I put the last honey-covered lemon slice onto the plate and grinned, then placed a handful of non-sweet chocolate covered almonds in the middle of the lemon slice ring.
My phone rang, and I tapped the answer button with a knuckle, then hit speaker the same way.
“Y’ello,” I sang.
“Hey, we’re coming up your driveway now,” JJ said.
I ended the call and wiped off my hands. The doorbell rang, and I ripped it open to be greeted by a girl that looked to be only one year younger, Lukas, and JJ.
“You must be Theodora,” I said. Lukas’s sister nodded, pulling at the edge of her shirt sleeve. “So, I heard you like Hana-Kimi. So, I made-”
“Honey-lemon slices!” Theodora exclaimed, a grin appearing on her face as she looked at what was Ashiya’s gift for Sano. “But, here’s the question-”
“Yes, I lessened the sugar,” I laughed. “There’s also chocolate covered almonds.”
“Non-sweetened?”
“What do you take me for?”
“Thank you,” Lukas whispered in my ear. I nodded, watching Theodora test a lemon slice before devouring it and reaching for another one.
“You’re a good person, Kayla,” JJ said, appearing to my right.
“Teddy, leave some for the rest of us,” Lukas said quietly. Theodora looked up, holding what was only her second slice. I batted Lukas’s shoulder before looking back at Theodora.
“It’s okay, I made a lot,” I assured her. She smiled softly before eating the second slice, then tested the chocolate-covered almonds.
“Oh,” she said. “I didn’t realize that putting less sugar in would make it this good!”
“Hey, I have another surprise for you,” I laughed. “Follow me.”
I led Theodora into my bedroom, where I had a wrapped box sitting on the floor marked Teddy.
“Can I open it, Lukas?” Theodora asked, looking up hopefully at her brother. Lukas nodded, and his sister gently removed the wrapping paper and opened the box. Her eyes went wide as she pulled out a model of Mizuki’s alarm clock.
“Yeah, someone made that,” I said. Theodora laughed as she pulled out a plush Yuujiro, along with a chibi figure of Umeda.
“Thank you, Kayla!” Theodora exclaimed, jumping to her feet and hugging me.
“There’s another box,” I whispered in her ear. She stepped back and watched as I pulled a slightly larger box out of my closet.
Theodora opened the box and her eyes sparkled. She pulled out a Hana-Kimi puzzle, along with figurines of all of the main characters plus a few non-main but still important.
She immediately opened the puzzle box and dumped the pieces out on the floor, sorting the edge pieces from the middle pieces. I beckoned JJ and Lukas out to leave Theodora to her own devices.
“Kayla, I don’t know if I can thank you enough,” Lukas said, throwing his arms around me.
“Hey, let’s not hug the host,” JJ grumbled. Lukas pulled back and took a step away from me.
“Okay, so, Overcooked,” I laughed.
Lukas, JJ, and I played for hours. We began mixing truth or dare into the game, and learned the following:
None of us are straight.
We’re all walking disasters.
Lukas and Braden had once dated.
“What do you mean, you two dated?” I asked, skeptical. Lukas shrugged and readied his character.
“He asked me out, and we dated for nearly six months,” Lukas explained. “There’s nothing to it.”
“Why don’t you out him?” JJ suggested, scrolling through the characters. “He’d stop harassing you.”
“Outing people isn’t the right thing to do,” Lukas said, watching JJ rapidly flick through the characters.
“Pick one,” I groaned. JJ reached over and poked me, still staring at the screen.
“Yeah, but-”
“Outing Braden would mean stooping down to his level.” Lukas picked up his controller again, looking at the map layout. “And I’m not about to do that. I don’t even know his sexuality, I just know he isn’t straight.”
“Lukas, mom wants us home.”
Theodora appeared right behind her brother and tapped his shoulder. Lukas jumped and nearly chucked his controller at my TV, but managed to only toss it to the floor.
“Theodora, you can bring all of that stuff home with you,” I said, pausing the game and standing up, dusting off my knees and moving to the fridge. I heard Theodora run to my room, and I watched her walk back into the kitchen over a jar of honey-lemon slices with a bag of chocolate covered almonds tied to the lid.
“Thanks, Kay.” Lukas waved as he walked out my front door, Theodora in tow with a lemon slice in between her lips. JJ followed suit, waving at me and walking out the door, closing it softly. I smiled.
“She’s shy, but she’s a good friend,” I whispered to myself. My dad walked in the door and immediately zoned in on the honey-lemon slices.
I barely got three.
YOU ARE READING
Run | ✓
Short StoryLukas. Everyday, he would run to his house. They made fun of him, I ignored them. Until I didn't. This is the story of a boy who ran. And a boy who stopped. Trigger warning: bullying, depression, short conversation about suicide and abuse
