The Loner

This is your faithful observer, coming to you live from the computer lab at my school. This is where the Loner spends most of his lunchtimes.

He's actually sitting two computers down from me right now. In an unrelated story, I feel like a total creep, though that should be nothing new.

I was a little hesitant to call him the Loner, because the word "loner" tends to have certain connotations that don't apply to him. Change one letter, and "loner" becomes "loser." While the two words are not entirely mutually exclusive, "loner" and "loser" are very different things.
And I don't think anyone would make the mistake of calling the Loner a loser.

Sure, he spends his lunchtimes in the computer lab, sitting among underclassmen boys who play computer games and show each other viral videos and online manga every day during lunch hour. Some people might call those boys "losers," but it's evident that the Loner isn't one of them. He's not really one of anybody.

He's got very neatly trimmed hair, with a little product on the top that guides his hair into a teeny little mohawk (more of a faux-hawk, I guess). His skin is very oily. His nose is pink and shiny, and around his mouth are a couple of those painful-looking zits, the kind that sit just under the skin so you can't pop them.

(I'm so going to need to edit this later. Urgh, my thoughts are really scattered today and it’s hard to concentrate. Especially with all the World of Warcraft geeks around. You've gotta love 'em.)

Part of me is completely paranoid that he'll glance over and notice what I'm writing. However, he seems to be completely absorbed in his work. He's doing his AP US History homework, like always. He carries his APUSH textbook with him everywhere. Like an accessory. Always tucked under his arm, always with him. When he's got a spare moment in class, he takes it out and reads it, as though it's a novel.

I heard a rumor that he has a hundred and eleven percent in APUSH. (Of course, I don't know if that's true or not, but if it is, wow. I was stunned at the Paper Passer's hundred and three.)

He's got his textbook open now, and two Internet tabs open on his computer screen. The Google homepage, and a new email message. He mostly just sits and reads, his elbows on the desktop and his arms crossed, his shoulders leaning over the book. He looks up only occasionally, to type some notes into the message box or to look something up on Google search.

I wonder why he does all his APUSH at school. (He comes here after school, too. He probably stays until he finishes up the chapter notes.) Does he not have a computer at home? Or maybe just no Internet? Then why does he type his notes into an email, if not to send the file to himself so he can print it later? Is he sending his notes to someone else, maybe? If so, who? He’s the Loner. He lunches alone. Not a soul comes near him. He does nothing but his history homework. Who would he share that with?

It’s entirely possible that he has friends somewhere. He didn’t go to the same elementary and middle schools as most of us; he didn’t even come to this high school until sophomore year. Maybe all his friends are at his old school, and he just didn’t find it worth it to make any friends here. So he’s a little anti-social. Not really in an awkward way, though-- He doesn't initiate conversation, but he doesn't turn bright red if anyone says a word to him, either. He just smiles and answers in that deep, sort of monotone voice. Maybe makes a joke, if the situation allows it, and then returns to his work. He's okay with talking, but he just chooses not to. Somehow, people seem to understand that about him.

People don't make fun of the Loner. That's the thing. That’s why he’s not a loser. Nobody makes fun of him, nobody feels sorry for him. They just let him be.

The way he reads the history textbook, the way he studies constantly, doesn't seem like he's desperately trying to prove anything. It’s more like... It's just a part of who he is. And he's chill with that. He's not self-conscious about it. He doesn't seem to really care about anyone around him. Therefore, they don’t really care about him, either. Since he seems to be okay with being alone, most people are okay with letting him alone. He's just sort of there. Constant, strong, and silent.