Walking With The Outcast

Chapter 16 - Ace

Maneuvering through the school's hallways, I approach the library, ready to to take Lucilia grocery shopping with me. However, I stop short when I hear Ethan and Lucilia whisper-yelling.

"Oh, so it's my fault he has the hearing of a bat?" Ethan demands.

"No. It's your fault he heard us at all."

"Ohh, I see what the problem is. You're upset that Lover Boy caught us. Relax, shortcake. He'll get over it, and you two can kiss and make up."

A smacking sound hits me hard, and I peer around the door to see Ethan rubbing his arm.

"Again?" He whines. "You and Ace deserve each other; You're both so violent."

I smirk. Attagirl, Lucilia.

Ethan exclaims, "Why are you two so mean to me? I'm the best friend either of you could ever have."

I scribble a note and make my entrance. The two failed tails freeze, and Ethan nudges Lucilia forward, pursing his lips in a smooching manner. Her eyes kill him silently.

I slip the note to the duo, and Lucilia reads aloud, "Ethan, I've changed my mind; We're not friends. Lucilia, I need groceries. Let's go."

Ethan snatches the note and crumples it. "Seriously? Everything I've done for you two and this is the thanks I get? Rejection?"

Lucilia and I stay silent, but she calmly reaches over and pats his head softly. "There, there."

Ethan flicks her hand away irritated, but his lips twitch with the workings of a smile. "I'm leaving. If I'm lucky, Alicia will be in the parking lot with a dead car battery, just waiting for a roguishly handsome me to help her."

I snort, as he climbs from his chair, strolling away. "See ya later, friends," he calls back.

Lucilia shakes her head, whispering to me, "It's a good thing I like eccentric people, or else I don't know how I'd handle our new friend."

I write to her, "Your friend."

She rolls her eyes in a cute manner. "Oh, please, Ace. He's your friend, too."

I push a note towards her. "No."

Smiling all the while, she slings her bag across her shoulders, coming to stand beside me as we exit the library. "Ace, if he was not your friend, you would have scared him away by now. Admit it. Ethan is your friend."

I'm already shaking my head by the time Lucilia finishes her friendship spiel. Her blandishment cannot sway my determination. I go to speak, but she swiftly interrupts. "I don't know why you are so against having Ethan as a friend. Isn't it nice having someone else to talk with during class?"

I think for a moment. At the least, it is nice having someone to physically speak to. Of course, Lucilia doesn't know that Ethan and I actually hold verbal conversations. In her mind, I probably throw notes at New Kid's face all day.

I scribble a note hastily. "I don't need another friend. I have you."

She opens her mouth, but I stop her with a raised finger. "If it makes you feel better though, I won't try to get rid of him. He's rather useful, anyhow. We can keep him."

"You're acting like he's a puppy or child we're adopting."

"Well, considering he acts like both of those combined, I'd say that that is an accurate statement."

Lucilia grins softly. "Oh, Ace. It's not a bad thing to have friends, you know?" The distant, reminiscent look in her eyes confuses me. Then her grin falls to a frown, and she scuffs her shoe against the hallway tiles. "I used to have two actually."