The Unexpected Path

Chapter 1 - Lucas

"Take your complaints and shove them up your ass," I start in a low voice. He claws at my hands, growing red in the face. "If there's any room, that is. You're so goddamn stuck up I can't imagine what else is in there."

"Lucas!" Zack wraps his arm around my torso and yanks me back. Fucker is as strong as I am so he manages to rip me away and the security guard falls to the floor, coughing and sputtering. Zack shoves me back and gets in my face. "What the fuck? You can't go around hurting whoever the fuck you want. He was doing his job, you dick."

I cut my eyes away from him and look at the security guard. He's on his feet and glaring at me but the humiliation in his eyes is clear as day. I smirk, thoroughly enjoying that. I wonder how else I could fuck around with him.

"That's enough," Zack warns when he catches the look in my eyes. "You're going to get expelled if you keep this up and then what? You think that's going to help your mom?"

My body locks up so suddenly I'm not even breathing. Slowly, I drag my gaze to his face and my hands curl into fists beside me. Zack's face is hard as stone and refusing to let up. I respect that but it's too bad I don't like it. My arm shoots out and I clock him on the jaw less than a second later. He stumbles backward, probably not expecting that, and my respect is gone. He shouldn't have talked such a big game if he wasn't prepared to back it up.

"Keep her out of your fucking mouth," I seethe and grab him by the collar of his shirt. He's only a couple of inches shorter than me but he's not deterred, eyes locked on mine. My breathing is rugged and choppy as I try to get myself under control. I could hurt him bad if I wanted to and I want to. Just not enough. "Don't talk about her like you know her better than me. Don't think you know what she would want. She's my mother, not yours. Yours is sitting at home probably writing a book and baking cookies or some shit. Mine is hooked up to wires and fighting for her life while the doctors try to save her even though she has a twenty percent survival rate, even though her cancer is stage four and grade three which is the most invasive kind. You don't know shit, Hunter! You keep her out of your goddamn mouth!"

His jaw pulses, his breathing as hard as mine. "Fine. But just so you know, she asked me to look out for you this semester so I'm doing what she wants. I don't pretend to know anything."

I drop him so suddenly it's like I was burned. Damn it. Damn it. I look away and close my eyes briefly. I have half a mind to tear my best friend's face apart but if he's doing what Mom asked him to then I can't fight him on that. Doesn't mean it doesn't royally piss me off because what the hell? As if I didn't feel like enough of a fuck up now my best friend is babysitting me?

"Whatever," I mutter and finally notice the security guard standing off to the side and watching us. My anger spikes up again. "This a fucking slumber party? Want me to braid your hair?"

"We apologize for the inconvenience," Zack cuts in before I can say anything else and I snort. My ass, I apologize. "Is there any way I can convince you not to file a complaint?"

"He assaulted me!" The security guard points an accusative finger at me.

My lip curls. "Not my fault you're so goddamn bad at your job you couldn't defend yourself against a twenty-one year old."

"It won't happen again," Zack interrupts with a louder voice. He takes a deep breath and I know he's officially lost his patience with me. That's a rarity. Guy got his patience from Uncle Nate and those two could hold out for days when they're mad. I must be a piece of work. I turn away to hide my smirk because something tells me Zack wouldn't like that. I retreat back into my room as I hear him offering money to the security guard to keep quiet. I know he'll take it and I won't get in trouble. He saw the look in my eyes. If he tries anything I'd be more than happy for round two and he knows it.