The noise was beyond deafening, everywhere around us was buzzing with different voices and different sounds...

Metal plates clanking eagerly against wooden tables from the Junior side of the cafeteria, loud murmurs, argumentative tones and happy singing from the Senior side of this huge Hall.

The state of our refectory right now reminded me of an American high school cafeteria, the noisy chatters, our school was so stereotypically American in ways I didn't even fully understand, sometimes Emerald Academy felt like a pool the size of an ocean that I'd only dipped my toes in.

My friends and I were currently seated on our new table on the Senior side, every session we changed sitting positions thanks to our rise in grade. And now we were finally on the opposite side of the Hall we'd stayed in for three sessions.

Surprisingly we sat directly opposite the 'Maka's'.

Girls who sat there had the word 'Amaka' attached to their names, each table was big enough to accommodate 10 people comfortably with a long wooden bench at each side.

They were only three 'Amaka's' in SS1, the remaining 7 seat owners were shuffled daily, seemed like they were picked according to popularity level. 7th grade to 9th grade, Rooney had a special seat reserved for him right next to Chiamaka.

He also permanently stopped sitting on their table 3rd term, 8th grade.

Stopped sitting next to Chiamaka who loathed me, she dated Rooney back in 8th grade but Rooney swore he'd never dated her, I had this strong feeling that she was the reason behind Kenelum's hatred for me.

I didn't know why. I just felt it.

"Hello Chicas hermosas(Beautiful ladies)" Williams said behind us and then plopped himself right beside Jasmine.

"Chica means beautiful right? That's what Ms Cara de Culo says it is." Jasmine pipped up.

"Did you just call our Spanish teacher a butt face?" We all turned our heads quickly towards the unexpected voice.

Arthur.

"Ah. So Arthur understands Spanish. And you know, Spanish is the most romantic language in the world. Muna you're extra lucky." Williams wiggled his brows at me suggestively and I gave him a ghost smile.

Every single day, I imagine a scenario with my hands around his neck.

"No!" Silvana yelped loudly, "French is. La langue est si romantique. Paris est la ville de l'armour me rappelle? " Her French accent sounded natural, so natural I didn't hear a word she said, we all then turned to stare at her waiting for a translation.

"French is. The language is so romantic. Paris is the city of love, am I right?" Silvana rapped out quickly and I nodded.

The overall mood on this dinning table suddenly switched and Williams stared above my head.

I turned my head backwards when I noticed the shadows on our table.

Savage B's boys. Rooney and Arthur's friends were all standing behind me, being all static and bored.

Segun finally broke the silence, "Arthur, bro you're choosing learning over pressing?" He asked with a frown and squinted at nothing in particular.

"You want to hang out with them?" Dominique asked, his voice was deep and way too manly to belong to anyone without his body.

"What's wrong with hanging out with them?" Jasmine spat out with a glare.

"Girl nothing is! Just surprised he's choosing brain over free tities, he's been doing that all through out today.. Which is weird." Dominique gushed out awkwardly. Even with that body size, fearing Jasmine was an auto reflex for everyone.

"Well, I'm just surprised he's going after you..." Kenelum sent daggers with his eyes and Jasmine gave a fake cough while hitting the table.

His eyes widened and he stepped back, "Not like anything is wrong with you... That much, but you're Rooney's girl.. Unfortunately." Kenelum offered some sort of explanation in an attempt to appease Jasmine and she rolled her eyes.

"She's not his girl anymore... She is single." Arthur grumbled and sat down beside me.

"C'mon, guy I told you to kill that stupid crush. " Kenneth said

Arthur shrugged. "I killed it, she's not just a crush anymore."

"She's way more than that. " He added and his friends all groaned and growled.

Kenneth yelled, "Guy cmon now!"

"What's your own self?" Kenelum muttered.

"Dude.are.you.okay? "Dominique asked, so very slowly.

"Imagine if Rooney came back." That sentence froze everyone including me.

We all stared at Nonso. The comment maker.

