Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in update; I have been swamped with work. Anyway here is chapter six, and, as always, it's dedicated to my sweet angel, Kristina. I izzy you so very deeply, my Krissy. (insert heart emojis here)

Chapter Six

Lunch split up the day and was one of Lorna's most dreaded parts. She sat at her usual empty table with her books on the table in front of her. Her eyes kept to her journal even though she hadn't planned to write anything. All she wanted to do was sit and stare until the bell rang to end it. She exhaled deeply and shook her head in frustration. Her stomach growled but she knew eating wasn't an option—she had no money to purchase a lunch and her dad refused to allow her to take any of their food. Claiming she was getting too heavy, and he refused to be known as the fat girl's father.

The sound of nearby footsteps caught her attention; she sensed her anxiety rise, hoping it wasn't Annalisa. When she heard the person sitting down across from her and a tray clanking against the top of the table, she felt her body slightly jump. She ever so cautiously lifted her head to glance up at who was causing all the commotion.

"Hey, kid," a familiar husky voice greeted, which immediately brought relief over the brunette. "Care if I join ya? I usually spend my lunch in the bathroom smoking but was by and saw ya all alone. Thought it'd be nice to give ya some company, yeah?"

Lorna shrugged and focused back on her journal. One on hand she felt relieved that it wasn't that girl from her science class however, on the other, she was stressed—making small talk with a person she hardly knew wasn't one her strengths. Having to make conversation with new people brought her quite a bit of discomfort. She never really knew what to say.

Nicky noticed the silence and decided to break it with a friendly smirk. "So, what're ya writing in there? Is that your secret diary? I have a diary too, kid, I call it my sex-ary."

The brunette swallowed nervously. She finally looked up from the book and glanced over at Nicky. "Sex-ary? Why ya call it that?"

With a chuckle, Nicky took a bite of her sandwich and shrugged. "It's nicer than calling it my fuck journal, yeah?" She pointed out in between bites of the sandwich. Her eyes searched the table on the brunette's side, just then noticing there was no food in front of her. "Where's your lunch, kid?" She inquired, arching her eyebrows ponderously.

Gulping in discomfort, Lorna closed her journal while trying come up with a response that wouldn't cause her or her family to be an embarrassment. The last thing she needed—wanted—was for anyone in her school to know the trouble her family happened to financially be in. She already had people referencing her as the fainting girl, she certainly didn't want to be called the poor girl who couldn't even afford to pack a piece of fruit for lunch.

"Ya gonna answer?"

Lorna's stomach twisted into a knot. She felt her chest tighten. "S-sorry. I, uh, I forgot my lunch at home is all. Can we talk about something else? Like, um, what's your favorite flavor of cigarettes?"

Nodding her head, Nicky made a mental note to come back to that comment in the future. Instead, she chuckled at the younger girl's question and sipped her tea. "My favorite flavor of cigarettes? Ya do know cigarettes aren't something ya eat, yeah kid?"

"Yeah, yeah, course' I know that. But don't they taste like anything? I mean I ain't ever smoked one and don't plan to, but I just always wondered what they taste like."

"You're an interesting girl, Lorna," the redhead informed her, meaning every word that came out of her mouth. Lorna Morello was the absolute most intriguing, unique, person that she ever met. She certainly wasn't the average teenager, Nicky noted. "Cigarettes taste like the darkest roast of coffee brewing so beautifully into the pot. Mm…damn it now I want a cigarette and a coffee."

Lorna couldn't help but smile at the mention of coffee. A warm, comforting, beverage that she remembered smelling up the whole house each and every morning before school before the passing of her mother. "I could use a coffee now, too. I haven't had a coffee in weeks," she responded, eyes dreamily gazing ahead at nothing in particular.

Smirking at the statement, Nicky crossed her arms over her chest and peered ahead across the table at the brunette. "Oh yeah? Hm, we should fix that—how about you and I go get a coffee after school? My treat."

Lorna nodded with a small smile. Her eyes lit up at the thought of going out for a beloved cup of coffee. There was almost nothing that she loved more than coffee. It was something she watched her mother sip every morning as she got ready for school. Even only the smell of it brought such a sensation of comfort over her. "That would be real nice; I used to go to all the coffee shops in town with my motha."

"You don't go anymore?" Nicky took the chance to question.

Inhaling a sharp breath, the brunette swallowed uncomfortably at her words. She bit the inside of her mouth. "Uh, no, my mom's gone away for a while—for-for her job, and, uh she couldn't afford to move us all."

"Hey, Vause," Nicky greeted while entering the local coffee shop with Lorna. She waved a hand, making her way to the counter to order coffee for the pair of them. She rummaged through her satchel for her wallet and took out some cash. "I'll have a plain black coffee, and uh—what do ya want, kid?" She turned her head slightly to gaze over at Lorna.

The short brunette placed her finger over her chin while glancing up at the menu board. There were so many choices; it seemed almost overwhelming how many choices there were. She felt a lump form in her throat. Such a simple thing had her anxiety coming up to the surface. Her cheeks felt hot; she shifted her feet and shut her eyes tightly.

"Lorna? Everything okay? Ya know what coffee ya want, yeah?"

