Can I join you?
1170 Words
It was a bright morning.
Students filled the hallways of Westbridge High School as classes began for the day.
The clock struck 7:30 AM, and the campus buzzed with chatter, footsteps, and the distant ringing of lockers.
Inside Class 10-Einstein, the lesson was already underway.
By 8:30 AM, the class was deep into their History subject, taught by the notoriously strict Mr. Brown. His voice echoed across the room as he explained a timeline written on the board.
The classroom was unusually quiet.
That was exactly when the door slowly creaked open.
Julian Cross slipped inside, moving carefully as if he were trying to sneak past a sleeping dragon. He quietly closed the door and tiptoed toward his seat.
For a moment, it looked like he had succeeded.
He slid into his chair behind Marcus without making a sound.
But just as Mr. Brown turned to face the class again, his sharp eyes landed directly on him.
“Julian Cross.”
The room froze.
Mr. Brown folded his arms.
“Do you think I wouldn’t notice you coming in late?” he said dryly. “How could I possibly miss you? You’re usually the loudest student in this room. Without you, the class is practically peaceful.”
A few students tried to hide their giggles.
Julian rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Brown.”
Mr. Brown narrowed his eyes.
“It’s only the second day of class, Mr. Cross. I do not tolerate tardiness. Next time, I will mark you absent. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” Julian replied quickly.
Mr. Brown turned back to the board and continued his lesson.
Behind him, Marcus leaned slightly toward Julian and whispered,
“Where the hell have you been?”
Julian leaned closer and whispered back casually,
“Watched movies last night.”
Marcus gave him a suspicious look but didn’t say anything else.
From behind them, Adrian quietly tapped Marcus on the back.
“Dude, you’re too loud,” Adrian whispered. “I can’t hear Mr. Brown.”
Marcus turned and shot Adrian an irritated glare.
Adrian immediately looked forward again as if nothing had happened.
Marcus sighed and finally sat properly in his chair, letting the teacher continue.
Mr. Brown was known for being strict, and nobody wanted extra trouble this early in the morning.
The class returned to silence.
Then suddenly—
Click.
A ballpen slipped from someone’s desk and rolled slowly across the floor, stopping near the center aisle.
Julian noticed it first.
He leaned down and reached for it.
At the same time, someone else did too.
When Julian looked up—
It was Marin.
For a brief moment, their hands almost touched.
Julian quickly picked up the pen and handed it to her.
“Here.”
Marin accepted it gently.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“You’re welcome,” Julian replied.
But as he looked at her, a faint crease appeared on his forehead.
There was something about her expression that made him uneasy.
Marin glanced at him for a moment… then quickly looked away, lowering her eyes as if she were shy.
Julian slowly leaned back into his seat.
Still watching her.
Something about that interaction didn’t feel completely normal.
—
Lunchtime arrived at the crowded cafeteria of Westbridge High School.
The place buzzed with noise. Students gathered in groups at different tables, laughing, sharing food, and talking about classes. The smell of fries and burgers filled the air.
At their usual table near the corner, the five boys sat together.
Caleb was glued to his phone, thumbs moving quickly across the screen.
Adrian ate quietly, focused on his food like he always does.
Marcus leaned back in his chair, eating slowly while watching Julian with a suspicious look, as if trying to read what his friend was thinking.
Julian looked relaxed, casually chewing his food and occasionally giving Marcus a playful smile.
Theo sat at the end of the table, calmly eating while listening to music through one earphone.
Everything seemed normal.
Then a soft voice interrupted them.
“Umm… can I join you?”
All four boys looked up at the same time.
It was Marin.
Theo removed one earbud slowly and looked at her with a neutral expression.
Julian blinked in surprise but quickly smiled.
“Sure, Marin. Go ahead, sit with us.”
“Thank you,” Marin replied politely.
She pulled a chair and sat down with them.
Their table was arranged in a loose circle. On the left side sat Caleb, with Marcus beside him. On the right side sat Julian, with Theo next to him. Adrian sat in the middle.
When Marin sat down, she ended up between Caleb and Julian — directly facing Adrian.
Adrian looked up from his food for a second, then quickly looked back down.
Marin clasped her hands together lightly.
“Sorry if it seems random that I came over,” she said gently. “I don’t really have any friends yet.”
Then she glanced toward Caleb.
“But I know Caleb. We actually met during the summer… playing online games.”
The four boys slowly turned their heads toward Caleb.
Their expressions were identical.
Confused.
Suspicious.
Caleb suddenly grabbed his food and took a slow bite, pretending not to notice them staring.
After chewing, he looked up and smiled awkwardly.
“Yeah… we became friends this summer,” Caleb explained. “She’s actually superb at the games I play. I mean… who would’ve guessed, right? Marin’s into online games too. It’s pretty cool.”
Theo raised an eyebrow.
“Is that supposed to be a fun fact, Caleb?” he said dryly.
Julian chuckled.
“Well, it’s fine with me. If you want, you can join us every lunchtime.”
Caleb nodded quickly.
“Yeah, you can sit with us.”
Theo quietly observed Marin for a moment before speaking.
“So… where are you from?”
Marin answered calmly.
“I’m from Michigan. I used to study at North High before transferring here.”
She paused slightly.
“I live with my mother, but she travels a lot for work, so she’s not home most of the time.”
Theo nodded thoughtfully.
“Then why did you transfer?”
Marin looked down for a moment, almost shyly.
“They removed my scholarship there,” she said softly. “My mom could still pay for the tuition, but I didn’t want to rely on that.”
She gave a small, modest smile.
“Luckily, Westbridge accepted me. They let me work at the library too, which really helps.”
She hesitated slightly before adding,
“I also have a part-time job at a small coffee shop nearby… just to support myself.”
The table grew quiet for a moment.
The boys exchanged small glances with each other.
Adrian finally looked up again.
For some reason, Marin’s story made her seem even more… mysterious.
And somehow—
That only made them more curious about her.
- Writer
