KEVIN

After enduring a marathon of awkward selfies with random kids I'm sure I never knew existed before, I finally made my way to the cafeteria. And to my surprise, it was eerily quiet. And I never knew I'd say this but, I was glad it was. The usual chaos and chatter were replaced with an unsettling stillness. But, as I approached the lunch counter, my day took an unexpected turn. The lunch lady with the big mole on her nose and notorious for her gruff demeanor and soggy vegetables, greeted me with a warm smile. And, in a shocking twist, she handed me a tray loaded with culinary heaven: crispy fries, a juicy steak, and a scoop of creamy ice cream. I was in love. Where had she conjured up this feast? I didn't care. All I knew was that I was spared from the usual "healthy" fare that tasted like cardboard. The rich kids' food was actually edible today! I dug in, savoring each bite, and for a moment, all was right in my world. As I savored each bite of my unexpected feast, I looked up to meet the warm, brown eyes of Kevin, his familiar smile creasing his face. He pulled out the chair across from me, spinning it around to straddle it with a relaxed air, his chest leaning against the backrest. "So, you escaped the love fest too?" I asked, barely chewing the food in my mouth.

Kevin's reply came with a hint of detachment. "Yeah, not a huge fan of sappy love stories." I sensed a depth to his words, a hidden meaning beyond the casual tone. His perfect smile seemed to mask a underlying unease.

I chose my words carefully, "Romeo and Juliet isn't really my thing either." Kevin leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "On the bright side, at least they did it before it all went down!" He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. I shook my head, laughing. "Well, aren't you the optimist!" I teased, trying to lighten the mood. But Kevin's gaze lingered, his expression hinting at secrets beneath the surface.

"Care to join me?" I asked, gesturing to my plate piled high with fries, steak, and ice cream - the epitome of a spoiled teenager's dream meal. But Kevin's response was icy, his voice as cold as the silver spoon I didn't need to stir my drink. "I'm good."

I refused to let the conversation die, though. "So, what's up?" I pressed on, trying to sound nonchalant despite my interest in the mysterious boy that drove a convertible - a luxury his parents apparently had no problem indulging.

Kevin's reply was curt, his eyes fixed on the keys in his hand, jingling them with a hint of restlessness. "Nothing much, I was just about to step out!" He flashed me a glimpse of his sleek ride, a symbol of the freedom and wealth that came with being a fellow member of our school's elite crowd. I mean, who else got to drive a convertible to school? Only Kevin, the poster child for teenage privilege.

I tilted my head to one side, my highlighted hair swaying in the motion and whispered, "So, you're gonna ditch the rest of the classes?" My voice was laced with excitement, my eyes sparkling with the thrill of playing hooky. Kevin nodded with a smirk, his piercing eyes glinting. "I'm sure I've had enough of love for one day." He joked.

But my sentence trailed off as Kevin's phone buzzed, breaking the spell. He glanced at the screen, his eyes scanning the message with a flicker of interest. A small frown creased his forehead, his brows knitting together in a brief moment of concern. But it was quickly replaced by his usual charming smile, his emotions expertly masked like a pro. He was a master at hiding his true feelings. I knew something was wrong.

I finally mustered up the courage to put my pride aside and asked, "Hey, are you okay?" Kevin's smile was like a ray of sunshine, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he began to respond. But before he could answer, the cafeteria erupted into chaos. Students swarmed around us, waving and calling out my name. Ugh, great. Just what I needed.

Kevin stood up, giving me a friendly slap on the shoulder. "That's my cue to leave," he said with a chuckle. I nodded, watching as he turned to make his escape. "Hey, are you okay?" I called out again, not caring about the commotion around us.

Kevin flashed me a reassuring smile over his shoulder. "I will be!" he said, his voice confident, but his eyes hinting at a deeper story. I watched as he effortlessly navigated through the crowd, his tall frame and brooding good looks making him almost invisible in the sea of students.

It was no surprise that Kevin wasn't the type to get caught up in the drama and cliques of our school. He had always kept to himself, politely rebuffing Anne's attempts to snag him as her boyfriend and Josh's efforts to recruit him into their popular crew. But for some reason, he had taken a liking to me - maybe because I was the only one who didn't fawn all over him, or perhaps because I never pried into his business. I had stumbled upon his birthdate once, and realized he was a year and a half older than me, which made me wonder if he had repeated some classes. But I never asked, not wanting to make him feel uncomfortable or embarrassed.

I didn't know much about kevin, apart from the fact that he lived in a beautiful mansion with his single mother and baby sister. He never talked about his father and I never asked too, there was this part of me that I'm not sure I like very much. I never seemed to ask people about things they didn't want to talk about no matter how close we may get, I think it all started after grandma's death. Sometimes I call it fear of knowing and sometimes not caring, I don't know what it is actually but I just feel if people wanna let you know, you're gonna know. I can recall the day kevin came to school with several scar and puncture wounds that he seemed to perfectly hide from everyone but not me. It took a lot of rehearsals in my head and pain before I could finally ask him what happened and when I did, he replied with a quick, "don't worry I'm fine." From there, I didn't push it further. That's when I knew something was definitely wrong with me