TIFFIN

81

Hey everyone! I thought Sucker by the Jonas Brothers was perfect for the scene ^_^ Hope you enjoy.
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Half an hour before my parents arrived, I saw Hero exit the building with Kylie and Niall flanking him on both sides.

Hero looked devastated, maybe even a bit annoyed, but I chalked that up to his recent anger from me slapping him. Niall looked as if he could have cared less of everything that had happened and Kylie looked her normal bitchy self. 

I turned my back on them, unwilling to let them get to me. If they wanted to be petty, I could be petty. This joke between Niall and Hero broke the camels back for me. It showed me what lengths they were willing to go to test how much they could hurt us. 

If Hero wanted to hurt me, I was going to hurt him.

When I saw both my parents staring expectantly from inside their windows, I turned to Josephine. 

"Hey, Jo? Would you mind helping me out?" I lifted my skirt. "This dress is a bit of a mess."

Josephine nodded, bunching my skirt up off the ground as I stepped into the car. When we both made it in and the car started down the road, my mother started the conversation. 

"Kristina, there's something your father and I want to talk about."

"Okay?" I said, scared about the way she began her sentence. Whenever a parent said this to their child, it never was good. 

"We think it's time we stopped paying for your schooling."

Time stood still for a moment until my father spoke.

"What we should do is pull her out completely. Until that girl acts like we expect her to, she is not my child."

This comment created a wildfire inside me. 

"That's fine," I snapped, "Charlie isn't my father. You already told me the truth."

At this, Charlie's head snapped in my mother's direction. "You told her?" He growled. 

My mother shrunk back in her seat as she drove. "I had to tell her you weren't her birth father."

I noticed we were getting closer to the dorms as the atmosphere grew colder in the car.

"We will talk about this later." Charlie threatened. 

"What?" I challenged. "So you can hit her again?"

At once, Charlie jumped in his seat, pinning me with a glare that made him unrecognizable. My mother slammed her foot down on the brake, lurching me in my seat. Josephine's eyes widened at the sudden change. 

"Get out!" Charlie screamed, shaking the back of his headrest. "GET OUT OF THE CAR!"

I scoffed. "Gladly, you psycho."

As I made it out of my door, I stepped onto the sidewalk. Charlie chased me as I passed the Chico State sign, spitting at me as he did so. Jo sprinted onto campus, in fear that she would get the brunt of his anger. 

"THAT'S IT!" He screeched across the way. "YOU ARE NO LONGER A PART OF THIS FAMILY! YOU DON'T CALL US! YOU DON'T ASK FOR HELP! YOU ARE DONE, YOU MISERABLE BRAT!"

I took Jo's hand and led us around the corner of a building. When I felt Charlie was out of sight, I allowed myself to settle back against the grey bricks. I looked at Jo, immediately apologizing. 

"It's alright." she breathed, feeling wiped out from running. "He's probably just in a bad mood."

I shook my head at her response. There really was no one like Josephine. She was sweet and mindful. Even if the situation was dire and serious, she always found a way to cover it up with a positive outlook.

It made me worry; there were so many people that could take advantage of that. 

People like Niall. 

"Hey," I breathed, placing a hand over my heart, "I know that we just went through a lot just now, but do you think we could take your car to go somewhere?"

Jo lowered her head, sighing. She then lifted it, looking more optimistic. 

"Sure. Where are we headed?"

I folded my arms, feeling determined. "Whitney Hall. Trust me. We won't be there long. I just need to see someone."

After much trepidation, Josephine headed over to Whitney Hall in silence. When we made it, I asked if she could stay while I went inside. Last thing I wanted was to be embarrassed for her to hear what I had planned. 

I was prepared to search for the dorm room I had slept in that first night, but much to my shock, I found just the guy I was looking for as I stepped into the lobby that was as dead as night. 

As soon as Luke saw me, he left the group that was huddled, reading some magazines in boredom and approached. 

"Hey." he smiled. "I haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah," I nodded. "Not since the party."

Luke flushed. "About the party... I was so drunk and acted inappropriate. You have a boyfriend and I didn't respect that."

I held up a hand. "I don't have a boyfriend- well, not anymore. It's... complicated. There's something I need to ask you."

"Sure, anything," Luke said, rushing to a table and pulling out a chair for me. 
Sitting, I closed my eyes, knowing this decision would hurt a lot of people. 

"Do you..." I trailed off. "Would you... like to... Do you want to date?"

Luke froze on the spot, fluffing his blonde hair nervously. I could tell this wasn't what he expected. 

"Wow, um..." He looked down at his feet, not having much to say. 

"I'm sorry," I said, "You probably have a girlfriend already. Ellie and you have been pretty-"

"What?" Luke exclaimed, cackling wildly. "No! Ellie and I... that will never happen again. Trust me. It's just... What about your parents? Aren't they strict?"

I shrugged. "They are, but I don't care anymore. So what do you say?"

Luke grinned. "Are you kidding me? I've had a thing for you since I saw you."

"Great." I stood up, remembering what I'd promised Jo. "When should we meet?" 

"We could meet here in a few days," Luke said. "I can give you my number."

Once he had written his number down on a napkin, Luke gave me a hug and sent me on my way. 

Just what had I done?

Love you all <3

Hmm. A date with Luke.

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