Inconvenient Love

Chapter 9

Will sat in his first class, eyes on the board as his teacher droned on. Algebra, she said they were learning. It looked like nothing more than a foreign alphabet.

The girl next to him reached over and slipped a note on his desk, the 'you look lost' staring up at him from black ink. He looked over at her, gave her a small nod and a pleading look.

"My name's Lou Ellen," she whispered. "Do you need a tutor?

Will felt himself relax in gratitude. "Really?"

She nodded. "You look smart. You can help me with my other classes."

Will laughed nervously. "I'm not so sure about that... The only thing I really excelled in at home was science."

"Deal, then." she wrote her phone number down on another piece of paper and handed it to him. "Text me when you get the chance."

He took the paper as the teacher yelled at them to quiet down, stuffing it in his pocket. Make a friend, check. Fit in...not yet. But getting there.

When the bell rang, Will turned to Lou Ellen as they got up from their seats. "Thank you, for talking to me. Most everyone has minded their own business."

Lou Ellen shrugged. "I need a tutor, I'm good at math. It was a lucky guess that you'd be able to help me. So, you're new?"

Will nodded. "I was homeschooled my whole life. So all of this is...new."

"Sit with me at lunch," she decided. "I can introduce you to some people." Before he could agree or disagree, she had her books in hand and was gone from the room.

His plans for seeing Nico at lunch disappeared but were suddenly replaced with the excitement of making friends for himself. Percy and Leo were great, sure, but they only talked to him because Nico talked to him. Will wanted to make a friend himself, wanted to prove to himself that he could. And Lou Ellen was his first step.

When he got to lunch, he met Lou Ellen at a table in the corner of the room. A boy was already sitting next to her, with brown hair, green eyes, and a look that made Will keep a hand on his wallet.

"This is Cecil," Lou Ellen introduced. "Don't trust him with your money, and never let him borrow anything."

Cecil rolled his eyes. "Just because I can't get anything back to you doesn't mean you can't trust me."

"Right..." Will sat beside them at the circular table. "So, um, thanks for letting me sit here."

"It's no problem." Lou Ellen replied. "You're new and really need some friends. We can be friends."

"We're not very good at being friends," Cecil admitted. "But we can still be yours."

Will chuckled. "That's okay. Good or bad friends, I don't really have any. And you two seem like good people."

"Good people?" Cecil raised an eyebrow. "Wait until you get to know us."

Lou Ellen elbowed him. "Don't scare him away."

Will looked around the lunchroom as it filled up, able to see Nico a few tables away. His first boyfriend was sitting with Percy, Leo, and others that Will didn't recognize. Nico didn't look too happy, either.

"Who are you staring at?" Lou Ellen was suddenly right beside him as she moved her eyes to where his were. "Which one? All of the girls are taken, so don't even think about it. But some of the boys are free. Are you looking at one?"

Will blushed as he tore his eyes away from Nico. "I...I was just...looking at Nico. He's going to be my stepbrother."

Lou Ellen's smile dropped. "And you were looking at him like that? Damn, so sorry for your luck."