I stifled a yawn as the lunch bell finally rang out through the school. My classmates wasted no time jumping from their seats and linking up with their friends so they could eat together. Personally, I didn't like the cafeteria. It was far too loud for my taste.

Pulling my backpack from the back of my chair, I rifled through it for my lunch. It was nothing fancy, just a turkey sandwich with cheddar cheese and honey mustard, but it was enough for me. Along with the food, I pulled out the current comic I was reading.

It was a compilation book of several Deadpool comics. He's my favorite anti-hero and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've seen his movies more than a few times. Unfortunately, I've been slacking on the comics, so I'm trying to catch up.

Speaking of comics... I tugged my phone out so I could check the date. It's April 28th, which means Free Comic Book Day is in just seven days. I've only been once, but it was a decent experience. Well, if you can ignore the overwhelming humidity that overtook the store. We did get free pizza, though, so it was worth the pain.

"Excuse me."

I glanced up, seeing Kiku Hanimoto standing by my desk with his lunch box in his hands. He was a transfer student from Japan, having only been with us for a few months. I don't know much about him, but he seems like a pretty chill person.

"What's up?" I wondered, setting my comic down.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

It felt a bit weird that he wanted to sit with me, one of the least social people in class, but I didn't want to be rude. "I don't mind."

He smiled warmly before turning the desk around so it was facing my own, then he sat down, unwrapping his lunch box. As an avid anime watcher, I knew that putting the desks together during lunch was a common thing.

For a few minutes, we ate in silence, just enjoying each other's company.

"Is that comic good?" He inquired curiously.

"Yeah. Deadpool is the best."

"I've heard of him but have never seen his movies or read his comics."

"Do you want to?" I quirked a brow at him and he nodded.

"I've been reading manga since I was a child, so I'm quite interested in reading American comics!"

I hummed, reaching into my backpack again, grabbing another issue of the Deadpool series. "Here, you can read this one."

"Really?" His brown eyes sparkled as he reached for it, bowing his head. "Thank you!"

"I'm happy to spread the word of Deadpool," I chuckled.

A comfortable silence settled over us as we read and ate, occasionally commenting about something that had happened in the comic. Far too soon, lunch came to an end and he returned to the other side of the classroom.

I wondered if it would be a one-time thing, but he returned on Monday, excited to read whatever comic I had brought him. Although I am anti-social, preferring to spend time alone, it was nice to have someone to talk to. Especially someone to talk to about comics and anime since there weren't too many people at this school who enjoy those things.

When Thursday rolled around, I decided to ask him if he would be interested in Free Comic Book Day.

Kiku blinked at me, head tilted to the side. "Are they really free?"

"Yup! They have a full display set up with hundreds of comics that are completely free."

"Sounds fun! I can finally start building up my collection," he grinned.

"When is it?"

"This Saturday at Gotham City Limits."

"Will you be there?"

"Yeah. I'm hoping to score some more Deadpool comics."

"We should go together!"

"Sure, sounds fun. You probably don't know where it is, huh?"

He quickly shook his head. "I don't, but that's not why I asked, I promise!"

I chuckled, waving him off. "Don't worry about it. Do you know where Golden Coral is?"

"That's the buffet, right?" He tapped his chin in thought before nodding.

"It's across the street and a few blocks down from it. If you want, I can come pick you up...?"

"I'd like that, thank you!"

The bell echoed loudly throughout the school, signaling the end of the lunch period.

Kiku quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper, sliding it over to me with a smile before rushing back to his own desk. I looked at it curiously, realizing it was his phone number. It felt weird to make a big deal out of it, but... he was the first person to give me his number. I mean, it's not like I've asked anyone or tried to exchange numbers with anyone, but still.

It felt like a milestone that I've reached.

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The bus lurched to a stop in front of the apartment complex, the doors squeaking open. I could feel the temperature rising almost immediately, the heat outside easily overpowering the AC. Kiku stepped on, glancing around until he saw me sitting at the back. He carefully made his way through the crowd, settling down beside me.

"It's so hot today," he frowned, running a hand through his black hair.

"It's early, too. Only gonna get worse from here." I wrinkled my nose at the thought, turning my gaze toward the window as the bus started to move again.

"At least there's some cloud coverage," he added, leaning closer to me so he could peer up at the sky. "We won't be in direct sunlight."

"That's true. I wonder if we'll get free pizza."

"That sounds amazing. Pizza is delicious."

"Personally, I wish they offered tacos instead but I can see how that might be a bit harder than just serving pizza."

"I've never had tacos before," he commented with a human. "They're not very popular back in Japan."

