Chapter 20: Disordered Lunch

College cafeterias always smell like disappointment and microwaved pizza. I'm hunched over my phone, scrolling through Rose's texts from this morning, still not quite believing my luck. After the most intense weekend of my life with the twins, we somehow managed to make it to Monday without anyone passing out from exhaustion. Chem lab was a disaster this morning. I kept getting distracted by Lilly's fingers brushing against mine as we passed beakers back and forth, and Rose's constant innuendos about "chemical reactions" nearly got us kicked out when I knocked over a graduated cylinder. Now I'm alone in the cafeteria, picking at a sad excuse for a sandwich while I wait for my next class. The twins have Men’s Studies together during this hour. At least I'll get to see them again tonight. And according to Lilly, we might be able to take more classes together next semester. The thought makes my stomach do that weird flip it always does when I think about the twins. "Hey man, you eating alone?" I glance up from my phone to see a guy standing over my table, tray in hand, with an easy smile that somehow doesn't seem forced. He's tall with blonde hair and the kind of effortless good looks that would normally make me instantly distrustful, but something about his expression seems genuinely friendly. "Uh, yeah?" I reply, more question than answer, as I slip my phone into my pocket. "Why don't you come join me and my friends?" He jerks his head toward a table across the cafeteria where four girls are sitting, laughing about something. "We've got plenty of room." I hesitate, my instinct to decline kicking in hard. "No thanks, I'm fine." "Come on," he persists, his smile widening. "It's still early in the semester. Perfect time to make some new friends." I look over at the table he's indicating. One girl with dark hair has her arm draped around another girl's shoulder. The other two are engaged in what looks like an animated debate. "Alright," I find myself saying, surprising even myself as I gather up my sad sandwich and backpack. "Why not?" "That's the spirit!" He claps me on the shoulder like we're old buddies. "I'm Louis, by the way. Louis Hill." "Seth Miller," I mumble as I follow him to the table. "Hey, everyone," Louis announces as we approach. "This is Seth. He's joining our little lunch crew today." Four pairs of eyes turn to study me with varying degrees of interest. I immediately regret my decision to leave my solitary table. "Seth, that's Tara," He points to a girl with short black hair with an electric blue streak. "The lovebirds are Nikki and Justine," he indicates, the couple I noticed earlier. "And that's Irma," he finishes, nodding toward a pregnant girl with curly brown hair who gives me a small wave. "Hi," I manage, sliding into the empty chair Louis pulls out for me. I'm barely settled in my chair when Justine sits up straight, giving Louis an exasperated look. "Louis, you can't just bring random people to the lunch debates," she says, brushing her dark hair behind her ear. "That's not how this works. We have rules." Nikki, still with her arm around Justine, rolls her eyes. "That's not true, babe. Jason would have wanted us to make new friends." She turns to me with a smile. "Jason used to be our leader, but he’s no longer going outside." ‘What the fuck?’ Louis waves his hand dismissively. "Just ignore them, Seth. They argue about everything." I nod awkwardly, taking a bite of my sandwich to avoid having to respond. The table dynamics feel complicated. "I'm pregnant," Irma announces suddenly, staring directly at me with unsettling intensity. I swallow my bite of sandwich, glancing at her very obvious baby bump. "I can see that." She points at Louis without breaking eye contact with me. "It's his." My eyes dart between them as I struggle to formulate a response. "Oh. Um. Congratulations to both of you." Louis chokes on his soda. "Irma, you're scaring him." He turns to me with an apologetic smile. "Don't mind her either. She's an odd one." Irma leans forward across the table, her green eyes boring into mine with uncomfortable intensity. "You have the same look in your eyes that Louis had when I first met him," she says in a hushed voice. "Lost but found." The hair on the back of my neck stands up. Something about her gaze makes me feel exposed, like she can see right through me to the weird shit that's happened in my life recently. "I actually think I have to run," I mutter, already reaching for my backpack. "Class and all that." "Irma, stop being weird," Louis groans, grabbing my arm before I can escape. "Look, I'm sorry about all this. I just thought it would be nice to have another guy in our friend group. Jason's absence left quite the void for these women, they never quite recovered from." I hesitate, my fight-or-flight response still urging me to bolt. But there's