The Bet

Annette's Apology

Lucas had two days. At least that's what his father kept reiterating. Two days suspension from school after his brawl with Gardner in the middle of the lunch room. He had hoped to use the two days to clear his mind and rest but his father had another idea. Since the damage to Mr. Jefferson's yard had been paid off already, Mr. Friar thought it was time for Lucas to start paying off the damage he did to his car. The one he stupidly drove and crashed through the Jefferson's fence.

It's a little after 12 p.m. when he decides to tackle whatever mess he made. It didn't occur to him that he hadn't seen the car since the night of the accident. Unsure of what he was about to see, he trots out into the back yard nothing but a hoodie, jeans and socks on. The cold March air sends goosebumps across his body as he yanks the green tarp off from on top of the car. He begins to inspect it, noticing that the back was completely unscathed which made sense considering he wasn't driving in reverse when the accident happened.

He reluctantly walks towards the front of the car, sliding his hand along the side doors as the scratches and dents start to come into view. By the time he's head on with the vehicle he can see every mark and missing piece. The front bummer was completely broken hanging on with the tiniest of threads, the lights were busted, and the left tire was seemingly flat. He sighs in frustration, mostly at himself.

How could he be so careless? He honestly couldn't figure out how he had gotten that far in life considering how reckless and irresponsible he's been these last four years of high school. Standing there, barefoot in his yard, coming face to face with the reality of his stupid decision was a wake-up call. It was like a huge slap in the face.

Lucas quickly tucks back into the house to pull on his boots and a jacket before returning back outside, prepared to begin the tedious process of right-ing his wrongs. There was a lot he had to make up for but what better way to go about it than at the beginning where the whole thing started? He turns on some music, pops the hood and begins to work.

The sun begins to set leaving a much colder and darker atmosphere for him to work with. Still, even with the numbness in his hands and the hunger in his stomach he didn't want to stop working on the car. He was determined to get as much fixed as he could, he was determined to prove to his father, and to himself, that he was capable of putting in the work, of doing the right thing, of cleaning up his own messes. Which happened to be one thing he wasn't very good at in the past. See, being the son of the only Sheriff in town got him out of a lot of things. He was constantly getting into trouble growing up and deep down he knew he'd see no consequences for it because his father was always there to bail him out.

Now that he was 18 and nearing graduation he knew he couldn't continue to depend on his father that way anymore. Not that his father was offering at this point. He knew he had to grow up and think of someone else for a change and how the decisions he's making would affect the people around him. The first person that came to mind, of course, was Riley.

There was a part of him that was hoping, praying, that if she ever found out about the bet that it wouldn't matter. That it wouldn't matter because he fell in love with her, or because it wasn't personal. But that wasn't the reality. Ever since she found out he's had this painfully unsettling feeling radiating through his body. The thought of hurting her made him physically sick. He could still see the look on her face when Charlie blurted out their heinous plan.

Now the only thing he wants is to take away that pain that he caused her, he wants her to know he's willing to spend the rest of his time on earth apologizing to her if that's what she needs. He could live with being a disappointment to his father, but living knowing Riley Matthews hated him? That he couldn't bare.

The sound of someone clearing their throat grabs his attention, steering it away from the work at hand. He slowly turns his head to see who the person is, expecting it to be one of his parents. Instead he sees Annette standing there, a confused expression spread across her face.