Zelda’s pov: I never got his name. I stared at the wall, twirling my pencil. He ran off in such a flash and I never got to ask his name. No matter how hard I tried to focus on something else, my thoughts came back to him. The way he seemed so closed off from the rest of the world. The way that he disappeared so quickly. I couldn’t do my work. My thoughts were so distracting that when the bell rang, it spooked me. I gathered my things and pushed in my chair. Next period was study hall in the library. Once I got there I headed to my usual spot, a table tucked away between two bookshelves. To my surprise, someone else was already there. The boy I’d seen at the bus stop. He was asleep. Truly asleep, as if he hadn’t rested in days. I choked on a laugh. Sleep finally caught up to him. He seemed peaceful, as if this had been the first time in a while that he’d actually been comfortable. I sat down in the chair next to him, careful not to make too much noise. I didn’t want to disturb his peace, so I moved as slow as I could. The book in his lap was Ancient Serpents of Hyrule. Of course it was. I pulled out my computer and began working, watching him from the corner of my eye. I knew if he woke up too quickly, I could startle him, so I tried my best to make sure I was calm. Minutes passed. He began to twitch back into reality. His eyes peeled open slowly, unfocused. I continued working, to make myself seem unthreatening. I knew his peace was finally disturbed when his hand tightened around the strap of his backpack, as if I was going to take it away from him. When his breathing became panicked, I lowered the lid of my computer. “Hey,” I whispered, “It’s just me. You’re fine.” “Are you trying to follow me?” He muttered, rolling his eyes. He had so many walls up. I wondered why. Was he afraid that he was going to get hurt if he even tried to trust someone? It seemed that way. I continued working. He stared at me, as if I would vanish. I pulled something out of my bag and slid it across the table. It was the granola bar I kept in my bag for snack, but he needed it more than I did. “For later.” I mumbled. I wasn’t expecting him to take it. But he did, hesitantly, and stuffed it in his bag. I held back a grin. If he trusted me enough to take my food, then I was closer to knowing who he was. I wasn’t expecting a thank you, and I never got one. “You didn’t have to.” He huffed. “I know.” I continued typing. “But you need it more than I do.” I thought I caught him grin. Or maybe I just imagined it. He didn’t go back to reading. Just tilted his head back and rested. Good. For a moment there, I thought I heard him hum. Or not. I finished my paragraph and shut my computer. He was still there, but he went back to reading. He seemed better rested, but I wouldn’t start talking to him again. Not yet anyway. I would let him decide when he was ready. That was better than force. I watched as his fingers absentmindedly tapped the table. I could tell he was bored. I didn’t know what else to do, so I made a weird noise. A small one, but loud enough he could hear. He snorted. That was something I was clearly not expecting. I bit back a laugh, but let it out once he began to laugh too. After only a couple seconds, his whole face changed, like he realized what he was doing. Judging by his reaction, he hadn’t laughed in a while. It may have been his first time in months; maybe years. I noticed him tense. He went back to his book, as if nothing happened. I don’t think he was used to positivity. If what I thought was correct… The bell rang and startled both of us. I got up and packed, like I did every time. In a quiet voice, I said, “Come find me at lunch, if you want.” Just an invite. He didn’t need to come, only if he wanted to. He relaxed. Only a little. “See you then?” I added. To my surprise, he nodded. “See you then.” And with that, I left the library, grinning.
