*Lucy POV*
"You probably gave him a concussion, Jade." Alice said delightfully as the three of us walked out of the dance studio, bags in hand.
"If he has a concussion from a flying pointe shoe to the head, than he has problems that I did not start. The guy is fine. And plus, he deserved it." Jade finished. Alice chuckled happily and pushed open the door to the main studio entrance, letting the cold winter wind in. I tucked my scarf a little tighter around my neck and into the coller of my jacket before following the group outside.
"Out of everyone in that room, Todd is the guy to deserve a pointe shoe to the face. Although Drew may be a close second." Alice added. Jade stopped on the stairs and waited for me to join her before continuing down alongside Alice.
"What did you think of my pointe shoe throwing skills, Lucifer?" I shrugged, but after seeing a flash of concern cross Jade's face, I quickly added a remark on how Todd always deserves a pointe shoe to the back of the head.
I took another few steps down the stairs before a commotion came from the studio door making the three of us pause. Our mistake.
Up above in what was most definitely a swarm, Dan, Phil, Andrew and David came rushing down the steps toward us. I quickly pushed myself to the wall and saw Alice follow my move. Jade however, froze in the middle of the steps, confused. The boys ran up to her, Alice and myself and started calling out about how wonderful Jade looked after falling down the stairs and petting her head.
This caused Jade to glare at the group of them again and as Andrew came close to her bag she turned to him and actually hissed. Classic Jade.
Unfortunately for Andrew, he was not expecting this and actually jumped back. Since he was on the stairs that meant he went backward. Thankfully for Andrew, Phil was standing below him and was able to stabilize him before hitting the concrete bottom.
"What is wrong with you lot?" I called out, seriously concerned for their sudden hyper take over on the steps of all places.
"Good question. Boys, what are you doing?" A voice that soon came out to be Todd, asked with fake concern in his voice. He stood right behind Jade and seemed to magically appear behind her. Jade almost seemed to jump out of her skin when she turned to see Todd only a few inches from her. This made me almost smile. Almost.
"Sorry about this girls. They must have eaten something out of my snack bag. Excuse us." And with that, Todd and the rest of the boys quickly scouted around us and ran down the steps, a few at a time until the three of us girls were once again left on the stair well.
"What the fuck just happened?" Alice asked, looking around bewailed. Jade and I shared looks of confusion.
"I think they stole Jade's phone." A voice said from the door way. We looked up and saw Bianca, wrapped up in her crisp light blue coat tucked tightly around her, watching us.
Jade quickly looked down at her bag for a split second before cursing dramatically and then continued to run down the stairs, after the boys.
Alice and I followed after her without a second thought and had just made it to see Jade with her arms crossed in front of a smirking Todd.
"What was that for?" Jade demanded, snatching her iPhone out of his hand. Todd lost the smirk and replaced it with a knowing look.
"You hit me in the back of the head with a shoe and expect to get a way with it? Please Jade. You're smarter than that."
"That does not mean you have to steal my phone. Also you failed at it since I now have it back." Jade concluded. Todd smiled again making Jade stop and look down at her phone for a hesitant moment before looking back up at him.
"Did you just text yourself on here?" Todd shrugged and opened up the door to a black jeep. The other boys were already in the car waiting for him to get in the back.
"Ms. Olivia did ask for us to exchange numbers. I just made it easier for you. Did all the hard work." He jumped into the car and slammed the door, leaving a horrified Jade standing by the side.
As the car reversed and left the lot, Alice and I drifted up to Jade who was now glaring at her phone.
"How did he get past your password on the phone?" I asked as Alice started giggling uncontrollably.
Jade said nothing and placed a hand on her head.
"Ow."
"Okay well congrats for getting your phone hijacked by Todd of all people. Now can we go. I'm hungry!" Alice groaned.
"Good idea. I want to go home." I responded, heading in the direction of Alice's car.
"Actually I thought maybe we could go out for dinner." Alice suggested meekly making me turn around again with a groan. Alice was smiling her innocent smile at Jade who shrugged in agreement making me the only negative. Darn.
