1485 words

Chapter 28 - Lilah

As I said before, most people have best friends. The only person I'm friends with is River, something I never would have expected. But here I am making another friend.

So Lilah, you're different, but you're pretty chill.

I walk into the lunch room, River at my side, most girls not giving me stares but whispering, knowing I'm not a threat. But they're more confused why River would hang out with me.

And I am too, I never expected him to care about me during school. I guess it would have probably hurt my feelings, but he's surprised me a lot.

I sit down next to Kingston and Lilah, River sitting close with and Reid and the girls. I smile at my lap, I haven't had friends in so long. Kingston puts his finger under my chin, lifting my head up and smiling.

"You need some food?" Kingston asks, pushing my hair behind my ear so I can see him from my peripherals. "I'm fine." I say with a shrug.

"Summer, Darling, please get some food." He says, leaning in and kissing my neck, like he did before, long and slow. Meaningful.

I at up, ruffling his hair and giving him a lopsided smile.

As I walk to the food court, I unconsciously run my fingers along the place Kingston kissed, my heart beating faster.

God... I loved that.

I love him, that's all I know, no matter what way, I love him. I'm just not willing to find out which way now.

I wait in line, a group of girls coming up to my side while I get my food. Each of them getting their own. "Hey, Summer." I hear a familiar voice say in my ear.

I look up to see Madeline and her friends staring at me with plastered on smiles. "It's lovely to see you, you really had a glow up didn't you." She says and I shrug.

I pay for my food, walking down the pathway and heading towards the table, her by my side. "We wanted to ask for you to sit by us?" She says, grabbing my arm so I look at her.

"Please, don't touch me." I say, and she removes her hand with a passive aggressive smile. "Oh so sorry for that, didn't mean to startle you." She says and I shake my head.

"It's fine, but I'd rather sit next to my friends." I say, one of the girls by her side giggling, "Friend?" She mumbles sarcastically, the other friend saying something in her ear as they stop talking.

"Oh that's fine, but this is a one time thing. If you don't join the group then how can I trust you with River." She says, a fake innocent tone lining her voice.

"I'm sorry but I've got to sit down." I say, rushing in between lunch tables to get to River and Lilah. I finally sit down, taking a deep breath.

"You Okay?" Lilah asks, "If you want I can break a bitch-" I cut her off with a giggle. River looks at me with a curious smile as I start laughing. "She wanted me to sit with her!" I say and River smiles at my reaction, eating his food.

"Well ain't She a dumb bitch." Lilah says, Kingston looking up at Lilah and nodding. "We already knew that." He says and we start laughing, everybody except an emotionless Reid who seems to be staring at his phone. The occasional smile peeking on his lips.

I take a bite of my salad, looking at River as he chuckles. He eats some of the food El packed up for him earlier, I stare at him with a smirk. I look down at his food, then up at him, repeatedly.

He guards his food with his arms, his eyes never leaving mine as a small smile forms on his lips. "Gimme gimme!" I say, pouncing over his arms at his food but he grabs it and holds it over his head.

"You fucking gremlin." He says and I slump my shoulders, looking at him with a pouting scowl. He looks at me a minute, slowly lowering his food from the air.

A small smile rests on his lips as he picks up he fork and hands some of the food to me. "That is all you get." He says and I smiles as I take a bite.

He puts the food down and I go back to my lunch, but Kingston, Reid, and Lilah are all looking at us. Kingston chuckles, whispering a something in Rivers ear making him blush.

He' so cute when he blushes.

Lilah means in, "I swear if you don't tell me about this soon-" She says and I cut her off with a chuckle. "Okay, Lilah."

—————————————

I asked to my work after school, River asking me multiple times if I wanted to be driven, but I'm fine walking by myself.

Lilah walks in as soon as I start my break, bubbling with anticipation. I chuckle, "Hi Lilah." I say and she pulls me to a table, yelling to my coworker, "A Hell's Jappo, and a Vatcha May!" Which I Just mouth a 'sorry' back to Colley, my coworker.

She sits me down, out of breath from pulling me up three steps, onto the farthest table she could pick in this small smoothie shop. "You... need.. to.. tell... me.. everything." She says, breaks for her to catch her breath in between each word.

I look down at my hands, she's stayed with me this long and she's already the most stubborn person I've ever known, but I don't know if I can tell her. Maybe soon, but not now.

"I'll tell you the reason at another time, it's a personal thing, but I'm living with River. You can't tell anybody because they all already hate me and they know I'm not a threat but they'll probably built me and I don't want that." I say, my words speeding up as I go.

She looks at me with a blank expression for a second, which slowly turns into a small smile as she leans back in her chair. Black lipstick shines on her lips as she speaks,

"I don't know much about River besides his best friend kissed your neck on the first day we met. I literally thought he was your boyfriend." She starts, making me blush at the thought of somebody so amazing as my best friend.

He's not perfect, but I sure as hell am not either. Perfect people suck, they're predictable and stupid. But having flaws, little ticks, that's what makes us human. I think those little things are beautiful.

"You must be one lucky gal, living with River. I heard that he just leaves after he's done with the girls, a classic pump and dumb. But living with him." She finishes, shaking her head.

Colley smiles at me, his blonde hair fanning in front of his face as to block it from Lilah. He sighs, a pleading look on his face that I chuckle at. I shrug, 'sorry' I mouth back and he sighs again.

He places down our drinks and smiles a beautifully well down fake smile on the way of Lilah before he leaves.

Her drink is the Hell's Jappo, it's a completely black drink in a small dainty cup, a sprinkle of a red powder on the surface. Mine is in a glass cup, a pastel pink fluid with dots of whipped cream and a flower on the side.

Hers is supposed to be like black coffee with a hot spicy powder, but as she drinks it she shows nothing in her face. A line of black lipstick rimming the cup.

Mine is matcha and vanilla, with vanilla powder and small dots of whipped cream holding up a pink flower. It tastes like matcha and candy, though it's a pastel pink. It's delicious.

"I guess I'm lucky, but he's surprised me a lot. He hated me for years before the day you came, then a few weeks later I'm making him breakfast in his beautiful house and playing with his cute dog." I say, taking a breath before finishing.

"Honestly his dog is hotter than me." I say and Lilah chuckles. "Hun, I doubt that's true." She says, taking a drink of her Jappo.

No emotion rises on her face except a raised brow.

——–

Lilah took me home on her motorcycle, despite a lot of my disagreeing.

She's scary.

I came home, El teaching me how to make the Italian breakfast I don't know the name of. I memorize the recipe, deciding to make it tomorrow for River.

But then I hear the front door open.

A woman, about in her mid-thirties enters the main hall. She has brown wavy hair, a bit darker than River's, her eyes are a dark brown and her skin tone is a bit tanned. A mole rest just above her lip.

Then I realize as El runs up to her with a large smile on her face, that's River's mom.

"River is going to be so excited Mrs. Bianchi!"