Chapter Two

Making Plans

The cloth moved over the sleek blue paint like a lover's caress, curving down the bonnet of the Volkswagen Golf R to rub around the headlights. Water fell down onto the tarmac to slowly drip down a nearby drain. Jay Scythe was kneeling with a bucket of water next to him as he carefully rubbed down his car. The Volkswagen wasn't dirty by any means – Jay cared for it too much for that. But he needed it to look amazing for tomorrow's race. Showing it off before would help him win just as much driving it. If his opponents saw it looking like this it would shake their nerve.

Jay loved to screw around with people, get them thinking that maybe they weren't good enough to beat the resident champion of the street racing scene in Eastbourne. He had been racing ever since his teens, showing everyone that it wouldn't do to look down on him. Jay may have been small in stature but his personality and words certainly made up for it. He kept his hair gelled back – certainly a hit with the ladies – and he nurtured his moustache with care. People said that moustaches just weren't cool anymore but Jay found that to be entirely untrue. Certainly the girl's enjoyed the feeling.

"Hey, asshole!" Jay glanced up, ready to retort back to whoever had the guts to shout at him like that but seeing Ryan Thatcher he just shook his head and continued to move the cloth over his car. Ryan sauntered over and very deliberately stood over Jay, staring down at him. "Hello? Care to show a little respect?"

Jay didn't even respond as he continued to move his hands. Finally Ryan very obstinately leaned his back on the car door. Immediately Jay took aim and threw the cloth straight at Ryan, catching him right in the face. He sputtered and stumbled back, tearing the cloth from his face. "What the hell, man?"

"You know not to touch," Jay warned, dusting off his knees.

"It's gonna be mine to touch soon so I don't see what the problem is," Ryan said looking over the Volkswagen with lust in his eyes.

"In your dreams," Jay crossed his arms to look at Ryan.

"Oh yeah definitely. I see this lovely little thing in my dreams… I dream of holding her… of whispering sweet nothings…" Ryan winked. "…And I dream of you crying like the child you are."

"If you race as well as you gloat then maybe I got something to worry about," Jay clapped Ryan on the back. "Lucky for me I know I got nothing to worry about. You ain't even gonna come second. Hell, you'll be at the back of the line getting our exhaust on your windscreen."

"Big words for a little guy," Ryan grinned as Jay dumped the water into the street to let it spiral down the drain. "Can your feet even reach the pedals?"

"What d'ya think?" Jay raised his eyebrow and stood in front of Ryan as if there wasn't a near two-foot difference. "Bring your shitty car over here and you'll see just what we can do. We don't need to wait 'till tomorrow. I know a great route that heads out into the country. It'll perfect for you since no-one'll see you lose like the chump you are."

"Oh-ho, a challenge? You sure you wanna go down that road?"

Jay raised his eyebrow and opened the passenger door, beckoning Ryan to enter. "I'll even drive you to your car. Give you a glimpse of what it's like to be in this beauty, cause that's all you're ever going to get. A glimpse."

Upon realising that Jay was serious, Ryan quickly laughed it off. "No can do, man. I would absolutely love to show you that you're too young for this world but I have a date with Becca from the Slingshot. Something else you'll have no experience with. Hell, are you even old enough to know what I'm talking about? Y'see, little Jay, the birds and the bees—"

Jay gave Ryan the full middle finger, reaching up so it stood between Ryan's eyes. "Fuck. You. Have fun trying to please Becca. I'm sure it'll go well before she starts calling out my name," Jay leant in close with a whisper. "Guess who got some with her last week, eh? Girl's as loose as a flat tire."

"You say that again!" Ryan shoved Jay forcing him back a few steps but Jay shrugged it off and laughed.

"Protective much?" Jay turned his back. "See you tomorrow. I might take your car for the winnings – only so I can crush it and make it into a table or something." With that last retort, Jay disappeared into his house, his laughter hanging in the wind.

As soon as the door shut behind him, Jay heard a voice speak out, "You shouldn't go."

