Monday morning arrived. I completed my routine workout and checked out my body in the mirror after the shower. I used to be tall and thin before the summers as I suddenly grew my height but now after almost three months of exercise I actually look like I have gained a more muscular body- broader shoulders and sharper features. I looked like a teen athlete who has been training since childhood. Today, I had this weird, fluttery anticipation in my chest.
For once, I actually cared about what I wore to school. I spent an extra five minutes picking out a shirt color that goes well with my eyes, jeans that actually fit right and a black jacket. That can never go wrong. It all looked with my white shoes nike air force 1, that my cousin gifted me.
As I was fixing my hair in the mirror, Mom peeked in with that look moms get when they know something's up.
I sat at the table with my family to eat breakfast..
"When do we get to meet her?" she teased, a sly smile tugging at her lips. I swear, mom's intuition must be a max-level skill. If she ever got a status screen, her Perception would be off the charts.
I groaned and pretended not to hear, shoveling toast and jam into my mouth so I wouldn't have to answer. Dad, of course, just grinned over his coffee. "If it helps, I don't want to know about it."
"Yes, it helps," I said, grateful for the save.
On the bus to the school, I played chess on my phone to calm my nerves. Chess had become my go-to distraction, a way to keep my hands and mind busy to distract myself from mundane things. Like my anticipation to see Alex today. It worked… mostly. I still caught myself glancing at the time every other minute.
Walking up to the school gate, I noticed a few girls giving me a second look. Not to brag, but being 6'4" with decent faded black hair and blue eyes does have its perks. I'd always been confident about my looks, but never really cared much-until now. I am straight. I admired the beauty but I didn't really have a crush on anyone like I do now and I didn't want to be in a relationship because someone (my mom) told me it will hinder my studies. I actually believed her for a time.
But now, I really wanted to impress someone.
I spotted Alex at her locker, her head buried in a book. I snuck up behind her, grinning.
"Boo!" I whispered, just loud enough to make her jump.
She spun around, eyes wide, glasses almost falling off her face. When she realized it was me, she relaxed, but her cheeks turned a little pink as she fumbled to fix her glasses. It was… adorable.
"You scared me…" she said, but she was smiling.
"Good morning," I replied, still grinning. "Sorry, couldn't resist."
"Yeah, very mature of you," she shot back, but there was no bite to it.
I leaned in a little, lowering my voice. "I still owe you that ice cream. You free after school?"
She nodded, maybe a little too quickly, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, definitely."
Before I could say anything else, Debbie's voice echoed down the hallway. "Hey, Lucas!"
I gave Alex a quick smile. "See you later," I said, then jogged over to where Debbie was waiting, arms crossed and eyebrow raised.
"Yo, what's up, Debbie?" I asked, trying to keep things light.
She didn't look amused. "Why were you talking to that nerd?" she demanded.
I raised an eyebrow right back. "Because she's my friend. And for your information, I'm a nerd too."
She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." With a flip of her hair, she walked off, leaving me to sigh and shake my head.
Debbie and I had history. Long story short, back in middle school, I asked her out because, well, everyone else was dating and I thought I should too. I asked the only girl I talked to and She said 'no'.
But later in our junior year, she started dropping hints, but by then I realized she was one of the best friends I got whom I can't lose over some relationship dramas. We really didn't talk about it ever after.
I guess she still hasn't totally moved on, but I figure if I ignore it long enough, it'll sort itself out. That's what every guy does, right?
The bell rang, and classes blurred by in a haze of chess games and half-hearted note-taking. I met Alex again between periods, and we finally settled on a time and place for our ice cream "date." Just saying the word made my stomach flip.
During free period, I found my usual crew-Leonard, Josh, and Debbie-around our table. Alex also ate with us nowadays. She came near me and slid in next to me, and no one batted an eye. She'd fit into the group over the last few days, and even Debbie kept her comments to herself and acted like nothing happened this morning.
Josh was the first to break the news, waving his phone. "Dude, your game already has over a thousand downloads!"
I grinned. "I know, right? I've been checking the stats every fifteen minutes."
Leonard leaned in, looking way too proud of himself. "I even made a few fake accounts and left five-star reviews. Gotta boost the algorithm."
I laughed. "You're the real MVP, Leonard."
"I believe it'll go viral," I said, maybe a little too confidently. "It's just a matter of when."
Alex nudged me under the table, her eyes asking for praise "I even told my sister to share the game with her friends in college."
Debbie added happy for her friend "So you better treat us to a big party when the game gets big"
I shot her a grin. "How could I let my underlings go hungry?"
Everyone booed at my bad attempt at humor and we all laughed about it.
As school ended, I spotted Alex heading toward her mother's car in the parking lot. I jogged to catch up, calling her name. She turned, her face lighting up with a smile when she heard my voice.
"Don't forget, 5:00 pm at Scoop Town," I said, grinning. We chatted for a minute, both of us a little awkward but excited. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her mom watching us from the car window-Claire Dunphy, ever the vigilant parent. I gave her a friendly wave, and she, a bit surprised, waved back.
"See you later, Alex," I said, before heading off to catch my bus.
[Claire's POV]
I was running late to pick up Alex and Luke, work having kept me longer than usual. As I recently joined my dad's company. I pulled into the school lot, I saw Alex talking to a tall, good-looking boy. He looked familiar-then it clicked. Lucas, the polite runner from our neighborhood. He noticed me watching and waved, which caught me off guard. I waved back, still surprised.
Alex slid into the back seat, still smiling, with Luke beside her playing that awful bird game on his phone.
I looked at Alex and knew that look-she liked this boy. I've always worried about Alex. Haley and Luke needed so much from me growing up, but Alex was so independent, so brilliant, and never really dated. I just wanted her to find someone who'd treat her well.
"So, Alex, who was that boy?" I asked, keeping my tone casual but probing.
"Lucas," she replied, still grinning.
"I thought I recognized him" I said and told her about how he jogs around the neighborhood sometimes. Alex was surprised to hear that.
"Is he your boyfriend?" I probed.
"I don't know yet," Alex said, her voice soft but hopeful.
I hesitated, wanting to protect her. "Alex, if he's just playing around, it's better not to give him too much attention. Some boys-"
She cut me off, defensive. "No! Lucas isn't like that. He asked me out on a date today."
I paused, realizing I'd misjudged. "Okay," I said gently. Alex was smart-she'd know if someone was in trouble. I just wanted her to be happy.
The rest of the drive home was quiet, but I caught Alex smiling to herself in the rearview mirror. Maybe, just maybe, she'd found someone good but if it turns out he isn't good enough for my daughter. I will make it my goal to end it before it develops too much. I have already committed that mistake with Dylan and Haley.
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A/N : I love you guys if you love me back give me those power stones. If you don't love- still give them to me. Pretty plzz.
[Romer Jus, muhammad fahim, mozart 111, TreVon White, Victor Perez, Shisui34, Kobe Brown, mflizzzzy, Varanys, Jordan D'souza, Luke, Trey-Way.]
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