"Shuu(What!?) I said imagine. Imagine! Ah God" He spoke up quickly.

"Yeah.. What if he comes back?" Segun backed Nonso up.

"I can tolerate you being with Rooney but I'll never tolerate you jumping from one guy to another... One close friend to another. How cheap you wan be (Do you wanna be?) Stop moving like a prostitute." Kenelum said and I sucked in a breath.

Counting down until he gets out of my sight.

He turned to leave and Kenneth followed suit.

Why does he keep calling me a Prostitute? I didn't do anything to him? I don't even act like a one, so why does he keep doing this?

I didn't do anything to him.

Arthur was tapping angrily on the sides of the table as he watched Kenelum walk away with the rest of the savages minus Nonso.

A loud exaggerated giggle told me where they'd settled. 'Maka's'

I could've said Arthur now controlled his anger better than he did before- If he didn't stand up 5 seconds later.

Our eyes met and he had a frown on. I honestly thought he'd go all 'Arthur' on me and punch Kenelum, but instead he walked out.

I glanced at Kenelum and saw him sigh.

And his reaction was understandable, Arthur did get into a lot of fights a while back.

He was always punching somebody, back then...

"What are you waiting for Senhorita? Go to him, calm him down. He's obviously angry cause of what that Kene bla bla guy called you." Williams said and I shook my head.

I didn't like getting involved in things that didn't concern me.

Even though it did now.

"Muna.. You know, Arthur has really changed." Silvana started laughing.

"I swear, he would've punched Kenelum since. And Rooney would now be separatin-" Nonso stopped talking again when we all quirked our eyebrows at him.

"- The.both.of..them. Okay, so I'm not supposed to talk about Rooney and Arthur in the same sentence?" He asked, then continued. "Okay, got it. Now stop looking at me like that. Eesh"

I stood up quickly and started fighting the impulse to sit back down, so before I could think and change my mind, I willed my legs to walk.

"So you're going?" Jasmine grinned at me..

"Yes. But if I'm not back before prayers, don't eat my food. None. Of. You. Should." I stared hard at the four of them.

"No promises." Williams smirked at me.

I groaned and walked away, feeling everyone at 'Maka's' table eyes on me.

This felt weird, chasing after him when he clearly didn't ask me to.

Took two minutes of squinting my eyes in the newfound darkness of the night to find him. I groaned inwardly before giving an unexpected shiver...

Every dinner time, five minutes after we've arrived at the Cafe the sun sets and temperature drops and it gets drastically colder every 15 minutes.

I stopped my self from palming my forehead and then internally insulted the freezing atmosphere.

You're so... Not... Hot?

I rolled my eyes even if no one heard my weak insult and walked up to meet him.

My eyes moved on his body as I eyed him cautiously, I noticed he wasn't smiling neither was he frowning, or maybe I just couldn't read his facial expression thanks to the poor florescence bulb in a light post beside him.

I rested my back on the railings and stared up at him...

I wasn't going to say a word until he said something.

He kept starring upwards at the circular visible ceiling that stopped mosquitoes from getting into our Cafe at night, then his eyes slowly dropped to mine.

"Won't you say something?" He murmured and I gave a small shrug, a 100% sure he couldn't have seen that.

A 100% sure my shrug was in vain. So I decided to talk.

"You're an opposite gender. You're taller than I am. There, something." I answered and crossed my hands over my chest.

He laughed and his own chest shook, I dropped my hands and gawked at him.

I took five steps forward and away from him and aired my opinion, "You're weird. "

He was instantly behind me.

"I'm the weird one? Numb?"

I knew he was trying to tease me but that name made me freeze up... I hadn't been called that in more than two years now..

I'd stopped living up to that nickname, stopped being 'Numb' in over two years.

Why'd he decide to call me Numb?

"Muna... " Arthur's voice sounded strained and I knew it wasn't the first time he'd said my name.

I'd blanked out.

I turned to smile softly at him, my smile barely reaching my cheeks before I continued walking.