Jay glanced at the woman leaning against the wall next to the window that looked out onto the pavement – the perfect view for his interaction with Ryan. Maxine Scythe shared her brother's small stature and his pitch black hair but otherwise couldn't be more different. She worked at the Nationwide bank and had a boyfriend of three years. "You always say that,"

"And I'll say it again." Maxine shook her head as followed Jay into the kitchen. "You'll kill yourself one day."

Jay fished in the fridge for a beer and clicked it open, letting it bubble around his fingers before taking a gulp. "Sure."

"I'm serious, Jay."

"You always are, sis." Jay went into the living room and fell down onto the armchair, propping his feet up on one armrest. "Look, I'm the best driver around."

"The best illegal driver around, maybe." Maxine shook her head.

"Then call the cops."

"Shut it. You know I'm not going to."

"Then don't chastise me. We all make our choices based on what we're good at. I'm good at racing. You're good at numbers." Jay shrugged. "What do you want?"

"I want you to stay safe," Maxine shook her head. "If you want to race then fair enough. Can't you get into professional racing or something?"

"I require a little bit more of a thrill than professional racing," Jay sneered the word. The two remained silent for a moment before Maxine spoke up again.

"I wanted to speak to you about something else, though."

"What? Do I need new clothes? Do I need to do more chores? Bring in more money?"

"Don't be like that," Maxine crossed her arms with a frown. "I'm going to be moving in with Elliot."

Jay looked at Maxine with narrowed eyes. "You what?"

"He's asked me to move in. I think that will be a great idea."

"When?"

"End of next month."

Jay took a slow sip from his can but didn't taste a thing.

"…Which means I'm not going to be supporting you anymore," Maxine continued at his silence. "You'll have the house but you're going to have to pay everything yourself… the rent, your food, you know?"

"…And how do you expect me to do that?" Jay asked, his voice cold.

"I know you earn enough in your… activities… to support yourself. If you spent the money you spend on your parties you'd have more than enough. You can always get a job—"

"For fuck's sake, Maxine! A little warning would be nice!" Jay flared up. Maxine took a step back but didn't back down.

"I've been with Elliot for three years. You ought to have known this was coming. You've had all the time to prepare."

"…Christ!" Jay stood up and slammed the beer can on the nearby table, making Maxine jump. "I'm going out."

"Jay..."

"Fuck off!" Jay spat back, opening the front door wide.

"Jay! Don't be a child!"

The door slammed shut, leaving Maxine alone in the house that their parents had left them.

"Good afternoon," Lacey Filih greeted as the bell chimed to announce a customer's arrival. The elderly man returned the greeting with a nod as he moved to the men's section to browse. She watched him for a moment before continuing to sort the clothes from a donation bag next to her.

The Forever Butterfly charity shop was a local one, owned by the Meredith-Smith couple; Edith was often friendly and enthusiastic, a real hit with the customers. Henry was quieter but a real workhorse. He was the main reason the shop hadn't been swamped in unfinished work.

Lacey found the shop a relaxing place to be after a day of college. Normally a shy girl, the Forever Butterfly was a place she could slowly develop her confidence at her own pace without the pressure of fitting in with other students bearing down on her.

She also found charity work made her feel… accepted, in a way she had never experienced before. It wasn't just the Forever Butterfly; Lacey would often volunteer at homeless shelters or to read at the children's ward. The fact that these people got by even despite their situation really inspired her.

"Have a good day," Lacey said to the man's back as he left the small, homely shop.

"Mmm… It's dead today," came the voice of Edith as she haphazardly made her way down to the till balancing two hot cups of tea on top of a pile of books. She was never one to take the easy route. "Here we are, Laces. One sugar, bit of milk, just how you like it."

"Thank you," Lacey usually hated nicknames but Edith was an exception. The name Laces had come from when Lacey had first come to the shop to ask to volunteer. She had mumbled her name and Edith had thought she was looking for shoes. It took ten minutes of shoe talk before Lacey finally worked up the courage to ask again.

"Some complimentary books. Just come in. Plus they look good to boot. Nice to see someone actually taking care of their books. You okay to sort them?"

