English went off without a hitch, no one even noticing the new student. They were also reading one of his favorite books, All Quiet on the Western front. Alex had read it at least eight times, his own copy was falling apart. The scared comradeship that the main character shared with his fellow soldiers was something that he had always longed for. He had never even been given a hug by another person. Alex wrote down his homework in his planner and made his way out of the room when class ended and headed for the lunch room. He stopped at his locker taking off the jacket. He was still dressed in a long sleeve shirt that hid his arms. His hands were more visible now though so he kept them in his pockets.

Lunch was always the most awkward period of the day. Alex didn't really want to sit with anyone, but if you sat by yourself you were automatically considered an outcast. Sometimes there wasn't an empty seat and he was forced to sit with strangers who wanted nothing to do with him. He looked over the sea of students in the lunch room. The large student searched for an empty seat finding a table near the vending machines that was mostly unoccupied. He sat down and pulled out a sandwich, chips and a water bottle. Alex focused on his meal, and waited longing for the period to end.