Pepper never meant to lose her best friend. Lucas never meant to fall in love.
Yet the aftermath of broken hearts leads them to blur the lines of their friendship forever. When Pepper is dumped by her boyfriend and Lucas is led on by his crush, they...
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"I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND why you won't give me a second chance." I turn to Pepper after parking on the curb next to Elliot's house. She refuses to look at me like she hasn't noticed I've been trying to catch her eye since I picked her up for this event. Maybe it's easier for her to tell me no if she can't see how much her rejection hurts me.
"Because the deal was for one date, Luc. One." Her voice is softer than it was last night, less angry and more tired. "Why can't we just try and be friends again?"
"Because we barely got to try not being friends." I turn to her and lean an arm on the steering wheel, waiting for her to acknowledge me. When she finally does, I give her a gentle smile. "Our first date was ruined because you were so distracted. It wasn't fair to me. That shouldn't count as our first try. Our first try should be something that we both put effort in."
"I-I did try," she argues. "I got all dressed up and let you hold my hand like we were together. I just didn't like it, Luc. Not like how I like-" She frowns and turns her head out the window.
"Mason."
"I want to be friends."
"It's always because of Mason. The guy who dumped you and has lied to you about why for who knows how long."
She whips her head to me. "Don't you dare. You're my best friend and you've been keeping it from me too. You don't even like Mason, but you're helping him keep something important from me. Why? You clearly stopped being my friend a long time ago." With that, she shoves her door open and hops out of my truck.
"Shit," I hiss with guilt eating at my heels. I hurry and get out after her. "Pepper, hold on," I call as she stomps down the street. When I'm close enough, I grab her arm and try to pull her close.
"D-don't grab me," she panics and shoves my hand away. Her eyes are wide, and her breathing harshens as if I just tried to hurt her. She rubs her arms as her shoulders cramp up. "I-I'm sorry," she stammers when she takes in my confused scowl. "I just don't like...being grabbed."
I snort. "Since when?"
Her eyes drift to the ground. She turns her body away from mine. "Let's just go in and have fun with our friends."
"Okay," I drag. "That wasn't an answer though."
"Lucas," a shrill Southern accent interrupts our quarrel. "I've got your favorite!"
I look over my shoulder to see one of the costume girls (Rebekah; I think) skipping down the street with a Pyrex dish. Tiffany struts directly behind her while her brother is locking up his car. I arch a brow and glance at Pepper, but she's still more interested in the ground. I know she hates these girls. They've been giving her a tough time ever since she broke up with Dominic.
"My favorite what?" I inquire as we walk up Elliot's packed driveway.
"Brownies," she sings and smiles big enough to show off every vibrant rubber band on her braces. "You and your girlfriend," she says towards Pepper, "should try some."
