o9.
chapter nine:
PoV: you're with
your cheesy crush.
<3

The cafeteria was boisterous, filled with students happily chatting away. I spotted several familiar faces within the span of a few minutes. There was the senior group to the left, consisting of Alain, Brock, Angie, and a few other unfamiliar faces. To the right were the juniors, but I could not recognize anyone there except Max, May's younger brother.

The center table was occupied by my friends, probably in the midst of a discussion, but I did not dare join them. When Serena could leave her friends behind for me, it would not be right of me to not do the same.

"Yum! I-S-T-G their rolls are the best!" Serena exclaimed, licking her lips. The small action gave me butterflies.

"Hey, you gotta give me the credit! I was the one who suggested them!" I protested, digging into my sandwich. From the corner of my eye, I spotted the girl shrug.

"But I was the one who chose the spicy-cheesy wrap!"

"Aww," I cooed. "I never would have thought the sweet Serena would like spice."

Serena scoffed. "Stop being cheesy."

I found myself in an uncalled-for glaring contest, but it only lasted for a minute. It was impossible not to laugh at the stupidity of her statement. "I never knew your sense of humor sucked this hard!" I wheezed, pausing to take a sip from my fruit juice.

"You know you're good when somebody doesn't like your sense of humor," Serena replied, her tone smug. She offered me some of her French fries, and I obliged.

"You do realize that you're handing me your food, don't you?" I joked. The girl blew out a breath, reaching out to snatch the sandwich from my hand.

"And you do realize that you're dining with an absolute food thief, don't you?"

I quirked my eyebrow in response, noting with a faint sense of euphoria that she took a bite from my food. "I hope you do realize that you just bit from my food."

Serena's eyes widened, and she flushed, hurriedly putting the sandwich back on my plate. Then she did an exasperated, clumsy action and took it back. Before she could place it back on my plate, I snatched it from her. "Darn, how clumsy could the sweet Serena get?" I smirked, raising my hand to eat the rest of the bread.

"H-hey!" she exclaimed, almost gaining several stares, before her tone turned hushed. "I tasted it!"

I shrugged, not seeing any problem. "So what? Someone's gotta eat poor Mr. Sandwich lest you want him to rot in the bin."

If it were even possible, Serena turned beet. "That's not plausible enough—"

I cut her short with a smirk. Guess my charm is irresistible. "It's enough for me." And with that, Mr. Sandwich had been salvaged. The girl let out what sounded like a squeal before burying her face in her hands. It took her a few minutes to compose herself while I enjoyed her French fries.

"Anyways," I started, trying to shift the awkward silence that had fallen between us. At times, it really felt like Serena viewed me as something more than just a friend, but of course, I still was a dense idiot, as my friends loved to call me.

"Mhm?"

"Wanna go grab seconds of the wrap?"

Serena looked thoughtful, scratching her chin. "I think I could use one more."

I stood up, gathering our plates. The girl protested, but I told her off. "You're gonna have to start on campaigns and stuff. Wouldn't want you to get tired, so rest!"

"What about you, Mister Candidate for Soccer Captain?" she retorted, falling into step beside me and reaching for two of the dishes. I let her; it would be tedious not to do so.

"My real exam starts three days hence, but yours starts the instant the bell goes off!" Serena snorted, and we reached the counter. "Another cheesy wrap for you?"

"Yeah!"

I smiled. I was glad she shared the same affinity for food that I do. We placed our orders quickly, and Serena excused herself to use the restroom as I waited for the food to be prepared.

The cafeteria was built to accommodate over a thousand students, even if there were just about half of them present. A notice board stood off to the side, so I walked over to check it.

Several flyers were posted on it, advertising various clubs. There were the cottage ones, like the photography club and the bakery club; and then the likes of bigger ones like the soccer club, the drama club, the musical band, the essay club, and the dance club. Finally, there was another flyer informing about the student council elections that Serena would be taking part in.

When the order was prepared, I found May waiting to talk to me at our table. "Oh, Ash! Hey!" She waved me over, and we exchanged smiles as I approached. "You're sitting with Serena?"

"Yeah."

The girl gave a low snicker before quieting down at my glare. The cost of discovering my feelings was letting others in on my secret. "If you guys don't mind, will you join us at table two for a game of truth or dare?"

I frowned, nonplussed. "No, thanks. I wouldn't wish to throw whatever I have with Serena into the moat by playing dangerous games with you guys."

May pouted, drumming the table. "You won't be! Besides, this game's not gonna be about you guys. Solely, at least."

"That word's enough reason for me to turn you down."

"What word?" I froze, my eyes widening as I heard Serena behind me. How long had she been there?

"Hi Serena!"

"Hello!"

"I was just asking your friend, Ash, here to join us in a fun game. Do you want to as well? More the merrier!"

I didn't have to turn around to hear Serena's reply. "Sure! Why not? If Ash is joining, please count me in as well!" I sighed, not liking the sound of that. Couldn't I get just a bit more alone time with the girl I like?

But then again, I could not decline her either.

"Please, Ash? Serena's agreed too!" May begged, clasping her hands together. I let out a long breath and nodded reluctantly. Out of the corner of my eye, I witnessed May and Serena exchange a high-five.

As we walked to the table of doom with our seconds nestled in my hand, I could not help but feel a dilemma in my heart.

Should a relevant question pop up, is confessing to Serena the right thing to do? Sure, there were a few hints and clues that she might potentially return my feelings, but there was the nagging element of jealousy towards Calem that I could just not shake off.

I heard Brock's words of advice echo in my mind as I took a seat between Misty and Serena: "Just go with the flow, Asho."