"Yes, of course," Lacey replied with that soft smile of hers which would light up her small face. "Anything else I can help with after?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Edith took a sip of her own tea before raising her finger to say her favourite phrase. "One thing at a time. A job well done is better than three half finished."

"S-Sorry…"

"Oh… You're so cute when you apologise," Edith ruffled Lacey's shoulder length blonde hair, making her blush even more. "Just like a kitten; I've half a mind to take you home with me and Henry."

Edith was so popular with the locals exactly because of this kind of attitude. She would be the first to admit that she was fifty percent mad, fifty percent crazy, and a hundred percent free as a bird.

Henry couldn't have been more different. It was his off day today but when he was in he would calmly ask Lacey to do what needed to be done. If there was anything she wasn't sure how to do he would happily explain it to her. Often he felt like the father she never had; Not at all like her real father.

Edith made her way to the back room and Lacey put her mind back to her work, taking sips from her always perfectly made tea. Edith had an art to knowing exactly how her volunteers liked their drink.

At ten to five the door opened and Lacey went to greet the late customer before pausing nervously.

"Hey there," Lucas Woods greeted as he entered. He was wearing his usual combination of grey jumper and jeans, though both items of clothing were well worn. With his scruffy hair and the bits of grime dotted about his arms, it wouldn't take much to guess that he was homeless.

They would be correct. Lacey met Lucas while she worked at one of the three homeless shelters in Eastbourne. He struck up conversation but the first time Lacey had been so nervous she couldn't even get a word out. He just called it cute, which made Lacey go completely red and want to hide under the table.

The second time went a little bit smoother and the two got to talk properly. At least if you consider broken sentences and nervous laughs 'properly'. They had become a couple but Lacey found physical contact particularly hard. Even just holding his hand made her flutter something vicious inside.

It was only two days before that they had kissed for the first time and Lacey hadn't seen him since.

"H-H-Hello…" The word came out in a stutter as Lacey blushed furiously.

"So this is Forever Butterfly…" Lucas looked around, impressed. "You didn't joke around when you said this place was special. It has a certain… feel… to it."

"Yes..."

Lucas glanced over to her and moved over to the glass-topped counter, leaning on it with his elbows to face Lacey. "Come on, look at me." Lacey just buried her chin further into her chest, her hair masking her eyes. "Was my kiss that bad?"

"N-No! It wasn't you!" Lacey exclaimed, a bit more shrilly than she had intended. She cleared her throat and murmured, "I-It was nice…"

"I'm glad to hear it," Lucas smiled and held out his hand to Lacey. He patiently waited as she hesitantly put her own cold palm in his warm one.

"So… I was thinking. We haven't really been on a date yet. Not a proper one anyway." He leaned forward. "I've made arrangements with Becky down at the shelter. She'll pull out one of those old wooden tables out back and bring a tablecloth from home. Get some candles and we can do our best to have a romantic dinner. I mean, it ain't – isn't – going to be caviar and truffles, but I think I can make it something nice. It'd have to be in the morning but—"

"Oh… I…" Lacey bit her lip for a moment. Lucas just smiled.

"Got lessons?"

"I-It's not that… I'd… skip for something like that but… We're going on a trip. To that theme park. It's a class thing that we paid for a while ago. O-Once a year… My friends are going and… I promised them…"

"That's not a problem. I'll ask Becky to postpone it to… what do you reckon, two day? Wednesday? Would that be okay?"

Lacey nodded firmly. "That'd be perfect…"

"Wonderful! Once you finish up here, shall I walk you home?" At Lacey's expression he quickly put his hand up. "Don't worry. I won't let your parents see me again. Last thing I want is to be hosed down by your old man. I'll take you to the gate."

"…Okay…"

"Perfect. When we have that dinner… I do have something important to say to you, though. So look forward to that." Without warning, Lucas darted forward and pecked Lacey on the cheek. "I'll wait outside. People might get worried seeing someone like me loitering." With that Lucas left the shop and Lacey found herself smiling widely, watching his broad back disappear through the doors.

A/N:- Jay Scythe is credited to Kokisho and Lacey Filih is credited to kyra1201.