This chapter begins with the story from Luke's side ;)

Helpful reminder – Millie and Jake are juniors. Luke, Austin, Bianca, Chad and Oma are all seniors.

Chapter 08: Who's Millie?

Burgers, crispy chicken wings... and a bucket of French fries for Austin.

Soda swirled inside large cups full of ice. Luke picked them up from the counter and carried three across the mall's seating area. He set the cups down on a plastic table.

Chad was already sitting down and glaring at the guy opposite him, "Anyone going to explain why he's here?"

"Art, introduce yourself," Luke said, unbothered by Chad's mood swings.

"Sure," a boy replied, sitting in an oversized hoodie, "My name's Arturo. I'm a junior, a center and I just got off the bench."

"Is that athlete speak?" Chad asked, "Was I meant to understand any of that?"

Chad was leaning back in his plastic chair, with one leg crossed over the other. He had his phone in hand and his Rolex blinded everyone every time he texted.

"He's the new starting center," Luke said, taking a drink, "Coach wanted me to be a team player. This is the team."

"So it's charity," Chad said.

"Teamwork," Art corrected, "The better we know each other, the better we play."

"Hey Art," Austin came over, holding a tray overflowing with food, "Is Luke adopting you now?"

He placed the tray on the table to let everyone help themselves to food. Chad unfolded a napkin and set it carefully on the table to avoid germs.

"His game's good. Been on fire recently," Luke said, ignoring Chad's careful placement of another napkin on the table.

"I can think of another junior you think is on fire," Austin smirked, sitting next to Art and offering him a fry.

"O'Conner?" Art asked, thinking they were still talking basketball, "Yeah, he's killing it."

"No," Chad shut him down. "Millie."

"Who's Millie?"

"I ask myself the same question all the time," Chad was reminiscing, "Millie. You won't know her until you know her but when you know her... you can't forget."

Luke looked at Chad weirdly, surprised to hear such nice things coming out of his mouth.

Austin broke the silence. "And she's Luke's girlfriend."

"Sh*t no way!" Art got animated in his seat, "There's a rumor you slept with a girl in my year last weekend. It's true?"

"No."

"The name sounds familiar though," Art insisted, whipping out his phone and scrolling through texts, "She's in my year? How awkward if she and I hooked up..."

"No chance," Luke said.

"Oh!" Art stared at his screen, "I knew I recognized her."

"What is it then?" Austin asked, dipping nine fries into ketchup before eating them whole.

"You sure she's dating Luke?"

"I'm sure," Luke interrupted, not sure why Art was asking Austin.

"Isn't she dating Jake?" Art asked again, raising his phone and showing them a video.

Luke took it from Art's hand and clicked play.

Husband, let's follow, to see the end of this ado

First kiss me, Kate, and we will

Austin stopped eating. His eyes grew wider than the burgers when he heard what Millie's voice was saying.

Luke put the phone down and slid it across the table, back at Art. 

"They're performing a play," he shrugged, "Millie and Jake have English together. So what?"

Austin continued to eat.

"Apparently, the teacher called them lovebirds. And didn't Jake ask her out on a date to some play last month?" Art said, pulling out all the details.

"Who is this guy again?" Chad asked, pointing at Art.

Art raised his hands and backed off, "I know you guys are what the whole school talks about, but we have gossip in our year too. Especially around your brother, Luke."

"Juniors," Chad shook his head, "Y'all are kids."

Luke clenched his jaw, keeping his anger under control.

Art kept going. "So let me get this straight, the girl your brother is rumored to be dating is actually the girl you're dating?" Art couldn't help laughing, "This girl must be magic. How hot is she?"

He picked up his phone to re-watch the video when Chad grabbed it out of his hand.

"Not that hot," Chad answered, turning up the brightness and watching the video himself.

"I recommend you stop talking now," Austin muttered to Art, "Helpful tip, bro."

Arturo looked from Austin to Luke and then nodded. It was a warning not to cross the line with Luke. 

Luke was looking down at his phone, texting someone.  "Jake's here."

"And why are we at the mall by the way?" Chad randomly asked, "Because I told you my chef would cook for us, but you wanted chicken wings?"

"Millie works at that store," Austin said, pointing at Lola Rae.

"Millie's here?!" Art exclaimed, suddenly a very vocal member of the group, "and Jake said he's here too? I bet they're here together doin-"

"Leave."

Art stopped talking and faced Luke. Luke wasn't going to repeat himself.

Art buckled, "Sorry man if I offended you-"

"I'll be apologizing after I'm done with you at practice tomorrow."

The threat was real, and Art was terrified. "Woah, no need to get this way, man."

"You crossed the line," Luke said, "And I'm not feeling like a team player anymore."

Art shakily stood up, staring at the guys. He looked at Austin for help. Austin shook his head, since he'd just given the guy a warning.

Chad happily waved goodbye.

**

Arturo left without his chicken wings, so Austin took those under his wing.

"Why don't you tell everyone you're together?" Chad asked, "That'll stop the rumors about her and Jake."

"Maybe," Luke answered honestly, "I'm just not sure."

