For Forever

3. Lunchtime Discussions

The first three hours of the day went even better than Jess had hoped, and they were over before she knew it. She and Olivia enjoyed each other's company, and they had grown closer over the duration of classes. Nothing drastic, but it was enough to lay a solid foundation for their blooming friendship. Jess had learned a lot about her new friend, like that she worked part-time in her dads redstone handy store, and that she aspired to be a skilled redstone engineer. In return, Jess told Olivia some interesting stuff about herself as well. For example, that she liked to write stories and publish them on a website called Whatpad, and that she enjoyed drawing in and even on her notebooks.

It was eleven o'clock and the girls were now on their way to the cafeteria, glad that their long-awaited lunchtime had finally arrived. The cafeteria was already crowded with tons of students, but luckily the duo was able to spot a free table in the back. They quickly approached it and sat down.

"I'm so glad it's finally lunchtime," Olivia began, picking up her bag and placing it on her lap. "Don't get me wrong, the lessons were fun and all, but I just really need a break right about now."

Another thing Jess had learned about her new friend that day was that she was one of the few people who actually enjoyed school. She couldn't begin to comprehend how strange that must've been, looking forward to each and every lesson with a smile on your face. But Olivia seemed to be content, so who was Jess to argue?

Olivia got out a red lunchbox from her backpack. Jess stared at her for a moment, and then did the same. She opened her bag and got out the food that her mother had made for her. Placing it on the table, Jess flashed Olivia a bright smile.

"Hey Jess, most of the other tables are taken. Mind if we sit here?"

Jess didn't need to look up to know who it was. Instead, she gave a simple answer letting them know it was okay to sit with her and Olivia. "Sure, go ahead."

Jesse mumbled a quiet "thanks" before sitting down next to his sister. Jess finally looked up when she noticed another person sitting down next to Jesse. He had blonde hair that was slicked back, as well as a pair of bright blue eyes that were focused on the soda can he was swirling around. There was something familiar about him, and Jess wondered who he person was, maybe a friend of her brother?

"So, how is your day going so far?" Jesse asked his sister, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Have you made any friends yet?"

"Oh, right!" Jess gestured to the girl sitting next to her. "This is Olivia."

Olivia smiled and waved at the guys, then looked back at Jess. "Olivia, this is my older brother Jesse, and...?"

Jess looked over at the blonde boy, who stared back with a grin. "The name is Lukas."

Suddenly Jess understood why the guy seemed so familiar to her. Jesse mentioned Lukas at home a lot, but she'd never seen him in person before. From what he had told her, Lukas was a friendly, compassionate and cool guy, and Jesse's best friend. They always hung out, played video games, and did pretty much everything together.

"So that's Lukas, huh.."

"You must be Jessica. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Lukas spoke, looking Jess in the eyes. "Jesse talks a lot about you, you know." At those words, Jesse looked up at Lukas and elbowed him in the flank, signaling for him to stop talking. "What? Am I wrong?"

Jess giggled quietly at Jesse's and Lukas's little interaction. She had always kind of assumed that her brother was a loner. It was reassuring to know that he had someone to count on. "For how long have you guys been friends?" she asked, wanting to know more. She was pretty sure that Jesse might've told her already, but Jess being her dorky self, she either forgot or wasn't paying attention.