Survival Of The Fittest

“Sounds cool,” said Taylor, “I wish you both the best of luck.”

Taylor finished scarfing down her burrito. The beans tasted like they came from a can, wrapped in a bland tortilla. Oh well, at least it was filing. She moved onto the mixed veggies. Peas, carrots, corn, and green beans. They also tasted like the canned stuff you got at Wal-Mart.

“Of course, my main passion is tennis,” Taylor said, “Maybe working as a martial arts instructor will help me pay my way through college.”

"Sweet! Likewise, wish you all the best!"

Koa finished off the cheesecake with a couple more satisfying bites, leaving him with a carton of coconut water to wash his lunch down. The burrito may have been meh, but the cheesecake more than made up for it. Now he just had to figure out what to do with himself until lunch break was over.

Hmm. It was Wednesday, right? That meant Anime Club were doing screenings at the moment - Weeaboo Wednesdays, as some liked to call it. He whipped out his phone to quickly check the time... About twenty minutes left until lunch was over. With any luck, he'd still be able to catch the tail end of today's episode!

"Aaalrighty, think imma go drop by Anime Club" he said with tempered enthusiasm, getting out of his seat as he put his phone away.

"Was nice hangin' with ya! Can come with if you'd like, think they're screening One Punch Man today?"

Koa wasn't super sure if Taylor was really into that sort of thing, but it seemed only polite to ask.

“That’s okay, you go ahead,” said Taylor.

She thought it was nice of him to invite her to watch anime with him, but she didn’t have much interest. Anime was kinda weird to Taylor due to the tropes it’d use, like the big heads, teenagers who looked like children, and weird hairstyles. She thought the artwork for some anime were nice though, like the works from Studio Ghibli.

"Cool. Well, seeya around!" Koa replied, giving a quick wave farewell before making his exit.

As Koa made his way out the cafeteria, he couldn't help but find himself thinking back over his conversation with Taylor. About the little anecdotes they shared, their plans for the future, how their family influenced their interests. And yet, there was still one question burning at the back of his head - one he likely wouldn't be able to shake off for quite some time.

Who the hell left that friggin' sandwich in the boy's bathroom?

((Koa Tagaloa continued elsewhere...))

Taylor waved back at Koa as he left. She then got up to throw her styrofoam tray into the nearest trash bin. She checked her phone and saw she still had some time before her next class. Taylor decided to head to the library to get a head start on some homework. If she did that, she’d have more time to focus on her tennis skills. She left the noisy cafeteria.

(Taylor Turner, continued elsewhere…)