A/N: Here is another chapter for you guys! I was having problems uploading this chapter for some odd reason and I think the server is down. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Those of you who are J/L fans will like this chapter! Enjoy!
It was late in the afternoon. Classes were finally over for the day. The halls of Blake Holsey were nearly deserted, except for a few students who didn't know what to do with themselves for the rest of the afternoon. Marshall was busily setting up his keyboard for another Magnet 360 rehearsal in the auditorium. He had rushed out of class to make sure that he and his fellow two band mates would have the room all to themselves for the next two hours. As he pulled out his music book and began to press a key on his keyboard, his guitar player, Jarrod, ran excitedly into the room.
"Hey Wheeler look at this!" He said as he held up a bright yellow flyer.
Marshall looked at him in bewilderment. "Uh…it's a blank bright yellow paper. Why are you showing me a blank piece of paper?"
Jarrod shook his head. "No I'm not showing you a blank piece of paper!" He then looked at the paper and noticed that the front was facing him, instead of Marshall. "Oh…" He said as he flipped the paper over so that the printed side faced Marshall. "Read what's on it man!" He said as he handed Marshall the paper.
Marshall took the paper from his hands and began reading it silently. He widened his eyes and looked up at Jarrod briefly and then looked at the paper once more in disbelief.
"Where'd you get this?" Marshall asked exasperatedly.
"Dude, it's hanging on the main bulletin board in the hallway and there's some flyers posted on the trees in the front lawn. This guy drove up to the school with flyers in his hands and asked me to distribute them." Jarrod replied.
Miles, the drummer watched in confusion as his band mates talked excitedly. "Hey Marsh, what does that flyer say that's got you guys' panties all up in a bunch?" He asked impatiently.
Marshall looked at his band mate and smiled wholeheartedly. "It says that the Annual End of School Year Carnival wants local high school bands to compete for a chance to live out their dream to win their very own 4 week summer tour. Winners will participate in amateur summer concerts in Canada and the U.S. The winners will also have copies of their cd distributed out to the audience in all of their touring destinations!"
"Oh hell yeah, we're in!" Miles yelled excitedly.
"Oh and get this…all proceeds from the tour will be earned as compensation for the winning band!" Marshall added excitedly.
"See Wheeler! I told ya it was awesome! I was just too stoked to say it so I had you read it aloud instead!" Jarrod replied.
Marshall stood flabbergasted as thoughts of stardom raced through his head. It had always been his dream of touring and making a cd with his band. They've been working so hard to get heard and noticed around town and now the opportunity came. And it was knocking loudly on the door for them to answer.
"So are we in or what Marsh?" Jarrod asked.
Marshall glanced at his friends and grinned determinedly. "Yeah! Of course we're in! And we're gonna win this sucker, too!"
"So where and how do we enter the contest ?" Miles inquired.
Marshall read the last paragraph that he mistakenly skipped. "Oh crap. It says that all contestants must enter by Friday of this week at the Bourbon Café across the street from the John Wilmot Park where the annual carnival will be held!" He said excitedly as he eyed his friends.
"Dude, what day is it?" Jarrod asked.
"It's Monday! We gotta go and sign up right now before it's too late!" Miles said.
"Yeah we'd better get a move on before all the entry slots are filled!" Jarrod replied.
"Okay guys, let's go, there's no time to waste. I'll drive." Marshall suggested as he and his band mates quickly left the room and made their way to parking lot.
"Oh, uh…hey Josie." Lucas said awkwardly.
Josie looked at her friend and smiled. "Hey Lucas. Aren't you gonna let me in?"
"Oh…sorry. Come in." He said nervously as he stepped to the side and motioned her in.
Josie walked inside the room and nodded her head. She then took the chair from Lucas' desk and turned it around so that it faced the beds. Lucas closed the door and began scratching his head nervously. As he walked over to sit on his bed, he could feel his heart pounding erratically in his chest. He could feel his blood pressure rising and now his head starting to pound. Calm down Lucas. You don't want her to see you sweat! Just play it cool, man. You're the Lukester…you've got it goin' on… He told himself. He sat down coolly on his bed, with his back against the wall.
He could feel Josie's eyes glaring at him, but he dared not look up. Josie was in fact looking at him, but not in the way that he'd hoped. Her face was contorted into a worried, yet concerned frown. She noticed that Lucas seemed nervous around her and was trying to play cool. She thought it to be quite funny, yet flattering that she could have this affect on him. Lucas finally looked up and smiled.
