"I don't get it, Luke," Tony Piccolo said, as he grabbed an apple to add to his lunch tray. "What'd Liz ever do to you?"
"Frankly, Tony, that's none of your damned business," came the somewhat petulant response from his roommate, who was eyeing the remaining fruit dubiously. "And don't call me Luke."
"Oh, come on! I mean, you didn't even give her a chance. You just hate the poor kid, for no reason." Picking up his tray, Tony waited patiently for his obstinate friend to finish picking out his lunch and follow. Mostly, though, he waited for an answer that he suspected was not going to be forthcoming.
Lucas gave up the idea of finding something that looked appetizing, and grabbed a bottle of water to add to his mostly empty tray. He assumed that if he didn't respond to Tony, eventually the subject of his annoyance would go away.
Unfortunately, the subject of his annoyance was already sitting at a table with most of his friends.
She said something, and flipped her hair in that annoying way of hers, and the whole table erupted in laughter.
Of course they did.
She was hilariously funny, after all. And smart, and pretty, and far more interesting than Lucas could possibly be.
He was just their resident genius/computer nerd, after all.
She was the one who was interested in the same things as his friends. They talked about sports, and life, and her oh-so-special art, things that Lucas couldn't possibly know anything about, spoiled brat that he was. She was the girl who had practically clawed her way off the streets to make something of herself, while Lucas hadn't had to work for a thing in his life. She was freaking perfect.
And Tony was headed right for the table she was sitting at.
Naturally.
Because he hadn't told Tony a dozen times that he was absolutely not going to have lunch with little miss perfect.
Maybe it had been thirteen times, and not a mere dozen.
That was it, he was not going to spend his lunch being tortured by his own friends. He turned back to the counter and put his tray down, trying very hard not to crack it in his annoyance, by slamming it down. Grabbing the water and his sandwich, he turned back to the swiftly retreating form of his roommate. He wanted to warn Tony that he was going, but Tony had already entered the circle of doom, the area immediately around the table in question.
And once one entered the circle of doom, they were forced to sit and eat with the others; those whose minds had already been destroyed by proximity to the perfection of Elizabeth Peterson.
Better to die alone and in the lab, he thought bitterly to himself.
Without a word to anyone, he left the galley, eating his sandwich as he went.
"Hey Tony, what's up with Lucas?" a concerned looking Miguel Ortiz asked, as Tony approached the table.
"Huh?" a confused Tony Piccolo looked to the spot where he expected his friend to be. "Where'd he go?"
"I think that's what Miguel was trying to ask you," the amused voice of Tim O-Neill responded.
"Well, damn. I dunno. He didn't say anything." Still confused, Tony sat and started to eat his lunch.
"I'm sure he had a lot to do. He's a busy man, after all," came the quiet voice from the end of the table; trying hard not to sound hurt.
"Man?" Tony asked incredulously. "He's a kid!"
Sighing heavily, Elizabeth just shook her head and gave up trying to convince Tony of anything. Lucas Wolenczak was not a child, whether the captain and crew realized it or not. Catching her eye, Miguel gave her a wink that told her he was aware of her frustration, and agreed with her.
Smiling in return, she went back to her lunch.
If only she could figure out why Lucas hated her so much...
Next chapter coming soon!