So, this is something I wrote for a book idea I’ve been working on for a while. Hope you enjoy:

I watched him from across the room. I don’t know why he drew my attention. I’ve seen him around before. He was usually a party animal. He was always hanging around the most popular kids at school. But today he seems different. His back was slumped, and his expression was grim. His friends tried to talk to him, but he pushed them away. I was worried about him. The expression he wore was similar to the one I wore. The look of utter loneliness and sadness. 

Later that day at lunch, I found him sitting at the table I usually sat at. The one I sat at alone. I sat down across the table, far away from him as I could be. I focused on my lunch—peanut butter and jelly like always— trying not to stare at him. I heard a skid and a thud and looked up to find him sitting across from me. 

“I’m Cyrus. You don’t mind if I sit here do you do you?” 

I shook my head. 

He smiled a sad smile and continued eating his lunch—fried chicken and a small salad from the lunch line no doubt.
“You’re not very talkative, are you?” He asked me. 

I simply shrugged. 

“Hang on. I have an idea.” He dug into his backpack and pulled out a notebook and a pen. He flipped through the notebook till he came upon a blank page. He slid it across the table towards me and held the pen out to me. 

I sighed and took the pen. I can’t talk. I wrote. 

“Why not?” 

Hard to explain. 

He nodded. Suddenly, I had a thought and wrote something on the notebook. I handed it back to him, motioning to what I wrote. 

Why are you sitting here instead of with your friends?

“Why am I sitting here?” He read then he shrugged. “I needed a change.” His eyes fell on me, and I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. I looked away. 

“So, are you going to tell me your name.”
I smiled and wrote it down on the notebook. 

“Ayla. That’s a pretty name.”
I nodded and wrote “thank you” on the notebook. 

The bell rung, and I stood, taking my lunch tray and backpack with me.
“It was nice meeting you. See you around?”
I smiled and nodded. As I walked away I couldn’t help but mentally rebuke myself. Why was I so stupid? I couldn’t be friends with him. He will figure everything out, like they always do. And then we’ll have to move again. 

I couldn’t let him figure out my secret.