Always, Huh?

Seven - Let The Chocolate Torture Commence

"Hey Lily. Want a ride to school?"

"Well you're here now so I might as well." She shouted back at Richard. She jogged across her front yard and climbed in the passenger seat of his faded red Mustang convertible. "So, why'd you decide to come pick me up?"

"No reason." Richard replied nonchalantly.

"Richard, you know I don't believe you."

"Jacob texted me..."

"Go on..." Lily said, really unsure about where the conversation was headed.

"He said you were going for coffee with him?"

"Yeah, I still need to figure that out." She started to pull her phone out of her coat pocket.

"What do you mean, figure it out? Just go do it! It'll make him happy. Give him any date and I swear to you, he'll make it. He'll make sure he can make it."

"What? Why?"

"Um."

"Richard." She said, "Tell me."

"Um. I can't."

"Oh for God's sakes!" She exclaimed, exasperated sighs and huffs following, "If you can't tell me give me a clue. At least."

"Um... No. I'm afraid I can't do that." Lily sighed again and unlocked the phone she was holding. She sent a message to Jacob.

Hey. Is Wednesday alright for coffee? And is it alright if Dylan comes with?

She stuffed her phone back into her pocket, not bothering to wait for a reply. She looked back up and glared at Richard's cheek.

"I would've picked up Jazz and Eleanor but," Richard then pointed to the back seats which were half covered in his current art project and half covered in his dad's carpenter's equipment, "As you can see, it's a bit busy back there already."

"Would you just tell me already?"

"I can't Lily, I didn't know you didn't know, and Jacob doesn't know I know. And if you were really as intuitive as you thought you'd have figured it out by now."

"Oh thanks for that vote of confidence." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she turned to look out of the window.

"I'm not saying you're not intelligent, you're just not as intuitive as you first thought."

"'Cause that makes me feel so much better about myself."

"Lily! Don't get yourself down." Richard said, pulling into one of the only available parking space in the school's only parking lot.

"I don't want to! But listen, my whole life is falling apart! My parents are divorcing, I've had three relationships that never lasted more than three weeks. Xander, Will, Kam. You don't understand how hard it's getting for me. I've applied for a scholarship to the hardest music college to get into, for one of the hardest courses. So forgive me, if I get a little down when you just decided to tell me that I'm not intuitive."

"Lily, when the right person comes along, you'll know, but that's most likely not going to happen when you've only just turned eighteen. The rest of your life will fall into place as soon as it sees fit to do so. That day is probably not going to be today. Or tomorrow. And by the way, there are people chasing after you, you just don't realise."

"Sure." She laughed, disbelieving Richard's sentiment.

"I promise. Just let your life take care of itself."

She climbed out of the car as soon as Richard's engine stopped running, chasing after Jacob, who'd been walking through the school doors minutes earlier. There were taunts and insults thrown at her as she pushed past a dozen different people, but she didn't hear any of them.