Head Over Heels ✓

13 / the last straw

"What? Are you freaking kidding me, Lucas? How am I the problem when you're the baby who cries all the time? It was a joke, Jesus. Chill your tits." She rolled her eyes again. He wished they would fall out of her head.

"You pick on me for no reason," he said, controlling his words when he knew everything he said would be recorded too. The last thing he wanted to do was to come off as badly as her.

"Oh, look at you, Mr Innocent," she spat. "You can quit playing the victim card, Lucas. You're the one who spends your life trying to ruin my relationship because you're a jealous little twat."

Lucas shrank back, the words overwhelming him as she threw them like rocks. A fountain of vicious rage seemed to pour out of her mouth as a fire ignited behind her eyes. She pointed at him, her finger long and bony. He didn't know how Asher could bring himself to hold her hand.

"You need to back off, Lucas. Mind your own business and stop trying to ruin my life just because you wish it was yours. Asher doesn't even like you, you fucking fairy, so piss off. Just accept that you're out of the picture. He chose me." She stepped closer, her hand clenching into a fist. "If you keep trying to get in the way, I will kill you."

Lucas was shaking, his heart racing and his skin prickling and he couldn't catch his breath. The most ominous fear filled him, the sickening realisation that Adler was even worse than he had thought, that she wasn't just picking on him: she detested him. She wanted him gone. He pushed his chair back, his quivering hand grabbing his backpack.

Adler span around on the spot to come face to face with Asher, who had just stepped through the door. His eyes were wide, his back straight.

"What the fuck, Addie?" His voice was quiet, laced with disbelief. Lucas felt tears prick his eyes and he pushed past Adler to run outside, to suck in the cool air and replace the nausea in his gut. "Lucas, wait!" Asher tried to grab him but he shook him off, his lungs burning as he ran. The school was almost empty after the rush to leave at four o'clock, no crowds to push through as he ran until he got to the gate. He ignored Asher calling his name, desperate to get away.

His father was there, his car running, and Lucas threw himself into the passenger seat.

"Hey," Floyd said. "How was your day?"

"Go," Lucas said. He couldn't bear to face Asher, for him to catch up with him. The dread in his gut said that he would somehow find a way to excuse Adler, but Lucas couldn't. Not anymore. She had gone too far, pushing him over the edge. "Drive. Just drive."

"Lucas? What's wrong? Jesus, are you ok?"

"Drive, Dad!" he cried out, fumbling for his seat belt. Floyd did as he was told, though he only drove as far as around the corner before he came to a stop on a quieter stretch of road. Lucas was hyperventilating beside him, struggling to catch his breath as he sobbed behind his hands.

"Lucas, what the hell just happened?" Floyd asked, dread gripping him. He couldn't bear to see his son upset under any circumstance but this was a new level of distress. "Hey, you need to calm down. What's going on? Are you hurt? Has something happened?"

Lucas couldn't get himself under control, gasping as he grappled with his seat belt to undo it when he felt like it was suffocating him. He scratched at his neck to loosen his tie, his shaking fingers only making it worse until Floyd reached across and undid the knot, and the top button of his shirt.

"Take a deep breath, Lucas," he said. It had been a long time since he had seen him panic on this level. "Get out of the car. You need some fresh air." He got out and headed round to the passenger side, opening the door and pulling his son out when he sat rooted to his seat. He wrapped his arms around him, gripping him as tightly as he could until Lucas sagged with his arms pinned against his sides, his energy gone. He took a few deep breaths, desperately trying to replenish his air supply as his whole body shook as though he was standing in a foot of snow.