"So…what brings you up to my humble abode?"
"Nothing, really. I just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all. I figured I'd check up on you since no one's seen you practically all day."
Lucas nodded his head and briefly turned his gaze away from her. The awkwardness in the room was intensifying and becoming unbearable. Lucas knew why she was here and wanted to avoid any discussion about what happened Sunday night and lunchtime today. Quick, Lucas…think of something to say before…Oh no. His thoughts were cut off when Josie began to mention the inevitable.
"Lucas, the real reason why I came up here was to ask you something." Josie mentioned, her tone low and serious.
Oh God this can't be good. Lucas thought as he looked at Josie with wide eyes. "Go ahead Josie, ask away." He replied with a smug, reassuring smile.
"I know you probably don't want to talk about this, but I wanted to know why you didn't tell Marshall that you didn't like me…in that way…" She replied, saying the latter words uncomfortably.
Lucas's heart dropped into his stomach. He was utterly speechless. Oh no, how do I answer that? Should I tell her that I didn't want her knowing that I still technically do like her? Just play it cool Lucas, play it cool… "I don't understand what you're talking about Josie." He blurted out in a squeaky, nervous tone.
Josie frowned suspiciously. She knew damn well that he knew what she was talking about, but he wanted to refrain from answering. But being the determined person that she is, she insisted on knowing. "You know, when we were playing Truth or Dare, Marshall asked if you still liked me."
Lucas widened his eyes as if he just had a moment of clarity. "Oh, you mean that. Well I think he meant if I liked you as a friend." He said with a slight, nervous chuckle.
Josie stared at Lucas and smirked. She knew he was still trying to dance around the question. "So…why didn't you answer him? You seemed pretty pissed off that he asked you. You ran away from us at lunch when we brought up what happened Sunday night…"
Lucas's tense smile turned into a frown. Oh no. She knows! Why didn't I just answer his freakin' question? Why did I have to run away from them at lunch like that? Now it's so obvious to her that I like her. What should I say? Think Lucas, think! Lucas sighed overpowered, as he looked at his redheaded friend and then down at his hands. He was trapped. He couldn't pretend any longer. He had to tell her the truth. What's there to lose? She already knows anyway…
"I can't believe I'm about to say this…ummm…here it goes." Lucas began apprehensively. "I didn't answer him because I didn't want anyone else, especially you, knowing the truth."
Josie widened her eyes. She still didn't have the answer to her question. Does he still like her or had he moved on? "And what exactly are you trying to say, Lucas?"
Lucas thought for a moment. Should he tell her that he did in fact, still like her? In that instant, he realized that he still had feelings for her, but he knew that they weren't as strong as they were before. Had he completely moved on from her? No, but the transition was continuing and he knew that eventually someone else would replace her. He didn't want to date her as much now as he did a few months ago. But that was okay, wasn't it? Maybe he was holding on to those feelings in hopes that she would break up with Vaughn and he would in some way rescue her and be her new love. But a part of him wanted that to happen, while another, more sensible part said that it wanted to explore more opportunities and that their time had passed. Painful as that realization was, Lucas knew he had to tell her the truth.
"Josie…all I can tell you is that…" He hesitated for a moment and turned his glance away from Josie's curiosity filled eyes. "I didn't want to tell you that I still have feelings for you, but they've changed. I don't have the same feelings that I had for you before…" He looked at her for a moment. Her face was frozen with a questioning frown. She was quiet for a moment until she burst out into laughter. Lucas eyed her strangely, for he did not expect her to respond so abnormally.
"Josie are you alright?" Lucas asked carefully.
"Alright? I'm so freakin' relieved! Lucas why didn't you just say so? All of this tension and awkwardness could have been avoided! You didn't have to go running away from us like a scared child!" She replied in a reassuring, yet serious tone.
In reality, Josie was hiding something in her laugh. It was a combination of hurt, relief, and gladness wrapped all in one. Sure it was awful hearing that someone whom you liked a while ago say that they didn't like you that way anymore. But she had to realize that when she liked Lucas and Vaughn at the same time, she knew in her heart that she liked, no loved Vaughn even more and had no intention on dating Lucas. She was just relieved that the endless love triangle was officially over and no one's heart was broken from its potentially fatal aftermath. God I don't ever want to go through that again…she thought as she smiled at her friend.
"You know what, Lucas?" She began, shaking her head.
