vampiricchild

A Familiar Face

Just wanted to give you a heads up that you may be waiting a bit longer for a reply from me. My brain is kinda mushed from being sick (I have the flu), I've spent like the last 3 days asleep more than awake. Hopefully I'll get back to you soon.

A Familiar Face

Alex shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, and I know you mean well, but I'd just be an anxious mess." He chuckled lightly. "I do much better on my own. And before you say anything, don't worry about me. People have introducing me to people before, but I'm just naturally a loner. I enjoy my own company and other people tend to make me anxious. To be honest you're one of the few people I'm not very anxious around, and that's pretty strange considering how I don't really know you... well at all really." He shrugged. "If you want to work on the group project together though I don't mind. It'd be interesting to have someone else's input for a change."

A Familiar Face

Alex shook his head. "I don't do well with group projects. Usually I just do all the work myself then find a group who are woefully under-prepared for the deadline, and give them my work to present while I stand there as if I'd been part of a group all along. It's a flawed system but it works for me." He shrugged. "I don't really do the whole... people thing. I'm actually a little uncomfortable talking to you right now." He admitted.

A Familiar Face

Alex had been walking toward the cafeteria with his headphones on, trying to ignore the animalistic attitudes of his fellow classmates, when a tap on his shoulder surprised him. He took his headphones off as Delphine approached him and his eyes widened. He shrugged. "I am actually not working this evening." Her question had surprised him so much he had forgotten to protest the idea of socialising outside of school. Or within school for that matter. He was more curious as to what she would say next. "I work 2 evenings a week and every other weekend. I need time for homework." He chuckled, before realising that he was oversharing.

A Familiar Face

Sure :)

A Familiar Face

Alex had never officially been diagnosed, but his mom was almost certain he had social anxiety. He was virtually terrified of people his own age, he never really socialised outside of work, and he wasn't exactly forthcoming with details about himself. He spent all of his time at school alone, never even attempting to make friends. He knew his mom was worried but he just enjoyed his own company, with his music and the characters in his sketchbook. He would never have referred to himself as a brilliant artist, but he enjoyed drawing, and practised different styles. Animals, humans and anthropomorphic characters littered his sketchbook, his bedroom wall and his locker at school. It was rare to find him doing anything but working or doodling. He noted the warmth and friendliness of Delphine. It was quite surprising to him. People mostly just treat him as they would a piece of background furniture. They just kind of half-noticed he was there and never really interacted with him.

A Familiar Face

Alex maintained his professional composure and took the orders, despite feeling like he wanted to run for miles and possibly throw up. He didn't really enjoy being recognised. "I'll return with your drinks shortly." He said, leaving the table and returning to the kitchen where he handed the order to a colleague before locking himself in the bathroom to try and calm himself down as his anxiety was pulling at the edges of his mind, making his breathing faster and shallower. He pulled an inhaler from his pocket, shook it and place it in his mouth, breathing in the chemical that would help him breathe normally, and then slowly normalised his breathing, lowering his heart rate. He stared at himself in the mirror above the sink and sighed. "Snap out of it Wolfe. They're kids, not rabid dogs. Relax, give them their orders, and just do your job." He left the bathroom and by then the drinks were ready to take over and so he took the tray, his confidence returning to him as he reminded himself he was good at his job, and he took them over to the table.

A Familiar Face

@Raptra Yes that's fine :)

A Familiar Face

Alex was working that evening after school. He arrived home and had something quick to eat before heading out to work. The house was empty once again, with his mother was working all hours, and on the rare occasion she wasn't working she was usually passed out from exhaustion. He arrived at work a little early and changed into his uniform. As he approached his colleagues he heard the murmurings that Delphine Nixon, daughter of the owner of Starlight Flavours, was in the restaurant. And that's when it hit him. The familiar face from school. He'd seen pictures of her with her family. Because they were owners of his workplace. Of course, he got asked to serve the group, and that jarred him. This could lead to social suicide or worse, to losing his job, if it went badly. "Time to shine, Wolfe." Alex muttered to himself before heading over to the table with a notepad and a pen tucked into his apron.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Starlight Flavours, my name is Alex and I will be your server this evening." He handed out a menu to each person at the table and then smiled brightly. "I understand that this tables orders are on the house tonight. Shall I get you started with some drinks, perhaps?" He asked.

A Familiar Face

Alexander had heard the mutterings of a party going on the coming Friday evening and sighed as he approached the cafeteria. While he had no intention of ever going to a high school party, an invite would have at least been somewhat pleasant. It's a bit depressing when the whole school is invited to a party with the exception of you. He couldn't go anyway. He worked evenings and weekends. Even if he had wanted to attend the party, he always put his responsibilities first. He sat down at his usual table, secluded in the corner, plugged in his headphones and drowned out the idle chatter of the cafeteria. "Feeding time at the zoo." He muttered to himself as he turned the volume up in his headphones and began to eat what passed as 'food' in the school kitchens.

He did have one benefit of blending in to the background. Despite his good grades and his outward shyness, while he could have been a premier target for the school bullies, he was pretty much left alone. There was a strange cool factor about being detached and alone. People were almost afraid of him, sometimes. Worried that his solitary attitude was due to a dangerous nature. When in actual fact he was just pathologically shy and struggled to make friends. He kind of liked the quiet though. The lack of bullying, the lack of drama. It was a comfortable loneliness. But that could have been because he'd never really known any different.