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Chapter Eighteen

Lukas James

It had been around two months.

Lyra's Romeo and Juliet play was coming up, and I was looking over the rehearsals she filmed to criticize the routines. Not many people knew this, but besides being a video game fanatic, I was obsessed with musicals and plays. Other than us two, Rachel, who recently moved into a dorm room with her first love (that's what Lyra and I called him because we didn't know his name) started developing more serious issues with the emotional segment of her brain. Mom had actually asked Rachel's first love to help her with her meditation routines, which was something the doctor had recommended she do.

"He's quite a charming young man," she reassured to Dad, who was quite worried about his daughter rooming with a guy.

Lyra and I didn't mind, and in fact, only became even more teasing towards Rachel. After overlooking Lyra's rehearsals and suggesting some new concepts, she left me in my room to celebrate one of my accomplishments. Recently on YouTube, I hit one million subscribers, my millionth subscriber being one of the hugest inspirations to me and one of the most popular gaming channels known to the world. Even more than that, they asked to do a collaboration with me! I sighed, collapsing on top of my bed.

It was a lot to take in.

The door opened, and I was about to tell Lyra to get out of my room, only to see my mother walk in, her strawberry blonde hair pulled into a messy bun. She was wearing a pair of shorts and one of Dad's t-shirts, and her green eyes landed on me. I looked up at her, confused. She smiled slightly and sat down beside me.

"What's up, Mom?" I asked, crossing my legs on my mattress.

Mom shook her head, saying, "Nothing, nothing. I just have a few questions because I'm quite curious." She turned to me and smiled, "I heard from Lyra that you hit a million subscribers today! How was it?"

My eyes sparkled brightly at her question, and I immediately began ranting about all the details of hitting a million subscribers. I told her about the plaque and the popular YouTuber, and all the while, she nodded and laughed when I rambled on about how thrilled I was. It had been a while since Mom asked me about anything on my success, and I was pretty much exploding. As I hushed myself, my mother held in a little giggle at my child persona.

"That's quite an accomplishment," she commented, her hand on my head. She gave me an excited smile and asked, "And what about that girl you talk to all the time? You don't bring her up during family conversations much."

"Oh! You mean Meredith?"

She nodded.

"Meredith is doing well!" I replied, feeling my heart pound just by hearing her name. "She recently went through something horrible, but I think I'm helping her."

Mom turned to me. "Do you think one day you'll meet up?"

"I dunno. Maybe?" I responded, a little puzzled as to why she was asking me. "I mean, we haven't even seen each other's faces yet! So I can't expect that." I looked down at the floor, my hands in my lap clasping each other. "But one day, I hope we will. I really like her."

"Lukas.." I looked up at my mother, who was starting to appear befuddled and worried. "I-I know you two are really great friends, but, you know, one day, I want you to go outside too." She put her hand on my face, her thumb stroking my cheek. "You're getting really pale, and I'm starting to notice. I've done something like this before, but you've been doing it ever since you dropped out, and it's really making me worried." I tried to ignore the tears in her eyes, but she was the only thing I could focus on in my room. "I suppose it's bugging me, and I know that earlier on, I wasn't supportive of your YouTube channel, but it's grown. And I think it's about time you grow too..."

It was silent for a while, and she decided to leave me hanging in thought. Standing up, she kissed my head and hugged me like a good mother would, saying, "You can tell me what you think later after dinner, alright? I love you, Lukas." Before she could walk out of my room, I stood up and quickly grabbed her arm. She turned to look at me.

"U-Um.. I'll try my best to go outside more," I stuttered out, shifting my feet awkwardly. "If you go out shopping today, can I come with you?"

Mom smiled brightly at me and kissed my head once again. "Of course," she replied happily.

~~~

I regret anything and everything.

Coming out to the grocery store with my mother and Lyra for the first time in forever was quite exhausting. I forgot how pretty the sunsets were, and since dinner was usually before sunsets, I got to see one again. Lyra laughed when I stole a glance at it, commenting that I was captivated by it. I ignored her. My first task from Mom was to go with Lyra and find the ingredients for a cake. Lyra lied to my mother about needing a cake for one of her extracurricular classes, when in reality, Dad needed a cake for Mom's birthday, which was about a month away.

Dad couldn't cook to save his life, but he had the Internet and us by his side, so I was sure he'd be fine.

While Lyra was a few yards away from me, looking at the different flours and sugars for a cake, I was at the other end of the aisle, looking at the frosting and decorations. I was about to ask for Lyra's help, because I wasn't the best at creativity, but when I turned around, I noticed a boy around our age trying to hit on her. He was clearly a cocky and confident guy, and from the looks of his letterman jacket, he was from a supposed rival school of Lyra's.

"C'mon, it's only one night," I heard him tell Lyra, who was clearly uncomfortable. He smirked sharply and leaned over, "If you enjoy it, you can stay over."

"U-Um.. I'm sorry, but I-I am really really busy right now," Lyra stuttered out, trying to squish herself into the shelves of baking ingredients.

The guy didn't back down, and instead, leaned over a little more. "That's fine. Give me your number then, yeah? It doesn't matter if our schools are rivals," he said. He winked, adding in, "cause I think we match each other pretty well."

My grip on a can of frosting began tightening, and I let go of it, sitting it back down on the shelf. Walking over, Lyra noticed me, and her eyes widened, almost like she was worried about what would happen if I tried to confront him. I immediately tore the guy off of her, and he stumbled back, confused and startled.

No one does that to my little sister.

Not while I'm watching.

"Get away from her," I stated loudly, standing in front of Lyra. She peered over my shoulder, trembling. "She's clearly uncomfortable and done with you. If you don't walk away now, that wouldn't be a smart choice."

The senior took one look at me and started laughing, holding his stomach to keep him up. "What's a ghost like you gonna do to me? You're hilarious!"

I walked up to him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and pulling him towards me. He almost choked at the action as Lyra squeaked behind me. My blue eyes suddenly flashed, glowing intensely at him. "I'll fucking cut you into pieces, you bastard," I muttered sourly under my breath. I pushed him away, glaring as he watched, wide-eyes from the color transmitting from my eyes. "Even take one glance at her again, I'll find you. I won't hesitate to hurt you if it means my little sister is safe."

Quickly, he shuffled off, and I watch until he walked out of the grocery story. A hand appeared on my shoulder, and I turned around. Lyra looked up brightly, her eyes sparkling. She flung herself onto me, hugging tightly.

"That was so cool!" She exclaimed, standing on her feet again. She held my face and pulled me down to her height, kissing my cheeks. "You're the best big brother ever!"

"Ew! Don't kiss me!" I said back, blushing at her sudden affectionate persona. "That stuff's gross!"

Lyra giggled happily. "You're a really great brother, Lukas! What you did reminds me of Uncle Sam! I didn't know you had it in you!"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Hehe! Nothing!"