Morgana's Champion (Jim Lake Jr x Reader)

Chapter 12

The three of us sat in the back of Jim's mothers' car, listening to the faint sound of her talking to Mr Strickler.

"I mean, who else do you think is hiding an evil troll face?" Toby asked me and Jim nervously "coach Lawrence? steve?" He suddenly let out a dramatic gasp "what if strickler's one of them?!"

I scoffed loudly.

"Strickler's been teaching history at Arcadia oaks since the dawn of history" Jim told toby "if he's one, I'm one"

Suddenly, Jim grabbed Toby's phone and pointed at the image of a blurry stone bridge on the screen.

"I know where I've seen this before" he murmured in realisation "it's the same one that Blinky was talking about . . ."

" . . . The killshead bridge" I finished gravely.

"But, that's, like ancient history, right?" Toby asked, confusion crinkling his brow.

"They're trying to break Gunmar out" Jim told us in realisation "This is bad guys! Like, goodbye Arcadia oaks bad!"

"We need to tell Blinky ASAP" I agreed.

Jim was about to say more when the car door opened and we all scrambled back into our seats, trying to look why we hadn't just been discussing the end of Arcadia.

"You really didn't have to go through all this trouble, Mr Strickler" I could hear Jim's mother saying as she slid into the car.

"Please, call me Walter" he told her with a smile as I pulled a fake vomiting face in the back "I'm sorry we had to meet under these, unfortunate circumstances"

"Their must be some way I can repay you?" She asked as Jim sat awkwardly between them, trying to look ashamed "coffee? Dinner? Appendix removal?"

We all stared at her with raised eyebrows, was she asking him out on a date?!

"I uh . . . Coffee would be a delight" Strickler decided to Jim's horror "and a rain check on the appendectomy"

"Looking forward to it, Walter" Jim's mother smiled warmly at him as I tried to hold in my cringe.

There was a horrified silence for a second before Strickler looked away from Jim's mother and turned his attention to Jim.

"Watch yourself, young atlas" he said, resting a hand on Jim's shoulders "next time, the consequences could be more severe."

As soon as Walter had rounded the corner of the car Jim turned to face his mother,

"Did you seriously just ask my teacher out on a date?!" He exclaimed, anger and shock edging his voice.

"Don't you guys make this about me" Jim's mother spluttered, trying to change the subject "you guys broke into a museum! And for this?" She added, aggressively pulling out the tubby tracker "you are grounded until you apologise to that woman!"

Jim sighed loudly as his mother turned back to the car.

"You got me?" She asked angrily.

"Yes, mom" he replied, defeated.

"Yes, doctor lake" she corrected him.

And with that she drove off into the star sprinkled night, the only sound being the silent plonks of raindrops falling onto the powder blue car.

Soon Jim's mother arrived at my house.

"Thank you" I murmured to her as I opened the door to leave the car but as I started to stand up, Jim grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer to him.