Jayden realized that there was absolutely nothing else he could do to change the situation, so he took a deep breath and tried to force himself to calm down.
There was no point in letting his blood pressure rise over someone as robotic as Ethan.
He followed the two boys he had met earlier, Kenneth and Bennett, through the crowded hallways toward the school eatery for lunch.
As soon as they stepped into the large, bustling hall, Jayden's eyes instinctively began scanning the room for Ethan's silhouette.
He wasn't at all surprised when he spotted him sitting completely alone at a long table.
Ethan was eating quietly, his focus entirely on his tray.
All around the room, other students were huddled together, laughing, shouting, and engaged in animated discussions, but the area surrounding Ethan was as quiet as a graveyard.
Jayden watched him for a moment, genuinely unable to comprehend how anyone could live such a restricted and boring life.
