empty → LUCAS FRIAR ✓

f o u r

CHAPTER FOUR
( PROBLEMS )

     BRAYDEN MADE IT through the school day successfully without running into Allison or any of her friends. Thankfully, she had a full hour at home before she had to meet with Lucas at the library. Her mother was home, just beginning on dinner as Brayden walked into the house.

"Did you have a good day at school?" Her mother questions immediately, looking up as the brunette enters the kitchen.

"Yes, actually," Brayden gives her a small smile, taking a seat on a bar stool at the island. "I . . . I made a friend today, so it was pretty nice."

Elissa Toles drops her spatula, her eyes instantly on Brayden, not quite grasping her words. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Honey, did you just say you made a friend?"

It wasn't surprising to Brayden that her mother reacted this way. After all, she rambled most of her time about how she didn't want to encounter anyone else, or about how all of the students at her school carried drama around like a backpack. Hearing the words escape from her daughter's lips was a dream come true.

Despite her mother's intense happiness, Brayden wasn't too focused. Instead, her eyes were glued to the counter top. What would Riley say if she were to find Lucas and Brayden together at the library. They were only going to be researching and working on the project, but when push came to shove, assumptions would certainly be made. Lucas would have a time trying to reassure her that things were usual.

And how would Riley react if Brayden took up Lucas' offer to sit with them? To join their private table? She could only imagine what a catastrophe it would be; how much chaos her presence would bring to their perfect world. Brayden wasn't perfect, and that would be the biggest problem.

Then again, the brunette didn't know Riley, nor how judgemental she was. But when assuming, her standards were through the roof. Maybe the circle of friends weren't so bad, and maybe they weren't as drama-filled and non-enticing as she thought.

"Not a close friend, but yes," Brayden tells her mother. "A friend, nonetheless. Hopefully things go well, and we'll stay that way."

"So who is it?" Elissa grins widely, shoving the dirty spatula into the sink. "Someone new, or is Allison back?"

Brayden winced at the mention of the blonde. If she had anything to say about it, she would tell her mother exactly why she dropped Allison. But she didn't know, and neither did the blonde. They were all shut out from the truth, and were forced to believe whatever their minds could come up with.

Elissa thought it was a small fallout at first, thinking that their friendship separation would be brief, and Allison would be back over within the next forty-eight hours. Her daughter and Allison had been friends for years, nothing serious was ever the cause of their problems. Yet things were different this time.

Allison, on the other hand, wasn't sure. She was thrust into a situation that meant she lost two close people, and jumped to the conclusion that rumors were the first thing she could truly trust. Her source wasn't sure of the story themself, so how could she be so naïve to believe them?

"Allison won't be coming back, Mom," Brayden clears her throat, meeting her mother's eyes. "His name is Lucas Friar."

"Is he new?" Elissa furrows her eyebrows. "I've never heard that name before."

"He moved to Texas a few years back," the girl shrugs. "Not too new, but he is to me. We were assigned a project for history, so I was thinking that he and I could meet up at the library today."

Once again, Elissa was shocked. Closing her mouth to hide her surprise, she dismisses her daughter's comment with a nod. "I think that's a good idea."

"So it's a yes?"

---

"You're here early," Brayden says to Lucas with a chuckle, approaching the table he sits at. "Trying to beat me?"

"Technically, I already did," Lucas smiles, gesturing to the seat across from him. "I was even kind enough to save you a seat."

"And here I thought I was the early bird," the brunette clicks her tongue, shaking her head as she sits down. "That's too bad. I could've superglued your chair before you got here."

"I thought of that, actually," the boy tells her, glancing to the books she pulls from her bag. "Thank goodness. Otherwise, we might have had a prank war on our hands."

"We're here to focus on our project," Brayden changes the subject at hand, taking a quick glance around the library as she hands Lucas a blank notebook. "So I suggest we focus on that at the moment, and try to get it done."

Despite the fact that there were very few students in the library, Brayden felt watched. Like everyone around her was looking past the book in their hands, and staring at her with their judging and hateful eyes. She wanted to sink down into her chair and disappear. But these people didn't know her secrets.

They might think they know the truth, but none of them do. Brayden was safe for now.

"It's not like we don't have a lot of time." Lucas shrugs the notebook away, releasing a heavy breath. "We could talk for a bit, or pick out some books. Not all of our time needs to be dedicated to the project."

"Until we get it done, I can't pay attention to anything else," the girl lies, tapping her pencil against the desk. "Roam around if you want, but I'm staying right here; even if that means doing all the work myself."

"You're selfless, you know?" The blond boy tilts his head to the side. "You kind of remind me of Riley."

Brayden stiffens in her spot, her pencil no longer hitting the desk in a rhythmic tap. Her eyes are locked on the table, and she stopped breathing for a moment. Because of course Lucas would compare her to Riley. Riley was everything he knew, and everything he wanted. The brunette held back her urge to ask him why he would be selfish enough to comment something like that.

"You know what?" Brayden clears her throat, biting her lip as she closes her books and stacks them on top of each other. "On second thought, I have to get home. Yeah, I completely forgot- my mother has this thing she needs me to take care of, and-"

Brayden doesn't finish her lame excuse, shoving her belongings back into her bag. Lucas opens his mouth to protest; to ask what he did wrong. But Brayden was already moving towards the library door, and not taking the time to look back at him. Lucas knew his mistake, and regretted it.

The brunette wasn't going to show him the hurt in her eyes, nor would she comment about how much she didn't want to hear about her similarities to Riley. Instead, she would walk away peacefully. But deep down, Brayden knew she was about to break.

Because every time Lucas looked into Brayden's eyes, all he saw was Riley.

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