided that it was high time they came up with the name of the game and equally, the name of their little indie team.
Afterall, they didn’t want it to be a last-minute thing that would ultimately sound cheesy just ’cause they never put much thought to it beforehand.
Asides from that, Casper also wanted to share the rough sketches of the scripts he’d written pertaining to the game’s story and wanted their opinions and feedbacks on it.
Telling his buddies to go on ahead without him, Aiden branched by his locker to pick up something he’d tossed in earlier in the day.
A gratitude chain. One he’d made yesternight at home using some leftover cardboard they’d used in decorating their class banner following their Regent Cup victory yesterday.
Since most students thought it to be a rather cheesy thing to do, especially since they were now in high school and they believed they had some sort of social image to maintain, they often never participated in the act of exchanging said chains despite it being part of the Spirit Week theme.
The current Aiden however, couldn’t have cared less.
People needed to know they were loved and cherished, and he wouldn’t ever let his pride or other people’s opinion of him get in the way of showing that love.
Casually, he made his way over to the cafeteria, much to the curiosity of his buddies, peers and every other student who watched as he carried the chain in his hands.
Before his buddies could even ask whom he’d made it for, Aiden walked over to the counter and said to the chubby middle-aged lady from across it with the warmest of smiles;
"I know it’s not much, but this is for you, Mrs. Rodriguez,"
"Thank you so much for all your hardwork. Lunch at Silverlake High just wouldn’t be the same without you." Aiden extended his arms over, and placed the chain around her neck.
Though Aiden had now become Mrs. Rodriguez’s favorite student given how much he always appreciated and checked in on her every time she served him up a meal, this particular gesture stunned her to no ends.
Soon enough, her eyes actually glistened with tears and she reached over the counter to pinch his cheeks affectionately;
"Ay, mijo. You sweet, sweet boy." she smiled and said, her voice already wavering.
Then she gave his cheek another gentle squeeze before carefully touching the paper chain around her neck as though it were something precious;
"Nobody has ever make me one of dese before,"
For a moment, she simply smiled, blinking away the moisture gathering in her eyes.
"You know..." she then continued with a soft chuckle
"Every day I wake up before de sun. I cook for hundreds of hungry niños, and most days, people are in such a hurry dey forget dere is somebody on de other side of de counter." shrugged lightly.
"But you..." she tapped him lightly on the chest, her smile returning and warmer than before as she continued;
"You always say ’tank you.’ Always ask me how my day is, and how I am doing."
"Dat means more dan you know." she shook her head fondly.
Then, unable to help herself, she reached over the counter and pulled Aiden into a brief, motherly hug;
"Gracias, mi hijo."
Then she pulled back, her smile so bright, the corners of her eyes crinkled;
"You have a beautiful heart. Never lose dat, okay?"
"I won’t, Mrs. Rodriguez." Aiden assured her, his cheeks and ears red, yet his smile so wide and genuine, his eyes were equally crinkling at the corners.
To that, the woman nodded in acknowledgement and then added as she gently patted his chest once;
"De world already has enough smart people, and it always need more kind ones."
Then, raising her voice so the rest of the cafeteria could hear, she proudly announced as she pointed at Aiden with an emotional smile;
"You boys! Your friend! He is being raised right!"
As several other students instinctively looked over, the others whom had been watching their interaction from the onset pretty much unable to tear their gazes away, Mrs. Rodriguez simply beamed at Aiden once more as she said whilst laughing through a sniffle;
"Now go, go. Before I start crying in front of everybody."
"And next time," she wagged a playful finger at him.
"I sneak you an extra cookie. Don’t tell nobody." she quietly added with a wink.
To that, Aiden genuinely laughed one of the heartiest he ever had, his unbridled mirth echoing and carrying through the cafeteria as his eyes equally glistening as he swiped at their corners.
Honestly, he hadn’t expected this much of a reaction from the woman. He’d honestly just wanted to make her day by reminding her that she was just that invaluable to their school.
Yet, even he couldn’t have thought he’d receive such strong motherly warmth and advice from her. One he frankly hadn’t in a very, very long time.
It felt heartwarming. Really, really heartwarming.
In any case, after grabbing his snacks and waving the kindly woman goodbye, he and the gang finally headed out of the cafeteria.
Yet, even despite that, his presence and actions had left a profoundly poignant mark on so many teens in the cafeteria.
It had to remembered that Aiden had already gotten very popular, enough that several of his juniors in the lower grades saw him as the ideal senior. The kind they’d like to emulate.
Yet, Aiden himself remained unassumingly and obliviously unaware of it.
It was also why, he probably wouldn’t have fathomed the ripple effect that single act from him would have across the school, not just the rest of day... but across several generation of students to come.
At the moment though, he and his buddies had finally arrived at the computer room and it really didn’t take long before they got down to business.
Soon enough, they got to the main crux of their little meeting.
Deciding what the name of the game and their indie team would be called.