Lucas ✔️

Twelve

"Hey Shax, Amy," I said, sliding into a chair, placing my tray on the table. I hadn't seen them since this morning and felt a bit weird looking at Amy after what she had whispered to me, but I tried to forget about it. I needed her to tutor me, after all. Shax nodded but didn't look up from his phone, as per usual, but Amy looked up at me, shoving her own phone into her pocket. 

"Hey, Lilith." Amy's eyes roamed to Janie and Cole who sat down as well, scrunching her nose up at Cole's food. "How can you eat that slop?" She asked Cole, leaning away from the mystery meal he had. 

It was supposed to be a curry of some sort, but I wouldn't put it past the old canteen lady if she had chucked in last week's leftover meatloaf. Cole sent Amy a big smile and scooped some up, shoving it in his mouth.

"It's not that bad, you know," he said with his mouth full. Amy groaned and looked away unimpressed.

"You're so gross," she said, looking away from him. 

Janie looked like she wanted to say something to Amy in Cole's defence, but she didn't. I didn't blame her. I mean, there are nicer ways to say it, but it's not like Amy was wrong. 

I noted that this was the second lunch we had eaten with Shax and Amy, but it was also the second time they hadn't eaten anything. I mentally waved the thought off, deciding they probably just didn't like the school food. So many people didn't eat lunch - it wasn't exactly weird. I unwrapped my roll and took a bite as Cole spoke up.

"So, Lil, this guy you were talking about, did you get his number?" I choked on my bread and coughed a little, looking up at him in surprise.

"No, Cole," I said with wide eyes, my voice a low hiss. "Shut up!" I whispered, not looking to meet the curious eyes of Amy and Shax. 

"Who's this?" Shax asked, a smirk on his face as he leaned forward to rest his arms on the table, forgetting his phone for once.

"No one!" I said looking at Janie with wide eyes, asking for her help. 

She just shrugged and pointed to Cole. I knew she was right - Cole and his big, fat mouth were going to say something, and no one would be able to stop him. Even though I wanted to know if Shax and Amy knew Lucas, I wanted to come at it in a more delicate and round-about way, not just point-blank shooting.

"Some guy she met the other night," Cole said, not noticing me frantically shaking my head at him. "You know that night she pepper-sprayed those guys? Yeah, she met him then." I kicked my leg out and groaned in pain as I missed Cole's shin and hit the metal pole under the table instead.

"Wait, you're interested in a guy you pepper-sprayed?" Shax asked looking at me with a small smile. "I'm impressed, Lilith, didn't know you had guts like that." He smirked, and Amy nodded, both looking at me with new-found appreciation.

"No! It's not like that!" I said loudly, my hands hitting the table. A few people sitting nearby turned to look at us in wonder, so I quietened my voice. "He just saw me beat them up, that's all." 

"So, you're interested in a guy who saw you beat up three other dudes?" Amy asked, her voice deadpan as she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yes!" I said with a big smile. "Wait, no," I said quickly, holding my hands up. "I'm not interested, per se, just..." I trailed off unsure how to finish.

"Interested?" Shax said with a big grin and I knew he was just toying with me now. 

"I don't know!" I said exasperated, dropping my head on the table and forgetting about my sandwich.

"Lil said he was 'attractive'," Cole said with a grin, scooping another spoonful of god-awful food into his fat mouth. 

I wished for a moment he would choke on a chunk of mouldy meatloaf but decided that was a bit harsh. Janie laughed from next to him and poked her head around him to look at Shax and Amy.