"Fine then. Where are we heading?" I asked.
Atilla's Tacos was a hole in the wall in a part of town that I didn't go around to often. Mostly because whenever I was around this particular area, I was surrounded by the entire Landrith family.
Atilla's Tacos was obviously a taco house but it served other great foods too. The owner, Atilla Brie, was on the young side of owning a restaurant, and came to this town from Vermont, I believe. I guess after living here for a few weeks in Washington, she obviously came in contact with the lack of fun hangout places for teenagers, the major age group in the town.
So what does she do? She opens up a food place with the main food group being tacos, tacos on tacos, fish tacos, candy tacos, and mac and cheese. Breadsticks fit in there somewhere as well. Atilla's Tacos was basically a place fit for teenagers who just wanted to get out of the house.
Everyday she had something going on at the restaurant. Tonight, for example, was Star War's night. The first old three movies were on a projector screen being played while all the teenagers there sat in all the makeshift chairs available.
When the three of us walked in, most of the seats were full. It didn't matter that today happened to be a school night. If you were hungry and wanted to get out of the house, you could rely on Atilla and her amazing tacos to liven up your life a bit.
Jade decided to order the food for all of us while Alice scouted out for seats. I was standing by the back wall next to a pair of neon clad preteens who probably thought they were some sort of bad ass hot stuff chicks for making it into Atilla's at age 13. They weren't and they were actually giving me a headache just from laughing. Who laughs like that naturally?
I looked over to find Alice sitting on a big purple velvet coach with matching orange and purple pillows. Two guys from our high school were sitting next to her and to no ones surprise, Alice was happily chatting along with them.
As another fit of giggles came out of the preteen rainbow gang, I decided that was my cue to exit before Jade noticed. But before I left, I snuck out one of the tacos from the preteen's basket. Payment for my troubles.
Across the street from Atilla's was a narrow street called Fleed Street. At the far edge of that street lay an old mechanic shop that belonged to this middle aged guy named Bernie. How do I know this?
The twins were there for all the time they were not otherwise at school or at home. Sam worked there while Ben played with his band, run by Bernie's daughter Eve. Small world full of connections. Or maybe this town was just too small.
Either way, once we reached Atilla's Taco place I had a feeling I would wonder over to the mechanic shop at some point. Especially since I had to talk to Sam.
When I reached the lot in question, I did not have to look very far to find Sam. He was sitting by one of the cars in the garage, his back to me but I knew it was him. He held himself up differently from his brother.
I took a few steps up to the garage and paused, not sure how to continue. Sam, who must have heard something, looked up from the car and spotted me guiltily watching from the door.
"Lucy? What are you doing here?" I stretched out my hand, revealing the stolen taco still in its wrapper.
"Jade, Alice and I were at Atilla's. There are too many people there for my comfort so I took a walk. Hungry?" Sam smiled and stood up and walked over to me.
"Thanks. Appreciate it." He took the taco and turned back to his car before looking back at me.
"Want to help?" I perked up at this and walked over quickly, talking a seat on the stool next to him.
"What exactly are you working on, then?" I asked, eyeing the car ominously. Sam sat unwrapping his taco and took a bite before responding.
"The brake is screwed up. Have to fix it before tomorrow."
"So is Ben still here? I don't hear him." At that moment the sound of an electric guitar was heard from inside the mechanic's doors. I groaned and Sam chuckled.
"They take lots of breaks but yes they are all back there practicing."
"Do they ever perform? Or is this just some after school activity?" I asked, eyeing the doorway before turning back to Sam. He was already eating the last bite of the taco. Fast eater.
"They do perform but not a lot. I think one of their gigs is coming up though which is exciting for them. Gives me a headache though." I smiled, noticing his ear phones dangling from his shirt collar.
I sat back on my stool and watched as Sam rolled up the taco wrapper and flung it over towards the trash can, barely making it.
"So I'm amazed to see you out of the house after hours." Sam said, changing the topic to my horror. I groaned.
"You had to bring it up." I muttered through my hands making Sam laugh again.
