Good Luck Charm (Completed)

Friends and Enemies

Despite Marty's warnings, Vinny still intended to make good on his promise and attend all of Lucas' soccer games. Dustin had already planned a date with his girlfriend, so it was just Hailey and Vincent, neither of which were particularly well versed in Soccer.

The wind chill had progressed to the point where Vincent began wearing a light navy blue coat with doubled breasted buttons over the jersey Lucas had given him. Despite the chill he was comfortably warm, especially in the Autumn sun which flowed brightly over the entirety of the field.

"Oh wow... doesn't Ryan just look so great." Hailey sighed. "I mean come on those little shorts are so doing his thighs justice."

"Don't be weird," Vincent scolded. "Somebody might hear you."

"We're in the fan section. We're surrounded by screaming teenage girls, I'm sure they're all well aware that Ryan looks good in his uniform. Speaking of looking good in uniform..." Hailey trailed off. Lucas ran from one end of the field up to the net. He was surrounded by defense, but he sent a heavy kick and the ball went soaring into the net.

"Who?"

"Lucas is looking pretty steamy in his uniform as well." Hailey wiggled her eyebrows. Vinny turned to look over at Lucas. The boy was running back up the field with a determined look on his face.

Vinny considered it for a moment. Lucas' muscles stretched at his uniform painting the creases of his body as each aspect worked together to speed him down the field. He considered the way Lucas' blonde hair flopped in the wind, or the way his eyebrows would knit together before he scored. Lucas was broad shouldered with powerful legs that pumped him where he needed to go. He was strong and well endowed. Vincent considered that perhaps Lucas was conventionally what most people would find attractive, though he had trouble separating the wildly different picture from the sickly child he'd known.

"I suppose he looks fine," Vincent shrugged. He hoped his awkward moment of staring into space had gone past Hailey and he wouldn't need to explain himself.

"Fine? You mean FINE. He looks FINE!" Hailey stressed the 'I' syllable to enhance her point.

"I guess when I look at him I just still see my little neighbor with asthma."

"Well that-" Hailey gestured to Lucas. "Isn't a little anything. That is a MAN."

"I suppose," Vinny murmured.

"I'll never understand guys." Hailey sighed. "How can you sit there... just sit there.. and look at a man like that and say you don't find him attractive. I mean- it's okay to just admit that he's hot."

"You're right," Vincent agreed. "You will never understand guys." Lucas dashed to the center of the field before a timeout was called by the referee. Lucas took the chance to look up into the field and wave to Vincent with a big smile on his face. "Ugh. Look over there."

Vincent pointed. Not far from them in the fan section was the leather clad back of none other than Marty.

"I hate that guy." Vinny groaned.

"Do you want to confront him?" Hailey asked.

"No. I'm not engaging." Vincent lifted his nose. He was not in the mood for a fight, so long as Marty would just stay over there and not come near them.

"Well good for you. The world needs more people who don't engage. Back to the important topic at hand; Lucas."

"Please? I'd rather go over and talk to Marty."

"You know what? I'm jealous of you. I have to do homework and FaceTime and do all this crap to get Ryan to notice me, and Lucas is sitting here drooling over you, and you're doing nothing."

"Lucas is not drooling over me." Vincent rolled his eyes. "He's waving to his friend. He's waving to me because we're friends."

"I don't get it." Hailey shrugged. "A few weeks ago you hate him and now you're all buddy-buddy. I mean why should he care about some random freshman he was friends with years ago."

"I only hated him because he teased me. He agreed to stop doing that, and so I'm not upset with him anymore."

"Do you know why he teased you?" Hailey asked incredulously. "Boys tease people they like. They're too young to flirt or even understand it, so they tease people they have a crush on."

"You are just ridiculous Hailey. Stop trying to push this narrative that Lucas likes me. He doesn't like me. We're just friends. We grew up together, and we get along, and we're just friends. I don't understand why you don't understand that. You and I are just friends. It's the same."

"It isn't the same," Hailey stated.

"And why not?" Vinny asked. On the field Lucas broke out into a victory dance after scoring yet another goal.

"Because I don't look at you like I want to jump your bones. Lucas does."

      "That is not true," Vinny shook his head. "We're just friends. That's the end of it."

     "Okay," Hailey surrendered. "But answer me this, if you found out with absolute undeniable evidence that Lucas did in fact like you- Would that change things?"

      "What do you mean would that change things?" Vincent asked incredulously, already knowing the answer. The entire dynamic of their friendship would shift. "Of course it would change things. It would change everything."

       "Would you like him though? Would you become a couple then?" Hailey pressed. Lucas kicked a pass to a teammate who sent the ball sailing into the net, ending the game.

       "I don't... I don't know. I just- that would really change our relationship, and I don't know what I would do in that situation. I don't know how I would feel." Lucas saluted Vinny from the field before turning off and going with the team. "He doesn't, so we don't need to worry about that."

"If you say so," Hailey shrugged. Vincent was certain Lucas didn't like him. Nobody knew their friendship like he did. Nobody understood them, they were just different, and that was okay. Sure, Lucas teased him, but that didn't mean he liked him. Lucas was just a tease, nothing more. He didn't mean anything by it, and why everyone seemed to assert that was beyond Vincent.

No, he and Lucas were just friends, and that was good enough. Why did everyone seem so intent on messing with a good thing? There was just no reason to do so.