Stonebrook High School

Chapter 98

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~*Ω*~

"Did you say something?"

"Hm? No. Did you hear something?"

Lukas squinted with suspicion at the brunette next to him. "I feel like you definitely said something."

Jesse just toothily smirked as he popped the stick of gum into his mouth. "Nah. Didn't say anything at all."

"Now I know you're messing with me."

The twin laughed and held out another piece of gum to the blond boy. "Here's a bribe to get past that. Then you'll never need to know whether I did actually say something or not."

"Okay, fine," drawled Lukas as he playfully rolled his eyes. He reached out for the gum and put it in his pocket. "Only because you're my friend."

Jesse cheerily patted Lukas's back a couple of times, standing up from the bench afterward. "So, are you gonna run back to your place once you're done here? Or do you wanna come to our house and chill?"

"You offering?"

"Of course. Friends are always welcome, no matter the time. As long as Aunt Carrie isn't using the whole house for her charity stuff."

The older teen chuckled, getting up with one hand. Lukas put his Gatorade in his pocket and then rested his knuckles on his hips, looking down at Jesse. "I was just going to run home after getting a drink, but if you don't mind me being all sweaty and gross, I'll hang out. It's kind of surprising to see you on your own, after all."

"What, can't a guy be a lone wolf from time to time?"

"You don't give me that kind of vibe, honestly."

Jesse crossed his arms as he began walking back. "Whaaaaat? I'm totally cool and mysterious. Didn't I help with the Witherstorm after all? That gives me cool guy points."

"I watched you get beaten up by your sister and Petra with ease not too long ago."

"That doesn't count. You have to go easy on girls."

"I'm gonna tell them that."

"Wait, now, let's talk about this—"

~*Ω*~

The two boys were halfway back to Aunt Carrie's place, both of them popping bubbles with their gum. Jesse was, honestly, pretty stoked to have another guy friend to hang with. Having been part of the resident loser group for so long, it was tough to make new long-term acquaintances, let alone friends with others. He loved his original group, of course, but sometimes it was difficult to get along when he had misgivings or other issues with them. He wasn't gonna share those kinds of problems with his family or his teachers, after all — that was kind of weird, and adults would be too serious about minor quarrels.

Axel was a great friend, being fiercely protective and always trying to make the group laugh, but there were times when he was too much. In the words of Petra, the big guy could be "kind of explode-y" whenever he found out new information that bothered him. Oftentimes, it meant that the Jesses and Olivia would have to do a lot of placating, just like when Lukas originally joined the group during the Witherstorm, and it would create a lot of tension that would be hard to dissolve quickly.

Lukas, on the other hand, seemed to be very easygoing and forgiving for the most part. Jesse supposed that could be a negative at times, but the Ocelot seemed quite aware of various situations and was always eager to remedy any standing issues between himself and others. His arrogance had been a huge obstacle in the beginning, completely rubbing the twins the wrong way, but he had reason to be prideful. Not to mention, Lukas had been friends with Aiden for years, and hanging out with such a brash and mean-spirited dude was probably the original reason for his even-tempered and cavalier attitude.