I couldn't hold back my grin. "I've already converted you to the ways of Deadpool, now it's time to convert you to the love of tacos."

Kiku laughed softly, nodding his head. "That sounds great. I'm looking forward to it."

The bus lurched to a stop once more and I glanced out the window, seeing Golden Coral. "This is our stop, let's go."

He quickly stood up and I followed suit, the two of us climbing off the bus. I held back a groan as the weight of the humidity pushed down on me, threatening to sap all of my energy. Cicadas were screaming in the distance, the sound nearly drowned out by the traffic.

The road we were on was pretty busy so it took a while before we found a break in the traffic, allowing us to safely cross onto the grassy patch that separated the lanes. Another few minutes to cross the other side and we just had a couple of blocks to walk. I could see the building in the distance.

It was a rectangular building, about two blocks in length, with a variety of different stores inside. Gotham City Limits was located at the end, on the left side. People were already lined up under the overhang, the line easily surpassing the length of the building.

Most of them were adults, a few of them families with small children or teenagers. The owner of the store was a tall, thin man with blonde hair hidden beneath a cowboy hat. He held a microphone in his hand as he walked up and down the line, asking various trivia questions.

Kiku whistled as we got to the back of the line, standing just past the building so we had no shade from the sun above. "There's a lot more people than I expected."

"People love free things," I commented, holding my hand above my eyes to shield them from the sun. It was frustrating how the sky was filled with fluffy, white clouds yet none of them were covering up the sun.

Despite being at the back of the line, the owner's voice easily reached us thanks to the microphone he used. "Who can tell me what super villain was created when Emil Blonksy accidentally exposed himself to a concentrated burst of gamma rays? Answer correctly and you'll get this Spiderman patch!" He held up the small, round patch, showing it off to the crowd.

Several people raised their hands, mostly the younger kids who were excited about the patch.

His eyes scanned the crowd before landing on a woman holding a toddler. He smiled, holding the microphone out toward her. "Do you know the answer, miss?"

She looked embarrassed, but I could be sure if it was because she was put on the spot or because she didn't know the answer. "Um... I'm not sure, I'm sorry..."

"No worries, no worries!" smiled the man before moving on to a young boy that couldn't stand still. "And how about you, sir?"

"Abomination!" cried the boy cheerfully.

"That's correct! Here you go."

"Momma, momma, look!" He held up the patch proudly, making the adults near him chuckle at how cute he was.

"Next up, we have this Wolverine patch!"

Kiku shifted closer and I glanced at him, noticing how his eyes had lit up.

"You like X-Men?" I questioned him and he nodded.

"It was the first American movie I ever watched. I always thought Wolverine was so cool, I'd love to have that patch."

The man spoke up again, moving closer to the end of the line. "What super team includes a sentient tree-like creature?"

My hand instantly shot into the air, eyes wide. I admit that there's a lot I don't know about comics and superheroes, despite having an interest in them, but this one is easy!

His eyes scanned the crowd, choosing a round faced man. "How about you, sir?"

The man scratched the back of his head. "The X-Men, right?"

"I'm sorry, that's incorrect!"

The woman beside him scowled, smacking him in the arm. "The X-Men? Are you an idiot, Tom?!"

"I'm sorry, Nancy," he pouted, rubbing the spot she had hit him.

"Try harder!"

The host ignored them as he continued down the line.

I wasn't sure it would work, but I stared him down as hard as I could. His eyes finally caught mine but I didn't stop, willing him over so I could answer the question. When he looked away, I thought I had failed. To my surprise, he closed the distance, holding out the mic to me.

"Do you know the answer, miss?"

"Guardians of the Galaxy. Or Gardeners of the Galaxy if you played the game."

He chuckled at the last bit. "That's correct!"

I grinned, accepting the patch.

Kiku gave me a confused look. "Gardeners of the Galaxy?"

"In the Guardians of the Galaxy game, Groot fills out the paperwork for the team. I'm not sure if he changed the name on purpose or if he just didn't know how to spell guardians so he improvised. Here." I held the patch out to him and he looked at me in surprise.

"Are you sure? You won it fair and square."

"Don't worry, I'm never gonna use it. Wolverine is cool, but I'm not a huge fan." I took his hand, setting the patch against his palm.

A grateful smile came over his lips. "Thank you so much. I'll cherish it always!"

"You're welcome."

The line finally moved up and we were able to get under the shade of the building. It did little to cool us off, but it was better than being in direct sunlight. The last thing I want is a tan.

The host continued giving out patches for the next ten minutes before taking a break. We were about halfway to the store now.