"Well I'm amazed you thought it wouldn't come up. Your dad hates me now and mom thinks there is something between us." I made another noise, still hiding behind my hand. Sam placed his hand on my shoulder making me look up to see that he was no longer smirking.
"You doing alright?" I nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I'm just stressed. Halloween did not help." I said glancing over at Sam again. He smirked.
"Everyone will get over it. We did nothing wrong. Just the timing was off." I nodded.
"And the costumes. Next time you want to be the clown psyco, give me a heads up. I'll be poison ivy instead." Sam shook his head laughing.
"Nah, you looked great as Harley Quinn. My mom was just being over dramatic as usual. Plus I think she ships us together." That made me freeze and turn to look at Sam who was working once again on the car. He didn't need to look at me to get what I was expressing. Instead he just laughed.
"Think about it. My mom and your mom must have been begging for something like this to happen. They are best friends living close together with kids around the same age. Don't you remember the Ivy and Danial accident?" I laughed at that.
Ivy and Danial have always been tight friends since birth just like Jade and me. The only difference is that since Ivy and Danial were boy and girl, our parents always thought they would end up together. I think Ivy believed this as well until Danial came home from college with a girlfriend. And then that girlfriend ended up being a relation to our dance teacher Olivia.
But Ivy never told Danial and Danial being a stupid boy has yet to figure it all out. But Sam knew and I knew and I think everyone except for my dad, Rob and Ben knew. Shocker.
"At least our parents have cooled down over that. Gives me hope that dad will cool down over you soon."
"Ha! I hope so. I miss his pasta." I turned around to find Ben hanging out in the door way. His band mates walking up behind him.
Sam looked up from his work and grinned.
"Finished with that racket already? I didn't even notice."
"That's a first." Eve commented as she edged herself around Ben who stubbornly stayed in the doorway.
Sam gave her a look before looking back at his brother.
"I have to finish this so you have to wait." Ben, acting like any normal 17 year old, pouted like a baby and crossed his arms.
"But I'm hungry!" Sam gave me a look that read: Prima-Donna.
"If you're hungry then go to Atilla's. She's showing Star Wars and Jade and Alice are over there."
"No she isn't." Ben replied stubbornly. I was about to argue back when Sam elbowed me to look.
Standing out of the garage doorway stood Jade, giving off her normal glow of "fuck offs" while carrying a suspiciously large bag of Atilla cuisine.
"I thought I'd find you here Lucifer. I brought gifts!" She said motioning toward her bag.
Ben raced over to his sister who promptly held up her bag behind her and glared daggers at her brother. Unfortunately for Jade, Ben was still taller then her and was quick to snatch the bag away from her.
"What do we have here?"
"Give it back pig!"
"No!"
"Ben.Give.It.Back."
"No! You snooze you lose, little sister. Ooh Sam look! Breadsticks!" That made me look up like a watch dog. Ben caught this and then turned to his sister who was slowly inching her way toward him. I slowly stood up from my stool and walked toward Ben, making Sam start to laugh.
"Sam! Help me." Ben yelped as he was slowly starting to get cornered by Jade and me. Sam just kept laughing by his car.
"Oh you so did this to yourself, you idiot. Not my problem. I already ate a taco." Ben glared at his brother.
"How did you get a taco already you traitor?" Sam pointed toward me who was now very close to Ben. I smiled, showing teeth, making Ben take another step back but hitting the wall.
Now it was Jade's turn to move and she did, snatching the bag of bread sticks.
Immediately Jade and I backed off, causing Ben to stare surprised at the two of us.
"That's it? You just wanted breadsticks? Does that mean I can eat all these tacos?"
"I brought them for you two, you stupid Oaf." Jade replied sarcastically as I hopped over to her, eagerly awaiting a bread stick.
Ben smiled happily down at his new bag of food but the joy was quickly extinguished when Sam stood up and claimed half of the bag.
Jade and I left the mechanic shop overhearing the sounds of twin attacking twin ending up with Sam with the torn bag eating his third taco which Ben lay on the floor defeated and taco-less.