Eat Humble Pie

The cafeteria: Centi's favorite destination aside from her bedroom and the dumpsters behind restaurants. Here, she could eat without shame, knowing that the school would give her "proper" food that Lucy would approve of. She could eat so much too! Within reason, that is. She hated that part. Apparently, the amount of food she desired was excessive and unnecessary, but how was that her fault? Centi was always hungry, but if the school wanted to limit her, then fine, she would find some other place to eat later on.

With a dozen plates surrounding her on her table, Centi dug in happily with no hesitation. The freshly cooked food was not as satisfying as something rotten, but beggars could not be choosers. After all, Centi was thankful to not be forced to cook her own food yet. Just the thought of it made her stomach knot in disgust, but that disappeared as soon as it appeared.

Now, if only she had someone to eat with. It seemed like most everyone had distanced themselves when she chose her seat. It did not offend her then, but now, she felt terribly lonely and a bit annoyed. Centi really needed to get herself more friends so she was not alone so much. But first, a nap.

Centi was limped over on her table, her eyes fluttering open when the sound of her first and only ex spoke to her. When did he get here? Moments before, Centi was all alone, but now John was sitting across her with his own delicious of food.

Centi was not one to complain about company though. "John!" she shouted excitedly, almost going in for a hug before realizing how tiring that would be. "I... was alone... yes... but now... you are here! I was just... taking a nap... How... are you?"

Lucy may not have approved of their forbidden love for one another, but Centi saw no reason why that should stop them from being friends. Yes, John said some words he should not have and got arrested, but they both had a love of food, which was enough for Centi to consider John to be the same as her. He had potential, which she could see. That, and Centi was in desperate need of friendships.

Centi was not stupid. She was slow, but not stupid. John was close enough to her that she could tell his smile was not completely genuine. It would not be the first time he tensed up around her and tried to act like she did not disturb him. The best she could do was try to be on good behavior and show that she was not all bad. That she was worth something, however little.

After all, if he truly had a problem with her, why sit next to her? He could have stationed himself anywhere else if he needed to. That was enough to make Centi return his smile with a tired one of her own. "I am... part Gluttony... demon. It is only... natural that I... eat so much. My hunger... never ends..."

What surprised Centi more than John sitting with her was his suggestion to see who could eat more. She raised her eyebrows, her expression being mild confusion for a few seconds before returning back to a drowsy sort of happiness. "Oh... a game? That... would be fun..." No one had ever tried to compete with her on who could eat more. Knowing how slow she was, she had little hope that she could win, but friends played games, so she felt it was only right to go along with John's request. "What will... the winner get?"

I have nothing to lose, she thought. If this was a friendly competition, then all would be fine. She was slow and certain to lose, but maybe that was what John needed to try befriending her. Maybe he needed a chance to realize she was not as scary and harmful as she seemed. That really, she was just a lazy slob that enjoyed eating.

"Nothing... weird..." If she was going to lose anyway, she might as well set the bar high. "If I win... you will go... on a date with me... Just one date... at a buffet... Agreed? That sounded enjoyable for the two of them. If he was still scared of her, then they did not need to speak. She could just enjoy his company while the two of them cleared out the entire restaurant.

Now she waited excitedly, wanting to see what would happen to her if she lost. If he went too far with his end of the deal, she would deny the competition. This was all for fun, after all.

"That sounds... fine by me..."

She really did not have anything to lose. She either got to go on one date with him or be friends. Losing sounded better in the long-term, now that she thought about it. Just one date did not mean they were officially dating, or even friends. It just meant they spent a day eating at a buffet together until one of them got tired out or both of them were kicked out.

She continued wearing a weary smile as she looked at John. Before she could start the competition, she needed to clear one thing up. "Is it... whoever finishes their food... the fastest then? No time limit... other than that?" That put her at a slight advantage. She was already eating before he entered, though she did not get far from her frequent naps.