I squatted down to give my legs a break, leaning back against the black glass of an empty store. The heat was making me tired and I couldn't hold back my yawns, no matter how hard I tried. Maybe I'm just sensitive to heat, but it always seems to just sap my energy. It's like a ghost draining the battery of a camera.

The host appeared again, his arms filled with bottles of water. He was followed by a woman, her own arms full. I could see water dripping from the bottles when they got close, meaning that they were cold. I quickly stood, hoping they didn't run out before getting to us.

"Here you go," smiled the man as he handed me the last one.

"Thank you." I took it from him gratefully and he returned to the store to get more. I didn't realize just how thirsty I had been until the water touched my tongue. I drank nearly half the bottle before tapping Kiku with it.

He smiled gratefully, taking a few sips, his eyes focused on the busy road. He seemed to enjoy watching the cars go by.

I realized that we had just shared a drink. To some, it's an insignificant thing. To others, it's a huge deal, whether positive or negative. Doesn't that mean we're officially friends? It seems like the kind of thing you would only do with friends or family. It made me wonder...

What is the threshold for becoming friends? Is it based on how long you know someone? How much you know about them? Or is it something else entirely? It's a fascinating thought, but it's one I wish I knew more about.

"Is something wrong?" he tilted his head to the side. "Do you want more water?"

I realized I had been caught staring at him. "No, sorry. I just zoned out."

He nodded in understanding, pressing the cold bottle to my cheek. "Try to stay cool. You can't get any comics if you pass out!"

I chuckled, holding the bottle in place so he didn't have to. "You're right. There's plenty of time to pass out later. Now, we have to stay focused."

Kiku laughed, bringing his hand to his mouth.

A car pulled into the parking lot, but instead of parking, it stopped in front of the store. Out came a man, carrying about six boxes of pizza. The smell drifted on the small breeze and it smelled heavenly.

"The pizza's here!" cheered Kiku with a grin.

Personally, I think it's strange to choose pizza, what with it being greasy and all. Then they go inside and touch the comics. It sounds like a disaster, especially with small kids around. Then again, they don't have many options. It's not like they can order Subway for everyone. Though that would be amazing. I'm also still quite partial to a taco truck.

I chose two slices of pepperoni while Kiku took only one slice of cheese because he felt guilty about taking more than that. The host assured us it was fine, but Kiku had made up his mind. We had finished our slices by the time we reached the front door.

Kiku patted my arm before holding up a tiny bottle. "Here, use this."

Blinking curiously, I held my hand out and he squirted a bit of the clear liquid onto my palm. The strong scent of alcohol reached my nostrils and I realized it was hand sanitizer, no doubt to rid our hands of any grease residue left by the pizza.

"Smart idea."

He beamed at the praise, nodding his head.

The inside of the store was tiny, the floor covered with shelves, displays, and tables. There wasn't a single inch of the store that wasn't covered with merchandise, from collectible figures to t-shirts. The walkway was tiny and I imagine it must be quite stressful for someone who is claustrophobic.

The people were super close together as they slowly moved around a set of four tables that had been covered with free comics, resembling a very long caterpillar. Because of how packed the store was between the items and the people, it was even more humid inside than it was outside. At least outside has a small breeze.

One would think that the super popular comics, such as the Marvel comics, wouldn't be included in the free comics. For the most part, they weren't, but there were a few well-known ones mixed in with lesser known titles. Well, they were lesser known to me, at least. I can't speak for the hardcore comic book readers.

By the time we made it around the group of tables and back toward the front door, we had both collected a tall stack of comics. It reminded me of those huge sandwiches that Shaggy always makes in Scooby Doo, though it did look less appetizing.

"Oh my gosh," Kiku patted my shoulder excitedly, motioning toward the shelf on my left.

I followed his gaze, seeing what had excited him so much. It was one of those Pop! Figurines and it was Wolverine. From where he was standing, he couldn't reach it without knocking over a few things. I stood up on my tip-toes and was just barely able to grasp it, setting it atop his stack.

"Thank you~"

I smiled in reply, turning back around. Now that we had an item with us, we couldn't just leave the store so we had to wait for the line to part before we could cross to the other side of the room where the register was. I was sweaty by the time we made it out of the store, the breeze feeling good against my moist skin.

Both of us had gotten some amazing comics and... well, I think we bonded.

As we walked toward the bus stop, I glanced over at Kiku who was admiring the Wolverine figurine. "Hey, Kiku?"

"Hm?" he looked over at me curiously.

"Thank you... for coming with me. I had fun."

"Of course! Thank you for inviting me. Can we go again next year?"

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." I couldn't hold back my grin.