core of it

Creative writing assignment: Write about someone else. how they influence another character

He finished apples. That was the kind of person he was. I felt as though he was trying not to look at me. His quick glance lasted forever even though it happened so fast. He was focused on his apple, or at least he wanted to be. He wanted to not see me. Previously, he automatically would have thrust the apple in my general direction so I could take I bite out of it. I didn’t like finishing apples. I watched him take specific bites around the whole apple. He scratched his head and looked at the apple intently as if it was telling him what to think, what to feel. There was a little piece that somehow got in his hair. I would have laughed and shuffled over and pointed in a sly way but, not anymore. He could walk to his next class with that piece in his hair and have an acquaintance point it out awkwardly. I apparently lost the right to do that. Or, perhaps he doesn’t deserve it anymore. A slouching boy approached me and attempted to strike up a conversation but my eyes were on the apple. The core was visible on the side facing me. He was taunting me. Maybe he was unaware but it stung. It stung like nothing ever had. But it was an apple. The boy with the bad posture left and I made the decision. He was nearly done with the apple, about to pack up all of his books and move on with his day. “Hey. So…”

He looked up and his eyes that use to tell me everything were now replaced with cold, unavailable ones. “Yes?”

“Hope your apple exceeded your expectations today."

"It did."