something genuinely earnest about Louis's expression that makes me pause. "It's fine," I say, slowly lowering myself back into my chair. "I guess I can stay for a bit longer." Tara slides closer to Louis, her body brushing against his as she leans across the table toward me. "So, Seth, where are you from?" she asks, her voice honey-sweet. I glance between her and Louis, noticing how he doesn't react to her obvious flirtation. It makes me wonder if he's actually dating her or Irma, or maybe both of them? The dynamics of this group are confusing as hell. "Melrose," I answer, picking at the crust of my sandwich. "You guys?" "We're all from Salem," Tara says, still pressed against Louis's side like she's trying to merge with him. "Oh, nice. Locals." I nod, trying to keep the conversation going despite the weird vibes. The pregnant girl, Irma, hasn't stopped staring at me since I sat down. "Everyone stop," Justine interrupts, slapping her hand on the table with enough force to make me jump. "We're getting away from the lunch agenda." I blink at her. "Agenda?" "We take lunch very seriously here," Justine explains, her tone suggesting this should be obvious to anyone with a functioning brain. Nikki nods solemnly beside her. "It's sacred time. In lunch, order prevails." Justine nods and mirrors her statement. “In lunch, order prevails.” "God, I miss Erica," Tara sighs, finally detaching herself from Louis to slump back in her chair. My curiosity gets the better of me. "What's on the agenda today?" Justine reaches into her messenger bag and pulls out a folded piece of paper, smoothing it against the table with deliberate precision. Her face pinches as she reads it, eyes narrowing with obvious annoyance. "'Did Harambe deserve it?'" she reads aloud, then immediately glares at Tara. "What the fuck? We said no joke submissions!" Tara bursts into laughter, doubling over and slapping the table. Her whole body shakes with it, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "I couldn't help myself!" she manages between gasps. "You're always talking about the stupidest conspiracy theories. I figured it'd be funny to try something like this for once." "This is too far," Justine says, crumpling the paper in her fist. Her expression is deadly serious, like Tara just suggested we discuss something pure evil. "Yeah, that's so fucked up, Tara," Nikki adds, shaking her head solemnly. "Cunts out for Harambe." I choke on my sandwich, caught between laughing and being genuinely confused by whatever the hell is happening at this table. Louis notices and passes me his water bottle. "So you guys... debate topics during lunch?" I mutter, taking a swig. "It's not just debating," Justine explains, straightening her posture. "It's structured discourse on matters of importance. Jason started it as a way to keep our minds sharp." "But sometimes," Nikki adds, "it devolves into complete nonsense." Irma's intense stare hasn't wavered. "The gorilla knew too much," she whispers, placing both hands on her pregnant belly. "That's why they silenced him." Tara rolls her eyes. "See? This is exactly the kind of shit I was making fun of! You all sound like complete lunatics sometimes." Justine stares at Irma, her expression caught between horror and fascination. "Wait, you might actually be onto something... No, there's no way, right?" Irma caresses her swollen belly with slow, circular motions, her eyes taking on a faraway look. "I don't know. Perhaps my baby will reincarnate as the girl Harambe grabbed. The universe works in mysterious ways." Louis pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling deeply. "That girl is still alive, Irma. Harambe was the one who died." "The cycle of reincarnation isn't defined by time, Louis," Irma replies with absolute conviction. "That kind of linear thinking is dangerous for the baby." She locks eyes with him, her expression dead serious. "That's why we can't be together." I sit frozen, watching this bizarre exchange unfold. What the actual hell did I just walk into? Louis, however, just shakes his head like this is perfectly normal lunchtime conversation. Tara slides her arm through Louis's, pressing her body against him with renewed determination. "Don't worry, baby," she coos, shooting Irma a triumphant look. "Since you finally dumped Skye, we can be alone together." Louis sighs again, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Yeah." That's it. I've reached my weird-shit threshold for the day. I push my chair back and stand up, grabbing my backpack in one fluid motion. "Sorry," I say, not even trying to hide my discomfort anymore. "I'm not sure I'm a good fit for this... dynamic." Louis nods, a look of understanding crossing his face. "I get it," he says with an easy smile. "College is all about finding your people. If you ever want to hang out alone, though, just give me a yell." "Sure.”