"I'm sorry... I didn't think things through, I blabbered out cause I thought you're over that phase now.. I didn-"

"-It wasn't a phase.. Depression isn't a phase in life you just go through." I muttered quietly to my self.

And turned to walk into the refectory with Arthur closely following behind.

••

"Hey Chica(Lady) .. Hey Arthur." Williams was the first to notice us, I didn't bother to smile at him.

I suddenly lost the energy to, I sat right beside Silvana after making sure it was the only empty space left in that row.

"What happened... Why're you looking so Numb right now?" Silvana whispered and my eyes widened at her choice of words

Numb? Twice in less than five minutes.

"Yeah what happened to you? Did Arthur try anything on you out there? Because if he did.. I'll ki-" Jasmine threatened and I realized she'd heard Silvana.

"-Woah. I didn't try to touch her nor did I try to kiss her.. I called her 'Numb' and she well, she... " Arthur trailed off.

Thrice?

"You called her 'Numb'?" A girl said, she was benching here with us and I suddenly started disliking her.. If I didn't recognize her voice I didn't want her speaking as if she knew me.

How'd she do that? She just asked a question.

Yes, but she just increased the score to four.

I'd heard that word four times now.

"You're just here to eat.. Mind your fucking business would you?" Arthur spat rudely at that girl...

"I could go and you all won't be allowed to eat, you'll be 9 and a table needs 10 people present before they'll be served their coolers. Don't be rude to me. " She irritated me now and I know I was overreacting and transferring aggression but I couldn't help it.

At least I wasn't saying anything mean to her... Unlike, Arthur.

"I could never waste my time on someone as ugly as you are. Okay apetrina?" He smirked at her and I quirked an eyebrow at him..

Even though he couldn't see me.

Why was he being extra rude to her?

Face me. Leave her alone.

She looked away immediately and Jasmine patted his back trying to calm him down.

"It's okay Arthur, she's not mad at you. Let it go... Please. Now apologize to Catherina, she did nothing wrong and you know it." Arthur shook his head and Jasmine tilted her head at him, and in less than 5 seconds he turned to apologize to her, then he looked at me and I returned a blank stare instead.

Arthur flinched backwards and I saw hurt flash in his eyes before he quickly rose up and left our table.

"Out. " He didn't quite shout but I heard him... He'd just kicked out someone to create space for himself at 'Maka's .

Happy now?

No.

Didn't need to wait to find out who he chased out, because that person quickly replaced his position in our table...

"You just had to chase him out? Huh?? I was having fun there." The boy asked me rudely. I don't even know why, it wasn't like our voices were even raised on this table I don't know why everyone thinks Arthur and automatically thinks Me next.

I sighed and placed my head down on my arms resting on the desk.

I didn't bother to raise my head a bit until after the prayers. I ate quietly, glad that I could never lose my appetite and waited for my friends to finish eating... Specifically waited for Silvana to eat up.

For a girl that talked that much, she sure ate so slowly.

In our period of 'waiting' for Silvana, our table mates left, those ones I didn't communicate with, so did everyone in the Cafe except most SS3's and those on the 'Maka's ' table.

"Ahhn Silva eat fast!!" Jasmine yelled.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. " Silvana replied while shoving spoons of rice into her mouth.

And five minutes later- five extremely slow minutes later, she was done eating, so we all stood to leave the cafe, Williams switched on his torch light; tonight the fluorescent streetlights were too dim to be useful, I walked silently behind them...

As I was about to put my second leg out the cafe door someone grabbed my hand and spun me around.

I identified that person as Arthur immediately he'd turned me to face him.

"We're going to talk. " His words weren't complex, yet I didn't understand them.

I didn't understand anything anymore.

••

"A kiss a day, keeps the heartaches away."

A/N

Hello, I hope you're enjoying reading this book so far❤

The next chapter is going to be a flashback Chapter, it is pretty much self explanatory but if you have any questions, I'm always here to help.

Thank you.