"What, Josie?" Lucas asked, widening his eyes in anticipation.
"I don't understand you sometimes…"
Lucas smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Well hasn't that always been our story?"
Josie looked at him, slightly taken aback by his comment. She knew that he was right about their incoherent history as friends. They both did things and said things that were not clear to each other, but that was their story. She wondered if he was bothered by the fact that she and Vaughn were dating. The only way she could find out is if she asked him, and she wasn't afraid to do that, but not until the right timing.
Lucas noticed the subtle surprise on her face and smiled at her sincerely. "Look, Josie, just because I don't have those same feelings for you doesn't mean that they've completely vanished. You will always hold a special place inside of me no matter what happens…"
Josie was awestruck at Lucas's charming words. She decided that this was her cue to ask him the question she's been wondering about for the past few months since she's been dating Vaughn.
"Lucas, I've been wondering something for the past few months…" She began cautiously.
Lucas noticed that she was holding back her question and knew that it was going to be much more serious than the first one. "What is it, Josie?"
Josie sighed and looked at her friend straight in the eyes. "Now be completely honest with me. Does it bother you that Vaughn and I are dating?"
Lucas stared at her blankly. He wasn't sure if he wanted to answer her. It was the king of all questions…the one he's been avoiding for nearly a year now. He could feel his heart skip a beat and the tension in the room returning again. How should I say it? Should I be straightforward or beat around the bush? I should just tell her so that all of this hell can be done and over with…Lucas thought as he took a deep breath and began to speak.
"To be honest with you, Josie, it did bother me a lot that you two were dating, but that was in the beginning. I'll admit, I was heartbroken and I couldn't understand why you chose him instead of me. I would have rather you chose someone else besides Vaughn…"
Josie sat in silence as she attentively listened to Lucas pour his heart out. She knew that it was hard for him to tell her the truth, but they had to get rid of all the tension and awkwardness that lingered around when it was her, Vaughn, and Lucas in the room together.
Lucas was silent for a moment as he noticed Josie's demeanor. She seemed sad, almost guilty for what he told her.
"Wow, Lucas…I never knew you felt that way. Of course, I knew how you felt about me but I didn't know that it hurt you so deeply…" She said in an apologetic tone.
Lucas smiled at her and nodded his head. "Well I did feel like that at first, but it doesn't bother me so much now as it did then. It took me a while to get used to you guys dating, but when I see how happy you two are, it makes me happy. All I care about is your happiness, Josie."
Josie smiled gratifyingly at her friend. She almost came to tears from his endearing comment, but forced them down. "Well Lucas, I just want to say that I'm sorry that I hurt you. That was not my intention. I'm glad that now all of this weirdness is gone from between us and that there's no hard feelings." She said with a reassuring smile.
Lucas nodded his head and smiled. "Well you're wrong on the weird part, Josie. You forgot that we go to Black Hole High and there will always be weirdness here…" He chuckled.
Josie laughed in agreement. "You are right about that, Lucas. She then got up and walked to the door and placed her hand on the knob.
She turned around and faced Lucas. "Lucas, you know, next time when we play truth or dare, promise me that you'll tell the truth next time so that all of this drama can be avoided?"
Lucas stood up from his bed and walked over to her. "Promise…cross my heart." He replied with a smile as he placed his right hand over his heart and drew a cross on his chest. Josie smiled and turned to open the door.
"Oh, Josie?" Lucas began. Josie turned around and smiled. "Thanks for the talk. I think we really needed to have one."
"Yeah. It was long overdue. I'm really glad we talked. I feel much better now."
"Friends?" Lucas asked as he opened his arms, inviting her to a friendly embrace.
"Friends." Josie replied as she gave him a hug. She then turned around and stepped out of the room and closed the door.
Lucas walked over to his bed and plopped down and laid back. He was happy that he was able to talk to his ex-love interest about the now defunct love triangle. He was proud of himself for being so honest with her by telling her how he felt. He thought it would have been a disaster if she knew that he still had feelings for her, but all was well now. It still bothered him that he would never get the chance to date her, but he was content with being her friend and that he will always have her in his heart, forever.
Yet, there was only one thing he regretted when he held her in his arms for the brief, friendly hug they shared. Man, I should have kissed her…
A/N: So how did you like it? Let me know if you feel that this story is moving too slow or too fast. Not to worry, there will be lots of drama throughout this fic! So thanks for reading! Stay tuned!
