A/N: Okay, so I know some of you mentioned in reviews/Comments that you wanted to see their first meeting but sorry I didn't write it. I think we can all assume it goes well and it wouldn't have been that exciting anyway. Just Lucy reiterating what she already told him about needing to want more for himself for his education to mean anything. So, instead I jumped forward maybe a day or so. Also, the song you'll see mentioned later is from Hamilton. A digital cookie to anyone who names the specific song ;)

Last thing, this is my last update before I go out of town for the weekend. You will likely see another post on this story on Tuesday. Hopefully it satisfies till then!

Happy reading!

angellwings

CHAPTER SEVEN: You May Be Right

"Even rode my motorcycle in the rain,

And you told me not to drive,

But I made it home alive.

So you said that only proves that I'm insane.

You may be right,

I may be crazy,

But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for."

"You May Be Right", Billy Joel

Wyatt's phone woke him up before his alarm. He answered groggily and tried to listen as Dave frantically explained that his car wouldn't start. His battery that was on its last legs finally died and he didn't have the money to replace it just yet. He needed a ride to school. Wyatt mumbled a fine and then rolled out of bed. He changed clothes and went out to the shop. He double checked the cars being picked up that day and then scrounged together breakfast from the meager contents of their kitchen.

He guessed he would have to start doing the grocery shopping too. All they had was hard liquor and beer. He settled for toast and then left to pick up Dave.

He and Dave discussed his car on the way to school. Was he sure it was the battery? Yes, he checked everything else. Spark plugs were cheaper. Could it be those? No, Wyatt, it's the battery. Alternator? Dude, stop. It's the battery. Alright, fine it's the battery.

The school day was actually boring for once. It seemed Jonas was too busy with his senior coursework to bother with pestering Wyatt any longer. He thought he might actually get to enjoy a bit of quiet for once. Until Bam-Bam appeared outside of his third period class.

Wyatt asked for the bathroom pass so they could talk.

"What's up?"

"I hate to ask this, but I just got a call and I gotta go pick up my dad. Only, I don't currently have a car…"

Wyatt didn't need any further information. He dug his keys out of his pocket and dropped them into Dave's hand. "Go. I'll meet you at the shop after school."

Dave didn't say anything else but the look he gave Wyatt was a clear thank you. Wyatt headed back to his class. How was he going to get home? He didn't have anyone he could really ask. Once upon a time he would have asked Jess but...well that was over. He left his class and headed toward the common area. Maybe he could find someone there. It was a long shot.

It wasn't until he passed Lucy as she was changing out her books at her locker that he remembered her finicky Honda. He backtracked and stopped behind her. Should he ask? Did he want her to see where he lived? Did he want to risk her meeting his father?

Did he have a choice?

He cleared his throat to alert her of his presence but she still jumped. He couldn't blame her. Not with the way Jonas tried to torture her. She turned hesitantly and then relaxed the minute she saw his face.

"Hi," she said with a soft smile. "Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"Jonas been hassling you?" Wyatt asked with a suspicious glare.

"Nothing I can't handle," Lucy told him dismissively. The anxiety he saw on her face earlier was now hidden from him and replaced with stubborn determination.

"Lucy, you can ask for help, you know you don't have to-"

"Wyatt, you almost got expelled for helping me. Don't worry. I can handle it from here," Lucy assured him.

"That wasn't your fault. I almost got expelled because Jonas is a dick."

"That's true," she replied with a chuckle. "But I'm okay. I can handle it. He's just making Decathlon miserable, and it's not the best time for that since I'm in the running for captain next year. Did you need anything?"

He didn't completely buy her Decathlon story but she seemed determined to drop the subject.

"Dave borrowed my car, and you don't have to, but I was hoping you could give me a ride after school?"

"Sure!" She replied quickly. "I have to pick up my sister from school and take her home first though. Is that okay?"

He nodded. "Absolutely."

"Okay, meet me at my car after school then," she told him. Her eyes shifted nervously over his shoulder and she huffed. "I have to go right now though. Newspaper is starting in a few."

Wyatt glanced back to see Jonas hovering by the classroom door with his eyes fixated on Lucy. This was getting ridiculous.

"You know what? I'll walk you."

"Oh, no, Wyatt, you don't have to-"

"Lucy, you can't let him do this to you. This is your school too. He's a controlling jackass and as long as he knows you're nervous he won't stop," Wyatt told her urgently. "Trust me. I know guys just like him."

One specific old bastard sprung to mind.

She bit her bottom lip, which he knew was a sign of nerves, but all it did was bring his attention to her mouth. Which he definitely should not be noticing.

"Forget him, Lucy," he said pleadingly. "Let me walk you to class."

