Friends
1024 Words
I was standing near the table inside the cafeteria, waiting for the long line to finally end so I could order my food. I didn’t know it would take this long. Back in my hometown, it was either we brought our own lunch or went home to eat before coming back to school. Life in Manchester was… different. Everything felt foreign—the food, the people, even the way the air smelled. Having a life in another country without anyone guiding you was hard.
No one was there to teach me what to do or to tell me what was right or wrong.
While waiting for my turn, a man walked past the hallway. My eyes followed him without meaning to, and when he turned, our gazes met. His stare was sharp, familiar, and unreadable.
I knew he hadn’t forgotten.
“Do you two know each other?” Nick’s voice suddenly came from behind me, startling me.
I turned around and saw him grinning at me, his tray in hand, surrounded by three of his friends who smiled and waved politely.
“Mr. Joshua? No… I mean, we saw each other once at a grocery store,” I lied quickly, my voice a little higher than I wanted. “I just didn’t expect him to be my professor.”
Nick nodded, apparently satisfied with my answer, before turning to his friends. “Anyway, these are my people,” he said proudly, introducing them one by one.
The first was a girl named Terry—blonde, confident, and glowing with an energy that instantly reminded me of Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. She smiled brightly, her aura light and effortless. Then there were two boys: Kole and Harry. Kole had a calm, easy charm; his features reminded me of that guy from The Summer I Turned Pretty—I couldn’t remember the name since I never finished the series. I wasn’t the kind of girl who obsessed over romance stories, whether in movies or in real life. Harry, on the other hand, was tall, athletic, and dressed like a member of a sports team—football, maybe? Or basketball? I couldn’t tell. His dark skin mirrored mine, and for some reason, that made me feel a little more comfortable.
“We don’t actually waste our time standing in line here,” Nick said, glancing at me with a teasing smile. “Since you’re new, we’d like to invite you to eat with us instead.”
“Actually, girl, we don’t eat here,” Terry added, laughing at her own words.
“Okay…” I said, raising an eyebrow. “So where do you guys eat?”
“Somewhere that actually satisfies our cravings,” Kole answered smoothly.
“So?” Nick asked, tilting his head. “You coming?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, smiling a little. “I hate waiting too.”
We walked out of the cafeteria together, chatting lightly as we crossed the campus. After about ten minutes, we arrived at a restaurant called Delicious. I stopped in front of the sign, blinking in disbelief.
“Really? That’s the name? Delicious?” I asked.
Terry laughed. “Right? That’s also my reaction when I first came here. But I accepted it—especially when I found out who owns it.”
“You know the owner?” I asked curiously as we searched for a vacant table.
She nodded and pointed at Nick. “That guy.”
I almost choked on my own saliva. “Wait—Nick owns this restaurant?”
“His family does,” Terry corrected with a proud smile. “Not just this one, but half the restaurants around Manchester. His mom’s a chef, and his dad went into business to make her dream come true.”
“Wow,” I said, genuinely impressed. “If I had that kind of family, maybe I’d be rich too.”
Terry laughed softly. “If I had that kind of family, I wouldn’t be studying—I’d be on a yacht somewhere.”
We all laughed as we took our seats.
“Hey Naomi,” Kole said, reaching across the table. “Can I borrow your phone? I want to take a picture.”
“Sure,” I said, handing it to him.
“This is my first time holding an iPhone 15 Pro,” he said dramatically, posing for the camera. “I’m just going to take selfies for my fans.”
He winked, and we both chuckled.
Back in my town, my friends used to call me “the rich one” in our circle because I was the only one who came from a family with a small business. But even with that, we weren’t really wealthy. We were just starting—an agricultural business that barely supported twelve kids. I was one of them. That’s why I applied for a scholarship. I didn’t want my family to worry about tuition or expenses. I wanted them to focus on the things that mattered most. I wanted them to live without the weight of my dreams on their shoulders.
As we ate, I started to learn more about Nick and his friends. Even though the school year had just started, they already had so much going on. Harry had a football game in two weeks, Nick played basketball, and Kole will perform at a bar this Saturday, a gig everyone promised to attend. Terry on the other hand, is the school’s president for the College Student Government.
They told me they’d been friends since last year, though from the way they joke and teased one another, you’d think their bond started much longer. It is rare to find that kind of friendship—one that felt like family.
I found myself laughing, eating, and listening more than I expected. For a moment, it almost felt like I belonged.
Then my phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
My chest tightened as I read the message.
Meet me after class.
I didn’t need to guess who it was. I already knew.
It was from Mr. Joshua Wheeler.
- Writer
