Drowning in You

OLIVER I walked down the halls of NYU in a blur, passing people that I didn't care about; nodding to those that were lucky enough to catch my attention, not many people did. I like to think that I am a social person but only with those that in my mind mattered. I have a lot of friends and those are the people I talk to. If you aren't one of those people then sorry, apply again next year. I'm on the swim team and I know girls watch me, why wouldn't they? I have great abs and a nice ass if I do say so myself. It doesn't matter to me though. Okay, so there is one person that I wouldn't mind getting closer to. My thoughts were interrupted as a kid bumped into me. I looked down to see a kid with jet black hair, a black Green Day t-shirt, and black skinny jeans on. His head was looking down as he mumbled his apology and rushed off. I didn't have to see his face to know who he was, I'd been watching him. I had first noticed him one day when I got out of the pool and he was sitting up in the bleachers reading a book and listening to an iPod. I hadn't thought that much about him until the next day when I saw him sitting outside the cafeteria, alone. He didn't exactly look lonely, more like he was content. The only thing that stopped me from thinking he was happy sitting alone was when he caught me staring, and when our eyes locked and he looked back at me with those dark chocolate brown eyes I could see so many years of sadness in them. Almost as if he wasn't content with the solitude but had just gotten used to it. Those eyes are what made me watch him, even though I never noticed other people. From that day on I noticed him everywhere; in the halls, walking home, in the cafeteria, the pool, I would walk by classrooms, and out of all of the people sitting inside I would notice him sitting in the furthest corner away from everybody. His presence was so understated that it was hard not to notice him. Everyone else tried so hard to be noticed and he tried so little. But those eyes of his are what made me what to notice him. I mean hey, it isn't like I just stalked the guy and never said anything. I tried to talk to him once. Just once. I would've been better off not saying anything because it was as if I hadn't in the first place. As in, I made absolutely no impression on him. What happened was this: I was going to sit with my group of friends at lunch but then I noticed him sitting in his usual spot outside. I couldn't help it, I left my friends and went outside. I walked up to his table and sat my tray down. I thought maybe he would enjoy the company since he always sat alone. Boy was I wrong. "Someone is sitting there." He said in a bored tone of voice not even looking up. "Just here?" I asked questioningly. I was a little confused, no one ever sat with this kid. "No, all of the seats are taken." He said without looking up again. "Are you sure? 'Cause I've noticed every day, no one ever sits with you." He seemed to flinch at my words. I felt as if that was a little mean but hey I was trying to be nice to this kid and he was icing me out. I'm supposed to be the one that doesn't care about those that are outside my bubble, that was my thing. "Well then maybe I just don't want to sit with you." He said with venom in his tone and he set his book down angrily and looked up. I could tell by his expression that he was surprised that it was me. I never talked to outsiders. But he quickly regained his composure and his face lost all emotion again. "Aww, you wound me," I said with a mock expression of pain and my hands over my heart as if he had shot me. What can I say? I'm a sarcastic guy. "Whatever, I don't care." He said going back to his book. I took that as an invitation to sit and quickly began eating my food. This kid didn't care much about anything, did he? We sat there in silence for what felt like ages. I decided to try my hand at a conversation. "So, my names Oliver by the way," I said in between bites of my quesadilla. "Whatever." He said his face still buried in his book. "And your name is . . . ?" I asked prompting the conversation on. He shut his book aggressively and looked up at me and said, "Why do you care?" "Just trying to diffuse the tension." "Well don't. I don't wanna talk to you right now. Why do you think I sit by myself?" "Just thought you were like me," I said shrugging. This seemed to take him off guard as if he wasn't expecting he and I could have anything in common. "What do you mean?" He asked his face looking less aggressive as his features relaxed. Now that I was looking at his face I could tell he wasn't that bad looking a guy. I mean he just had that kind of sinister aura, like he'd seen things that would make others cry. "I mean, like, you don't mix well with other people. You don't care. Almost like you're comfortable away from everyone else." I said my head getting a little fuzzy. I had never explained to others why I didn't want them around, I just avoided them and made them think I just didn't like them. Then he said something in a sort of mumble and I said, "What?" "I said, 'My name is Raven.'" After that, he never talked to me again, but at least I knew his name now.