She met his eyes and he could visibly see her taking in his advice. Slowly, the determination he saw earlier trickled its way over the rest of her demeanor. Her back straightened, her head lifted, and she took a long deep breath. "Okay."

He smiled warmly at her and felt a swell of affection as he watched her shore up her strength. The longer he knew her, the more she impressed him. He took her tote bag off of her shoulder to carry it for her and nearly fell over.

"Jesus, Lucy," Wyatt said with a laugh. "You should have biceps the size of canons with a load like this. At least get a backpack."

"I'm in a lot of AP courses, okay?" She replied with a smirk. "If I can carry that then you can, tough guy. Woman up."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a grin as they set off toward her classroom.

They walked all the way down the hall and then passed Jonas to enter the room together. As they passed, Lucy smiled politely and nodded to acknowledge him.

"Jonas," Wyatt said with a crooked smirk, following Lucy's lead. He followed her to her seat and then set her bag down by her desk. He winked at her before stepping back to leave. "See you after school, Luce."

The nickname was intended to torture Jonas so he hadn't anticipated the pretty way her cheeks colored when he said it. Maybe he'd have to use it more often. He turned and left without another word from or to her. He made sure to meet Jonas' stare as he left with his own narrowed glare. He hoped it properly communicated the threat. Lucy shouldn't feel the need to look over her shoulder while walking down the hall. Jonas needed to let Lucy go and let her live her own life.

Lucy may not want his help, but she had it anyway. It was the least he could do.

When the day was finally over Wyatt walked out to the parking lot and immediately spotted Lucy's car. He leaned against the back of the car to wait. Eventually, Lucy appeared at the double doors. He watched her walk straight passed Jonas as if he wasn't even there and grinned proudly at her. If she kept that up the douchebag would get the hint sooner rather than later.

If not he and Wyatt would be having a little talk.

Lucy reached him with a wide smile and unlocked her car.

"Hi," she said brightly.

"Hi," he said as he nodded toward Jonas. "Nice work."

"Just taking your advice," she said with a shrug and a grateful look. "Ready?"

"Hell yes," Wyatt answered as he watched her step in the driver's side and then walked around the side of the car to get in himself.

Wyatt closed the passenger door and immediately felt out of place in Lucy's car. The seat was pushed up and his legs were bent at an awkward angle so he could squeeze in. There was a strange looking bobble head secured to her dash of a stern looking woman holding two vials of something, one in each hand. Hanging from her mirror was what appeared to be a homemade necklace of sparkly plastic beads with a Disney character charm of some kind dangling from it. There were receipts and straw wrappers shoved in the cup holders and the door pockets. Her car was basically a well lived in, clumsy, mess.

Kind of like Lucy herself.

She giggled at him when she noticed him sitting awkwardly in the passenger seat. "Sorry, you can adjust the seat. It's fine. Jiya was the last person to sit there and she's much smaller than you."

"Man, I wish I had my car instead," Wyatt grumbled as he adjusted the seat.

"But you don't and even if you did we would be taking my car anyway. I have to pick up my sister and my mother would freak if I let her ride in your death trap."

"My car is not a death trap," Wyatt told her with a roll of his eyes. "It has seat belts."

"Yeah? Does it have airbags?"

He shook his head at her and fought back a miserable groan. How could he like this girl as much as he did? It baffled him. "It's a classic muscle car. No, it doesn't have airbags. Cars didn't regularly come with those until the seventies."

"Exactly, my point. My baby sister is not riding in that thing. I don't even want to ride in that thing," Lucy told him as she started the car.

"I can't believe I'm riding in a Honda right now," he said with a shake of his head. "For the record, I hate this car."

"Noted," she said with a chuckle. "Have you gotten that off your chest now? Can we go?"

"Please, the sooner I get out of this P-O-S the better," Wyatt replied teasingly.

"Well, you can always walk if you'd like," she told him with a good natured grin. She quirked a brow at him and nodded toward his seatbelt. "Are you gonna buckle up or what?"

"What, are we gonna race or something? I'm sure I'll be fine," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"I'm not pulling out of this parking lot until you buckle up," Lucy said as she took her hands off the wheel and sat back to look at him expectantly.

He rolled his eyes and reached for the belt, pulling it across his chest. He kept his eyes fixed on her pointedly as it clicked into place. "Happy?"

"Extremely," she told him with a triumphant smile. "We're just going to pick up Amy and then be on our way. Promise."

"Don't worry about it," he told her. "The shop isn't open to Walk Ins today so Dad can leave it unmanned for a little while if he has to."

He was actually looking forward to meeting the infamous Amy Preston. Lucy seemed to adore her, which intrigued Wyatt. There were many years between Amy and Lucy. If anything he thought that would drive them apart, but they seemed to be exceptionally close.

