Love That's Sweet

Chapter Three

Lucas POV

Normalcy Please

During my last class of the day, good old English, I ended up running into the new kid again. While most people made sure to not sit anywhere near me, he eagerly took the seat right next to mine.

"Lucas, are you okay?" He asked, almost as I had been the one who'd gotten beaten earlier. "People have been talking about you all day."

"I know, it's almost like none of them have a life of their own or something." All I could really do about that now was try and ignore it, focusing my attention on the drawings in my sketchbook. "I'm fine, thanks for asking... does this look right to you?"

There was no need for him to really say anything. I could already tell what his opinion on it was from the look on his face.

"I uh, didn't know you liked to draw. It's kind of... nice!" He began lying through his teeth. "What is it supposed to be?"

"Well, it was supposed to be a self portrait..."

"Oh. Oh right!" He continued. "I see it now."

"Ugh, no you can't. It's terrible." One of us had to say it. "I should have known better. I never liked drawing to begin with, but thanks for trying, uh... what was your name again?"

"William, William Dalton, but you can call me Will, if you want."

"Oh okay, Will. Well, it was nice meeting you," I shook his hand firmly, "try not to miss me when I'm dead tomorrow."

"W-what are you talking about?" My comment spooked him.

"Everyone here is thinking it," I looked around, though they all tried to pretend I had said nothing out loud. "Eric will probably come after me now, so I'm as good as dead."

"Are you kidding me?" Will cried out, totally fangirling in front of me. "You are awesome! Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"I really wouldn't call it fighting." It really wasn't. "I have an older brother."

Hushed by the teacher, we both got back to the work we were supposed to be doing, though Will offered to help me out with my work whenever he could ask. Unlike everyone else, this guy didn't seem afraid or intimidated by me at all. Unless I was mistaken, he even seemed to look up to me now or something. There was definitely something odd about him, though I couldn't put my finger on it. It was in his attitude and small mannerisms. If he kept that up, he probably wouldn't survive at this school much longer.

...

"I can't thank you enough, Lucas." Vince repeatedly told me every time he wasn't busy serving a customer, almost making me regret helping him in the first place. "You really saved me this morning. I mean, how could I ever repay you?"

In order to drown out his thanks, I had to put on my headphones and turn up the music to the loudest settings. This was also good for ignoring the complaints customers had whenever I accidently mixed up their orders.

"No headphones!" Kim, the store owner, cried out, tapping the back of my head with her clipboard. "Even if you did save Vince, I still need you to do your job right."

"You should have seen him, Kim," Vince gasped, as he cleared the counter with an old rag. "I've never seen anyone fight like that, let alone, while fighting Eric of all people."

"Well that's just horrible. Don't they have teachers or something watching you kids?" Kim poked me on the side with her pen this time for ignoring her. "No seriously, back when I was in high school, if a kid started a fight, a teacher would stop it immediately. The real fight wouldn't start until after school in some alley."

"Yeah, well things have changed in the last century?" I smirked.

Kim didn't waste any time, smacking me with her clipboard this time.

"What was that?!" She asked, pulling off my headphones. "Get back to work!"

As the proud owner of the So Sweet Café, there was only one thing Kim Lee guarded better than the key to the store's safe, which she kept under the rug beneath her desk, and that was her age.

"No, really Kim." Vince continued talking. "Lucas, where'd you even learn to fight like that?"

"Ryan." I replied.

"Oh."

The bell at the front door rang and Vince got back to his station. Kim, done with inventory in the front of the shop, began heading into the back herself, only stopping for a brief moment to check up on me.

"You sure you're okay then?" She quietly asked.

She might have been a cranky boss at times, but she was also a good friend. I nodded and she smiled.

"Good. Then get back to work, and take those things off."

I laughed as she left, then turned to find Will, yet again, ordering at the counter.

"Oh, Lucas, you work here?" He asked, his face lighting up with glee.

"Yup." I said, a little surprised to see him pay for his order with his own credit card.