Chapter Four

1701 Words
(Luca's P.O.V.) Why is Riley sitting with me? I thought he wanted to hurt me, turns out I was wrong. He's actually being nice. He smiles at me and I look down at the table. I take a bite out of one of my grapes and I feel him staring at me. I look up and he blushes. "Sorry, didn't mean to stare," he says and I nod. It's okay, I'm used to people staring. Why wouldn't they stare? I'm a freak. I look back down at the table and sigh. "So, what's your name?" I point at my book bag and he reads my name on it. "That's a cool name. Nice to meet you, Luca." Just as he says that the bell rings. I get up and throw away my half empty carton and the rest of my grapes. I quickly walk out of the cafeteria before he can follow me. Okay, so maybe I feel kind of bad for not talking to him. I just don't want him to make fun of me. I walk down the hall and to my next class which is history. I actually really like this class, it's really easy. Plus, it's interesting. I walk to the back of the class and sit down and wait for the teacher to start lecturing us. The final bell rings and everyone rushes to put their things away. I walk out of art class and out of the school. I don't need to stop at my locker, thank god for that because I rather not get beat up again. I see Storm's car pull up to the curb and I get in the back. "Hey, Luca," Storm says. "H-Hey." "How was school?" Tyler asks. I think about it and sigh. Should I tell them? No, that'd make things worse. "O-Okay, I m-made this," I say and take the picture I drew in art class out. It's a picture of a wolf with purple eyes. I'll admit, I am proud of my drawings. I may not be good at a lot of things, but I'm definitely better at drawing than most people. Tyler takes it and smiles. "Wow, Luca, it's awesome!" Tyler says. I smile and blush a little. I honestly love Tyler. He's so nice and loves to cheer people up. Whenever I'm down or sad he always gets me happy again. I'll admit that I've always had a small crush on him. I know what you're thinking, why would a thirteen-year-old have a crush on a seventeen-year-old? I don't know, I just do. Storm stops at a stop sign and looks at my drawing. "Damn, you're really talented," he says. "Th-Thank y-you," I say. They hand it back to me and I put it back in my book bag. We pull into our driveway and get out. "Hey, I just realized," Tyler says. "I never got my hug from you today." Tyler gives me a hug every day just like he kisses Storm's cheek every day. He kneels down a little and hugs me. I smile and hug him back while blushing. He pulls away and I sigh. I didn't realize how much I needed a hug. He smiles at me and I smile back. "S-So, did a-anything interesting happen t-today?" I ask. "No, just another boring day," Storm says and walks into the kitchen. I follow Tyler and Storm, and Storm starts to do the dishes. "Oh, I-I f-forgot," I say. They both look at me and I pulled out the flyer that Mr. Jewels gave me. "I um. . .f-failed a-another math t-test. So Mr. Jewels g-gave me this." Storm dries off his hands and takes the flyer. "A tutor?" Storm asks. "O-Or, you c-can help me," I say. Storm sighs and says, "I would, but you know how busy I am. After school, I have to make dinner, do my homework, and pay the bills." I look at the ground and sigh. "Oh. . .I-I u-understand." Storm sighs and hugs me. "I'm sorry, Luca. You know I would if I could. I'll look into this tutoring thing tonight and we'll fill out the paper together." I nod and he pulls away. I force a smile and he smiles in satisfaction. "Okay, now I'll finish the dishes and start dinner." I nod and smile at him. "Do you want to invite a friend over?" Storm asks me. I freeze and feel my heart start to hurt. "N-No," I say with my voice cracking. Oh, crap. Why am I getting so upset? Storm's smile drops and Tyler runs over to me. Storm walks up next to Tyler and asks, "What's wrong?" I shake my head and force another smile. "N-Nothing." Tyler rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. "Don't lie, tell us," Tyler says and I look at the ground. "I-I just d-don't have any f-friends," I mumbled. Tyler hugs me and says, "I'm sure that's not true." Storm joins in on the hug and says, "Why wouldn't you have any friends? You're like the sweetest person ever." "B-Because, I'm a-a freak and I t-talk stupid," I