The Kings of Kentworth

4.

Lance

Lance made his way into the school building and into the large hallway crowded with teenage prices that seemed to make him want to vomit. God, he hated this place. Hell, he hated this fucking town; with thier school bags hung behind them as they hurried to class, chatting, laughing and gossiping as they did so. He stopped right infront of the entrance,dipped his left hand into his backpack and brought out a small wrapped up candy.

Menthos.

He always took it so his mouth wouldn't reek all day because he planned on keeping it shut and not talking to any of these losers that surrounded him. Speaking of losers, he tossed the candy in his mouth and began looking round to see if.....shit!

"Hey Lance!" A red haired girl hurried over to him, smiling ever so brightly.

Lance dropped his shoulders when he spotted her and the familiar lanky figure with wavy brown hair coming behind her. "Oh God," he groaned, before started to move in another direction; away from the pathetic nerds that were coming his way.

"Lance come on." the girl yelled. "wait up."

"Maybe we should leave him alone, Stephanie," Lance heard the other boy's voice laced with nervousness.

"Shut up, Lenny." He also shook his head when he heard her reply.

"Hey Lance," she was right beside him now. Damn she was fast, and fucking persistent. "How was your weekend."

"Get lost," Lance replied sharply without even looking at her as he made his way through the crowded hallway with them tagging along.

"I finally finished the entire first season of Stranger Things by the way," Stephanie said as she struggled to keep up with him. "Do you like Stranger things?"

Lance roles his eyes and stopped moving before he turned and glared down at the red haired girl beside him. He could see Lenny's uneasy and nervous eyes darting between he and Stephanie. He was afraid of Lance, but Stephanie obviously wasn't. The short girl just stood there, smiling at him through her glasses; her gap tooth and freckled face always intrigued him. Even the way she clutched her folder filled with books close to her chest

"No." Lance growled in a way that he hoped would frighten her. "I don't."

"That's too bad," Stephanie smiled up at him. "I could lend you the DVD if you like."

Lance's look of rage suddenly dissolved to that of shock and confusion.
"This bitch is crazy." Lance thought to himself as he shook his head and kept walking to his locker. He wasn't surprised when he heard Stephanie's quick steps behind him and Lenny groaning for her to leave Lance alone.

The first week Lance spent in Kentworth, he noticed Stephanie was always watching him, but of course, he chose to ignore it. The second week was when she finally made her move; sending him what was obviously love notes in class and winking at him at the cafeteria during lunch. She once threatened his lab partner in Chemistry so she could sit near him and glared at any girl that seemed to flirt with him. Stephanie just couldn't help herself when she was around Lance though. The first day she saw him, he looked like the typical tattoo coated bad boy with an attitude and to be honest Stephanie was disgusted by him because she thought he was just a proud and obnoxious bad boy, but when the results of his first two tests came out and he score straight As in both, she started to feel an attraction towards this phenomenon that was Lance Tiffin.

Pitch black hair, green eyes, fit and athletic as hell, unbelievably handsome and mysterious, and yet, he was an academic genius. Stephanie couldn't handle the intrigue. She had to make him hers.

Lance then knew it wasn't a joke anymore when people started asking him if he was really dating Stephanie Walker. He had noticed Lenny was obviously her best friend before and then he cornered the boy during soccer practice and asked him what was going on. Lenny told Lance that Stephanie had been telling everyone that he was her new boyfriend. Lance lost it that day,ran over to the Library, dragged the girl out and warned her.

"Oh Come on." Stephanie had chuckled. "It's just a joke."

"Well it's not funny anymore," Lance was pacing the hallway before the Library that afternoon.

"So you wouldn't date me?" Stephanie smiled at him and Lance could remember the confusion in her eyes.

"No."

"Why?"

"...Because i'm fucking gay,okay?" Lance had lowered his furious voice to a menacing hiss. He remembered the way her face fell. she didn't want to believe what he had told her until she left. Two weeks since he told her what he knew most people in school didn't know about him, Stephanie never bothered him again and Lance was relieved as hell, not caring if he had hurt her feelings or not.

Then, on the third week, he was shocked when Lenny and Stephanie blocked him in the Library, inviting him to the school science club and the day after that, they were joining him at his cafeteria table where he normally sat alone.

"So you're joining us for the quiz right?" Stephanie's voice pulled Lance from his thoughts and he realised he had reached his locker now.

"What?" He asked as he opened his locker and took his books.

"The Science club," she explained in enthusiasm as she moved close to him. A gesture Lance found uncomfortable. "We're practising for our the upcoming competition,remember?"

"I don't care," Lance hissed as he slammed his locker shut and began to walk away.

"Come on Steph," Lenny groaned. "Let's go, we'll be late for Literature."

Stephanie looked up at Lenny beside her, before glancing over at Lance as he walked down the hall.

"One second," she said before she darted over to meet Lance, leaving Lenny dropping his shoulders with an exhausting sigh. She was impossible.

"Lance, listen.."

She grabbed Lance's arm and that was when he lost it. Lance shrugged her off violently and spun to face her with his eyes dark and blazing with rage.

"Leave me the fuck alone!" The boy screamed. "What are you,...fucking deaf?"

Stephanie moved back in shock. Lenny was running down to them now, just to make sure this guy doesn't hurt his friend. "It's okay...it's alright man," Lenny raised his palms to Lance in surrender. "We're sorry."

"You both come near me again and I'll kick your worthless asses!" Lance growled as he darted his dark eyes between Stephanie and Lenny, before he spun and trudged down the hall.

"Come on Steph," Lenny uttered as he held his best friend and began turning her around. Her eyes still fixed on Lance as he disappeared down the hall way.

"Okay," she replied softly, as she blinked back the tears in her welling eyes.