In Relative Solitude

[Aura]

(Jake Mordetsky continued from Morning at the Mordetsky Mansion)

The Auditorium.  It's always nice and quiet around lunchtime.

This was the main thought that went through Jake's head as he quietly entered the auditorium, being careful to make as little noise as possible.  After all, he didn't want a bunch of people coming in after him.

The truth was, Jake Mordetsky didn't like crowds.  Large groups of people always made him nervous.  Whenever he walked through the halls between classes, and students packed the halls like sardines, he felt a little bit uneasy.  The lunchroom wasn't much better, with people talking and laughing while the room seemed to echo the loudest noises.  That's why Jake never ate in the lunchroom.

He preferred it in the auditorium, which was almost always empty at lunchtime. The peaceful silence calmed him, while the seats provided a comfortable place to rest.  He would come there almost every day during lunch period.  Away from all the noise.  Away from all the crowds.  He was surprised that no one else had thought of this before.  Then again, if too many people came to the auditorium for lunch, than the peace and tranquility would be shattered, and the spot would be ruined.  It was probably for the best that he was the only person there.

For about an hour a day, it was his little paradise.

Jake pulled his sketchpad out of his backpack and placed it on the seat next to him.  He planned to do a little bit of drawing once he had finished eating.  Next, he unpacked his lunch, a brisket sandwich with honey barbecue sauce.  He silently thanked his dad as he prepared to unwrap the butcher paper surrounding his meal.

A smile creeped across the smaller Mordetsky sibling's face.  For a few brief moments, he was calm, content, and happy.

...But the longer he sat there, all by his lonesome, he remembered how his father worried about him, about how he didn't have any friends due to his crippling shyness.  Sitting alone in an empty auditorium at lunchtime wasn't going to resolve any of that.

Why was he such a coward?  It was something that he had often wondered himself.  He could just be naturally shy, which was a logical explanation, but this went beyond simple shyness.  He outright avoided people out of fear.  How can that be normal?  It's not!  It can't be!  He was terrified of people rejecting him.  Yes, that's what it was.  If his own mother doesn't even like him, then why would anyone else?

Deep down, Jake had always felt this about himself.  Whatever he did, it was never good enough for her.  When he drew a picture, she ignored it.  When he aced a test, she barely noticed it.  When he built a robot, she raved about Stacey's modeling contract.  He just wasn't good enough.  He never was.

...But, would everyone else think so?

Jake had never tried making friends out of fear of rejection, but would they all be as judgemental as his mother?  He wasn't sure.  Maybe they would be a little more like his dad.  A little more accepting of his faults.  Yeah, maybe the other kids might even like him.  He wasn't sure, but maybe he could give it a shot.

As soon as Jake finished this line of thought, he realized that he had already finished his sandwich, as well as the fact that lunch period was almost over.  Quietly, he packed up his things and left the auditorium.  As he walked out into the halls, he once again had the slightest smile on his face.

Maybe today won't be so bad after all.

(Jake Mordetsky continued elsewhere...)

[decoy73]

((Zubin Wadia continued from Economic Comics))

Zubin finally got some time off for lunch. Normally he would have just been lazy and eaten in the lunchroom, but there was no room and they were using disposable gear, so he figured it didn't really matter. As such, he walked in with a plate of pizza, some napkins, and a Coke. There was just one guy in there, which was good enough for him. That meant he could eat his food and then drop off to get some sleep during his free period.

He walked over to a seat near the guy and started chowing down on the food he had gotten, nodding to the other guy.

((Zubin Wadia continued in We Rule the School))