"Why? You don't want to be with her?" Chad asked. 

He stole a napkin from Austin to wipe a speck of dirt off his watch. Then he continued, "This relationship lasted 72 hours. I've had plants live longer than you two."

Luke leaned back in his chair, "I want to be with her. I'm confused by what she wants. She told me today that she doesn't want the attention. She says that nothing good happens in public."

"It's cos you're an odd couple. People expect you to be with someone like Bianca."

"And my opinion on this," Luke said, "Is f*ck what people think."

...

"Oh look," Austin pointed, "There's Jake."

They all focused on the guitar store on the mall's ground floor. Jake strolled out of the store, oblivious to the guys staring at him from above.

"No, no, no, no," Chad warned, as he saw Luke get up.

This wasn't going to end well.

"JAKE!"

"Damn," Chad said, "I barely recovered from the last fight."

Luke abandoned them without any parting words. He went to handle his younger brother directly.

"Oh look," Austin pointed in the opposite direction, "There's Millie."

"Who are you, today? Finding Waldo?" Chad exclaimed, "Look what you've just started."

"You're right!" Austin jumped into action, "Let's go."

He stopped to stare longingly at his food, before looking at Luke and then back at the food. Dilemma.

He decided that he had to go for Luke. He picked up three boxes of fries to take on the road.

"Luke needs us!"

"Does he? I know we call him brother but that's his actual brother-" Chad was in the middle of making his point when he saw that Austin was already running.

**

*Millie's POV*

I smacked into Austin and somehow found myself under a rain of fries.

"Want a fry?"

"Austin!" I exclaimed, "What's going on? Why's Luke here?"

Amidst the panic, Chad squeezed past us, and calmly took the escalator down to back Luke up. "Excuse me."

I stared after Chad. Did he really just pretend like he didn't know us?

"Come on Millie! Luke's about to murder his brother," Austin pulled me onto the escalator.

"Why is this happening?"

"I don't know," Austin exhaled, "I never know what happens. I usually show up and there's already some drama."

"Let's just de-escalate the whole-"

"That's why we're on the escalator!"

Fair point.

We stood patiently on the escalator as it slowly traveled down to the ground floor. Austin munched on his fries. I was staring intently at Luke's back. He was facing Jake and I couldn't see what they were talking about.

Chad was already beside him and we joined in a hurry.  I reached out to tug Luke's arm. 

Both Dawson brothers said at the same time, "Millie?"

"What's going on, Luke?" I responded, "I asked you not to overreact."

Luke relaxed my grip on his arm and said, "I'm not overreacting."

I tried not to get distracted by his eyes.  Why did they have to be so se-

"Listen to her, Luke. We really don't need to get into this here," Jake said, since Luke p*ssed off was not something he wanted to see.

"Why does everyone think I'm going to overreact?" Luke asked. He then told Jake, "We had an agreement. We said that whoever she decided, we would respect. The other would back off. We shook on it."

"I know we did," Jake nodded, a lump gathering in his throat.

"So why are you texting her?"

Jake looked from Luke to me. Maybe he expected me not to tell Luke about the text?

"And why are these videos popping up of you calling her husband?"

There was a very awkward silence. I looked at Chad and Austin for an explanation. How on earth does news travel so quickly to Luke?

"Arturo had the video," Austin whispered to me.

"Who?"

"He's a junior, a center and he just got off the bench," Chad recited Art's intro.

"Sounds like a dating profile," I muttered.

"Do any of you want to add something?" Luke asked us, distracted by our conversation.

We all shook our heads. Luke went back to Jake.

"This is a warning. Back off or else I won't be so calm next time. And next time I'll come to you without my girlfriend watching."

"She has her own free will," Jake said, "She can talk to whoever she wants."

"Yeah, she can.  But it's not her I doubt," Luke answered with a dark glare.

"I don't doubt me either," I added, not that anyone cared, "Why can't we all just get along?"

**

What started out as a nice surprise with Luke hanging out at the mall until I finished my shift... had ended in a confrontation with his brother.

Before we left the mall, Austin promised to drop my car off at my home – since it was still outside his house.

"Gloria or I will drive it," Austin offered, "I think Gloria's driver license expired in 1905. But, hey, the roads haven't changed much."

"How old is she?" I gasped.

"Weren't there horse drawn carriages back then?" Chad asked.

"See you guys tomorrow," Luke waved them goodbye and escorted me to his nice car.

He gave me a kiss on the cheek before opening the door for me. I was happy he was taking me home. Actually, he was also taking himself home, since we lived opposite each other.

This time, when we arrived, it wasn't the usual goodbye.

He switched off the ignition, turned to me and with his charismatic smile, asked, "Your place or mine?"

A/N:  Uh oh.  I know you won't be happy with a cliffhanger right before Luke's suggestion... but please consider to vote and I'll update the next chapter quickly!

On a serious note, how is everyone doing amidst the current situation?  Please stay safe, especially for the older people around you!  Schools are shut and I've been seeing mixed reactions about that.  All OK?  Hope you're all well.

Natalie X