Chapter 7: Lunch Buddy
Arthur managed to get a plate of food—a hearty serving of what appeared to be beef stew with roasted vegetables and fresh bread, a meal that would have been unimaginable luxury just yesterday. With his hot plate in hand, he began to look for an empty table where he could sit.
The cafeteria was bustling with activity, students grouped together in animated conversations, laughter occasionally rising above the general din. There weren't many options for someone seeking solitude, and after scanning the room, Arthur only found one empty table tucked away in a corner.
After sighing in relief—the growing fear that he'd have to eat in the bathroom like a loser had been steadily mounting—he made his way to the table. Just as he reached it and placed his plate on the surface, someone else did exactly the same from the opposite side.
Arthur slowly looked up from his plate to see someone in front of him pretty much mirroring his motions, all the way down to the awkward and nervous facial expression Arthur wore. The boy was thin with mousy brown hair that fell unevenly across his forehead, and rectangular glasses that kept sliding down his nose.
Stumbling with their words, both Arthur and the stranger spat out in perfect unison: "S-sorry, I'll sit somewhere else."
Both boys looked at each other in shock and confusion for a moment.
'What is this guy, my shadow?' Arthur thought, bewildered by the coincidence.
After a few moments of awkward staring, the boy spoke in an unconfident, quiet tone, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "D-do you, uh, w-want to sit together?" The boy seemed like it physically hurt him to say that, his face flushing with embarrassment.
Arthur wasn't faring much better, but he responded while slowly lowering himself into his seat. "Sure."