Maze [Completed]

FIVE YEARS AGO

Dylan was sitting next to his friends at the lunch table, picking at the sandwich his Dad had made him. It didn't taste right; there was no mayo on it, the bread was dry and the tuna had an odd metallic taste. He wrapped it up in the brown paper bag and took aim at the bin next to the table, throwing it and grinning when it went in.

"Show off," said Simon, sliding onto the bench next to him. He opened his bag, split his sandwich in two and handed Dylan half. Dylan smiled at him and bit, savouring the flavours and wishing that his Dad could make sandwiches as good as Si's mum.

Mike and Oliver sat opposite them, arguing over the latest football score. Simon joined in and Dylan let his eyes drift across the canteen. Louise was staring at Simon, they'd had another one of their fights this morning and Simon was acting like it hadn't bothered him at all. She hated that and Simon knew it. Dylan wondered how long they would continue to fight like that, surely there was some breaking point. He watched as Louise turned away, her black hair swinging behind her and started to talk to Erin. Relationships were a mystery to Dylan. It wasn't as if he hadn't been on dates and kissed the girl at the end of them but there was a level of disinterest to it all that Dylan couldn't quite fathom. He liked girls but maybe he was kissing the wrong ones.

The door to the canteen opened and a girl walked in. She was tall, dressed in dark denim dungarees, black t-shirt and black well-worn chucks. She wore her backpack on one shoulder. Her curly blonde hair was streaked with shades of blue and pulled up high away from her face. She looked around helplessly, trying to find something, perhaps an empty table to sit at but coming up empty-handed. Dylan watched her twisting her hands together in knots. She glanced around again and caught Dylan looking at her. Dylan blinked quickly and looked down at the sandwich in his hand quickly. Her eyes were the colour of the blue cornflowers his Gran grew in her garden. They had looked right into Dylan's eyes and he felt as if she'd just walked up to him and pushed him off the bench.

"Who's that?" Si asked, peering around Dylan and looking at her.

Mike threw a cursory glance, "New girl, she moved from somewhere...I forget. She's in one of my classes..I forget which. Her name's...I forget."

"Thanks for all the information, Mike. You really cleared up a few mysteries for us there, " Si said dryly.

Mike flicked Simon the middle finger then started arguing with Oliver again. Dylan watched as Violet, the girl who had to be friends with everyone made her way over to the girl and introduced herself. The girl smiled back slightly and followed Violet over to the table she sat at with her friends. She perched on the end of one of the benches and Dylan watched her smile at them all, talking to them and laughing at something Violet said. Dylan wished he was sitting there, right next to her. He wanted to hear her laugh. He wanted to say something that would make her smile.

Simon ran a hand through his thick black hair and stretched his arms up, his muscles tightening against his shirt. Dylan pulled his gaze from the girl and watched Simon take a large drink of his coke then sit it back down.

"I'm going to talk to her, "he said, his green eyes gleaming cat-like.

Dylan felt a horrible burning feeling start in his stomach, " Si, you can't do that. Louise will literally rip your nut sack off with one hand."

Dylan mimicked the gesture and Simon shrugged his shoulder.

"I don't care. Louise and I are done, I can do what I want and what I want to do is to talk to the new girl," He swung his legs over the bench and clapped Dylan on the back so hard that his glasses slid down his nose an inch.

Simon stood up and swaggered over to Violet's table where the girl with cornflower blue eyes sat. He sat next to her and offered his hand, she shook it then blushed deeply at what he'd said to her. The burning in Dylan's stomach radiated up into his chest.

He jumped as Mike slammed his hand on the table, "I remember, her name's Maisie...wait, where did Si go?"

Dylan tilted his head in the direction of Simon's laughter and Mike grinned, showing all his teeth.

"Fuck me, that boy moves quick."

Dylan winced and stared at the remainder of the sandwich in his hand. He dropped it onto the table, got up and shouldered his bag then headed out of the canteen without saying goodbye to Mike or Oliver. He wasn't going to let it bother him, it was Si for crying out loud. He never stays with anyone for longer than ten minutes.