say. Tyler gently slaps my arm and Storm sighs. "Don't ever call yourself a freak. You don't talk stupidly, either. You may stutter, but that doesn't mean anything," Storm says. This is why I don't tell them stuff. They freak out and tell me not to call myself stuff even though it's true. I nod anyway and say, "I-I'm s-sorry." "Don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry about. Luca, you can't think so low of yourself. Stick up for yourself sometimes," Storm says. I nod and he smiles. "Good." Tyler smiles at me and says, "Do you want to go up to your room and hang out before dinner?" Tyler wants to hang out with me? I mean, it's not like I've never hung out with him before. Just not alone. He's babysat for me before when I was littler but that doesn't count. Storm smiles at me and motions for me to go. I nod and say, "O-Okay." He links his arm with mine and we walk upstairs to my room. "I haven't been in your room since you were ten," he says. I nod and open the door. He gasps and starts fanboying. I giggle at his reaction and he says, "Oh, my god! This is like anime heaven! Look at all your posters and little plushies! They're so adorable!" "Th-Thank y-you," I say. I sit on my bed and he sits down next to me. He smiles at me and I smile back. "So, Luca, what do you want to talk about?" I shrug and ask the question I've been dying to know. "D-Do you h-have a-a boyfriend?" He shakes his head no and I feel a little bit of hope enter my mind. That's one step closer to being able to date him. "I don't have a boyfriend, but I do have a crush." Once those words hit my ears, I felt my heart break. Yep, all the hope I had just flew out the window. "O-Oh really? Wh-Who?" I ask, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. "This boy named Kyle. Here, I'll show you a picture of him." "Wh-Where did y-you get a-a p-picture of him f-from?" I ask. He blushes and gives me an innocent smile. "I stalk his f*******: and Instagram." I laugh and he shows me a picture of him. He has blonde hair, blue eyes, and is kind of pale. "He's c-cute," I say. "Yeah, too bad he'll never like me. I mean why would he date me when he has a bunch of cheerleaders lining up to be with him." I smacked Tyler's arm softly. "D-Don't say that! A-anyone would be l-lucky to h-have you," I said. "Like who?" he asks. I look out my window and a look of realization takes over his face. "Luca, look at me." I look into his chocolate brown eyes and he smiles. My heart melts when he smiles at me. He has a nice smile, it's warm and welcoming and can cheer you up in an instant. I try to keep eye contact with him, but I keep failing. I've never been able to just look into someone's eyes and not feel uncomfortable. "Luca, do you have a crush on me?" I look down again and nod my head. It's so silent, you can hear a pin drop. "Y-You can y-yell at me n-now," I say and Tyler gives me a sad look. "Luca, I would never yell at you. Why would I yell at you for this?" I shrug and he sighs. He scoots over so he's next to me and says, "I'm flattered, I really am, but I just don't like you in a romantic way." Do you hear that? That's the sound of my heart breaking. I know he didn't mean to make me upset, I'm just a baby. I sniffle and try to hold in my tears. "I-I know y-you d-don't." He sighs and wraps his arms around me. I lay my head on his shoulder and he says, "I love you in a friendly way, and if I was a few years younger I would probably like you. It's just, I'm seventeen and you're thirteen." I shrug and force a shaky smile. "Y-You don't h-have t-to explain. I u-understand." He still doesn't look convinced. "Really, j-just please f-forget th-this ever happened." He sighs again and gets up off my bed. "I won't forget this happened but I won't act weird around you, either. I know how much you need somebody to go to when Storm's not around. So, I'll still be that person. And, Luca, I'm sure you'll find someone who will like you. You're a terrific kid, and I hope you won't avoid me. I'd really miss you." I nod and get up, too. I hug him and say, "Th-Thanks, Ty." He hugs me back and says, "Anytime, Lulu." I giggle and we let go of each other. "Dinner's done!" Storm yells. We walk down the steps and we sit down and start eating some mac and cheese with meatloaf.
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