The drive to the elementary school took hardly any time at all. Lucy pulled into the seemingly never ending line of cars who were also waiting to pick up children from school, and then told the teacher who stopped by her window who she was here to take home. Barely a minute later a bell rang, the school double doors flew open, and a mob of kids rushed out into the small holding yard next to the sidewalk. The teacher who spoke to Lucy pointed a scrawny, thin limbed tom-boy toward them. The minute she spotted Lucy's car she smiled widely, showcasing her one missing canine tooth. She took off in their direction in a speed that Wyatt was certain should have been impossible. Her wild blonde hair billowed behind her as she reached them. This girl already seemed to be the exact opposite of Lucy, and he hadn't even met her yet.

"Lucy!" she yelled happily through Lucy's open driver side window. "I thought mom was picking me up today?"

"She forgot she had advising appointments this afternoon," Lucy told her. "So, you get me, kiddo. Sorry to disappoint."

"No way!" Amy exclaimed as she opened the rear door and slid into the backseat. "This is so much better than mom." As she buckled herself in she eyed Wyatt warily. "Who's this guy?"

Lucy sighed but flashed Amy a small amused grin. "Try that again, please."

Amy rolled her eyes but then smiled brightly at Wyatt and held out her hand to him for a shake. "Amy Preston, nice to meet you."

He chuckled and accepted her handshake. "Wyatt Logan."

"Are you her new boyfriend?" Amy asked with narrowed eyes.

"Amy!" Lucy admonished as she pulled away from the sidewalk.

"What? The last guy you brought with you to pick me up was Jonas and he was your boyfriend, right?" Amy asked with a sneaky grin.

"He was, but that doesn't mean every guy riding in my car is my boyfriend," Lucy clarified.

"Stand down, Little Preston," Wyatt said with a smirk as he winked at Amy. "I am not Jonas. Never will be, never want to be."

"Good, I hate that guy," Amy said as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared out of her window.

Wyatt gave Lucy a look that he hoped indicated his agreement. She rolled her eyes at him. The next moment, Amy perked up and jumped forward in her seat.

"Lucy! Play our song!"

"I don't know Amy…"

"Come on! You know I can only listen to it in your car! Mom doesn't want me to listen to it! Please?" Amy stuck out her bottom lip and folded her hands as if she were in prayer. "We haven't listened to it in forever!"

"I'm sure Wyatt doesn't want to listen to showtunes," Lucy said as she nervously bit her bottom lip.

"Hey, don't let me get in the way of your song," Wyatt said as he held his hands up in surrender and smiled easily at her.

"See?! He doesn't care! Please?" The younger Preston drew out the word please into an annoying ceaseless whine. It was clear she had no intention of stopping.

"Okay! Okay," Lucy said with a chuckle. "Just stop that horrible noise." She picked up her phone and plugged it into the aux cord before tossing it to Amy. "Play it, Peggy."

Amy laughed gleefully as she scrolled through Lucy's songs. "Sure thing, Angelica."

When Amy hit play, he was certain his face looked immensely confused. This did not sound like any musical he'd ever heard. Were they rapping about the American Revolution? What followed was a show like Wyatt had never seen. Lucy sang two parts all by herself while Amy replied as one of the three sisters in the song. The further the song played, the more he felt himself staring at Lucy in shocked amazement. He knew she gave up school musicals to help him. He knew she enjoyed music. But he never thought…

He never thought she would be so damn good. She was effortlessly keeping up with the voices on the track while alternating between laughing with her little sister and seriously emoting the words. She put so much heart into it. Where was this free spirited fun loving version of her hiding during the school day? How did he end up being one of the few who was allowed to witness it? Why did she hide it? Her voice was beautiful and her entire performance had him convinced that she really was looking for a mind at work.

The song ended and Lucy seemed to remember he was sitting next to her. She must have noticed his slack jawed staring because she blushed and nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"What?" She asked hesitantly.

He gave his head one shake to break him of his trance before focusing his stare on her and grinning slowly. "Nothing, I just - damn, Lucy. You're...amazing. I didn't know that you could sing, let alone sing like that."

She bit her bottom lip and shook her head at him. She was going to have to stop doing that or else he might end up kissing her.

"Stop. It's not like I'm a professional or anything. It's just for fun, that's all."

"Well, I think you could stand to have a little more fun then," Wyatt told her as his grin turned soft. He turned to angle himself toward Amy in the backseat and smirked. "Right, Little Preston?"

"Right!" Amy agreed. "You should hear her singing in her room in the mornings. I swear she acts out an entire musical before breakfast."

"Oh yeah?" Wyatt asked as he watched Lucy began to turn red with embarrassment. "I'd like to see that someday."

Lucy looked away from the road for a moment to glare playfully at him. "Keep dreaming, Logan."

He laughed lightly and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Will do."