Walking With The Outcast

Chapter 8 - Lucilia

Ace maintains eye contact, but hands me the notebook. "The usual?" I nod and smile shyly.

Ace then ushers me over to our usual seating area. The oversized brown leather chair dwarfs me. Placing my purse beside me, I study the little café. The light blue paint on all four walls creates a tranquil atmosphere, and the brown furniture—chairs and tables— compliments the simple decor.

My eyes flit over to the counter, where they rest on Ace. He is writing our order on his notepad. I don't know why we do it this way, considering it would be quicker for me to speak, but Ace always orders for us. Sliding the pad of paper to the employee, Ace's arm muscles contract with the motion. He then leans his hip against the counter, angling his body towards me.

Not wanting to be caught, I look at Ethan instead. I don't know what to think of him sometimes. He obviously is not a very serious person, but I also question his intelligence. Who in their right mind willingly antagonizes Ace? I'm surprised Ace hasn't severely hurt him yet. Ethan is obsessively staring at the muffin, as it is placed in his grasp.

Ethan comes to sit in the dirt-colored chair beside me. Ace soon joins us and places my chocolate chip cookie and hot chocolate before me on the table. He then seats himself in the third chair of our seating triangle. I pick up my hot chocolate, and the warmth soaks into my hands. I smile gratefully at Ace.

"Thank you. Will you please let me pay this time?" Already knowing the answer, I watch Ace deny my request. I sigh, but try to persuade him. "Please, you never let me pay." Ace vehemently shakes his head, adamant about his decision. Well, alright then.

Switching my focus to Ethan, I am greeted by the lovely image of him cramming a whole entire muffin in his mouth. I blink at him, but Ace is the one who asks him a question by handing me the notebook. "Did you even taste it?" I read aloud.

Ethan swallows, after choking slightly. "Of course not. That's why I bought a second one." He rolls his eyes and unwraps the second muffin.

We are all silent after that, each person lost in thought. Ace gazes out the café window. I gaze at the wall conveniently behind Ace, and Ethan gazes at his muffin predatorily. A thought pops into my head, though.

"Hey, Ethan," I draw his attention. "Why did you move here?"

Ethan's eyes, normally full of mirth, dim drastically. They adopt a serious look, and I know that I have hit a sensitive topic for him. Ace must pick up on the mood change also because his full focus is now on the conversation.

Ethan swipes a hand down his face, sighing simultaneously. That same hand then sweeps through the strands of brown hair. "Ah, what the heck. You guys are bound to find out anyway." He pauses, looking like he is steeling himself.

Then Ethan straightens his shoulders and leans back on the chair. He addresses the wall. "My mom and I moved here about a week ago." Now he focuses on us. "My da— Wait, no I guess I have to explain something else first. My parents gave birth to triplets. I was first, Elizabeth was second, and Emilia was third. Elizabeth looked like me: brown hair, brown eyes. Emilia, on the other hand, has blonde hair and brown eyes."

Ethan's countenance darkens for a moment before a reminiscing smile appears. "Elizabeth and I were a lot closer than Emilia and I were. For some reason, Emilia and I couldn't get along very well, unless Liz was there. She was the peacekeeper."

"In the same way, Emilia was closer to my father, while I was closer to Mom. Liz was still the neutral one. It's not that my father and I didn't get along, but I don't think he knows how to raise a son; he grew up with only his sisters and mother."

Ethan clears his throat, and his eyes drift to the area between Ace and I. His eyes take on a vacant look, and he continues in monotone. "My parents used to fight a lot, but they told us that they were going to work on it. That was about a year ago. Liz, Emilia, and I all believed them, and things started looking better...until we found out that my father was cheating."