Lorna grumbled silently. She shook her head and threw her hands up in exasperation. "There's too many to choose from, Nicky. I-I don't know which one I want."

The slightly taller teen watched her with concerned eyes. She knew there was something going on with this girl—the way she reacted to just ordering a coffee proved that point and she vowed to get to the bottom of this. For now, though, she focused her attention on the coffee menu and barista behind the counter. "Yo Vause, what do ya recommend my friend get?"

A tall girl with thick black waves turned to face the customers, blue eyes staring through glasses over at them. "Yeah sure—I recommend trying our new latte; it's pretty good, it's Captain Crunch Swirl latte. I hear people talking about it all the time."

The brunette nodded meekly in response. Anything to end the misery in her head. "Can I have skim milk in it, please? My stomach is sensitive to whole milk," she informed the clerk, letting her eyes search curiously around the shop. It was a cute little shop, she thought with a faint smile, it reminded her of all the coffee houses she and her mom would stop at together.

Once their coffees are handed to them, Nicky led the shorter girl to one of the tables. She sat on the other side of it, right across from Lorna, and took a much-desired sip of her bold, dark, coffee. "A sensitive tummy, huh?" She arched an inquisitive eyebrow as she happily sipped on her steaming beverage.

"Yeah, all the Morello women have a sensitivity to dairy. My mom always ordered skinny lattes when me and her would stop at a coffee place," the brunette informed her. It both hurt and brought comfort when she spoke of her beloved mother. Her mother was the light of her life—she had the most caring and generous heart that Lorna only hoped she could live up to one day. So many fond memories she had of Mrs. Morello.

Nicky sensed something was wrong but chose not to say anything. She sipped her bold, plain, coffee and nodded. "See I just drink a plain coffee—ain't gotta worry about all that weird shit. I like coffee bitter and strong, reminds me of a nice cigarette."

"My Nonna always drank her coffee straight outta the pot, no sugar or cream. I can't stand coffee without anything in out, it's too bitter and bleh."

The redhead gave a nod while enjoying the bold flavor that her tastebuds happily craved. She placed the mug back on the table and focused her eyes across at Lorna. The petite brunette who continuously piqued her interest lately. "Sounds like Nonna was a smart lady—coffee tastes best plain. Mmm. I love my coffee, reminds me of a good cigarette."

She nodded in response to the statement, not too sure what else to say. She brought the mug up towards her lips for a sip and shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Yes, she was real smart."

The minute she returned home and walked in the door; she knew she was in trouble. She could already hear the sound of things being thrown around the room, her father's voice angrily booming through the walls. It made her legs tremble ever so slightly as she walked inside the living room, closing the door as quietly as she could as to not entice his attention. Ever since Mrs. Morello had fallen ill with cancer, her father was never the same. Now, instead of being the fun and loving dad that Lorna used to enjoy, he was a drunken infuriated man who only knew how to abuse her. Who now only spoke to her in a cold, icy, tone and stared at her with disgust in his eyes.

She swallowed uncomfortably as she tried to tiptoe her way through the living room and down towards the kitchen. A glass bottle shattering against the floor was what froze her in her spot. She knew that wasn't a good sign. Her heart began to pound in her chest.

"And just where the hell were you? Ya been outta school for two hours now, Lorna, why the fuck didn't you come straight home?" Mr. Morello's infuriated voice tore through the room.

Just looking at him, Lorna knew he was drunk. The smell alone was enough to tell her that. She shifted her feet in discomfort, eyes glancing anywhere but at her dad. She hated the person he became—loathed that he forced her to stay with him when he clearly didn't want her around. Why couldn't she have moved in with Franny? She didn't understand why he had such a problem with that.

Shaking his head angrily, Joe slammed his hands on the kitchen counter making the petite brunette jump. "Don't just fucking stand there, answer my damn question. Where the fuck were you?"

She could feel his saliva from all the way across the room and shuddered. "I just went to have coffee with my friend. What's the big deal, dad?"

"The big deal? Ya wanna know what the big fucking deal is? I'll tell ya what—you are to come home right after school and that's that. You don't have time to be a little bitch with your friends. You come home and you do all the cleaning and cooking like your damn motha did. You hear me?"

The words angered her; she wanted so badly to say something back, but the fear was stronger. She knew if she acted on the rage, she would be in a worse place. So, she swallowed her words, and turned to leave.

He quickly grabbed onto her arm and pulled her harshly back into the kitchen. "Don't walk away when I'm fucking talkin' to ya! The hell is yer problem, Lorna? Acting like a fucking bitch just like your motha!"

Lorna instinctively pushed her father away. She felt her cheeks redden in rage. She couldn't care-less what insults he spewed about herself but to hear him call her mother names—especially, now, after all that she suffered, Lorna wanted nothing more than to beat him until he ended up dead as a doornail. "Don't talk about mom like that—she is a better parent than you can even dream of being. Mom is the best person in my life and-and I hate you for being so mean to her!" She screamed, grabbing a knife from the counter.

"Fucking little shit, put the fucking knife down before I get my gun and shoot you," Mr. Morello shouted right back. He got up from the ground and, with all of his force, used his hands to push Lorna backwards so she collided onto the floor with the knife scraping across her arm.