Chapter 6 [Edited]

The next day, Lucas was getting ready for school as usual. With some time to spare, he sat on the couch and turned on the TV via thought command.

"Mr. Stud," announced a half-naked man with a perfectly sculpted body, his muscles glistening under neon lights. Girls clawed eagerly at him as he spoke, his voice deep and smooth. "All night. Every night. Don't be soft. Upgrade now."

"Naranjita. Feel the chemistry!"

"Experienced cowgirls looking for stallions! Milfguard. 32% [IIII] scan for discount..."

Explosions of colour and animated characters bombarded Lucas's mind. Once the mandatory dose of commercials was over, the show started. 

"Welcome to Safe & Sound. My name is sergeant Dobs, and I'll show you today to survive a cyberpsycho attack. While out shopping, our friend Mr. Puggins suddenly hears screams and gunfire. His first instincts is to run for the nearest exit, but that would be a very bad idea. You average cyberpsycho is equipped with boosted reflexes and automatic weapons—"

"Nope," Lucas flicked to the next channel. He'd already seen this tv show countless times, and every child with a holoscreen in their childhood has. 

The show was something the NCPD created, and explained to children how to protect themselves from harm from both gangs and the police itself. Useful, but he wasn't a kid anymore. He already had hair on his sack as proof.

"Isn't there anything better on at this time?" Lucas muttered, flicking through channels. Eventually, he settled on a documentary about birds—creatures he had only ever seen behind a screen. He leaned back and tried to relax for a few minutes, but there was nothing exactly relaxing about the extinction of avian life.

Just as he was about to switch channels again, his mom sat next to him. "Did you finally seal the deal?"

"What?"

"With Rita, I mean."

"Huh? What makes you say that?"

"Jesus, I didn't know I raised such a pussy," Akane looked at Lucas with a disappointed expression. "It's obvious you like her, and she clearly likes you. Why don't you just make a move already?"

Lucas groaned, running a hand through his hair. "It's not that simple, Mom."

"Sure it is." Akane rolled her eyes. "You've known each other forever. What's holding you back? She won't wait for you forever."

Lucas hesitated, remembering how his last relationship that had ended badly. He had been only 16 years old when he met his first girlfriend, and hadn't realized his feelings for Rita at the time. After a few months of dating, when he thought everything was going well, she left him with a simple "this isn't working" text.

The experience definitely made him cautious about diving into another relationship. 

"...I don't want to ruin our friendship, you know? What if things get awkward?"

"Grow a pair, will you?" Akane sighed, patting his shoulder. "Sometimes, you have to take a risk, Lucas. Life's too short to play it safe all the time."

Lucas nodded slowly, taking in his mom's words. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was time to take a chance and see where things could go with Rita. "I'll think about it," he said finally, giving his mom a small smile.

"You do that. Now, get your ass to school before you're late," Akane waved her hand dismissively.

Lucas chuckled, grabbed his things for school, and headed out the door….

…Once at school, Lucas entered his first class and immediately noticed Katsuo and his lackeys were absent, likely still recovering from their injuries. It would probably be a week or two before he'd see their faces again.

And as usual, there was no retaliation from Mr. Tanaka despite the beating Lucas had given his son. The creep knew better than to stir up trouble with him if he wanted to keep his job.

David, however, was surprisingly present. Lucas thought he'd at least get a few days' suspension after the trouble he caused. Turns out the damage to the system wasn't that bad. But he had to quickly put that in the back of his mind after noticing something obviously different about his choom.

The guy was all gloomy and depressed— not to mention he looked banged up. One of his eyes was swollen, and a few cuts marred his face.

His first guess was that David got robbed on his way home. No, that couldn't be it. Had to be something else, something more serious. David had been robbed before and he had been bummed about it. This was different.

The bell rang, signaling the first break of the day. Lucas and David decided to get lunch together in a nearby , but David was just sitting there, staring blankly at his hands and not eating. It was a stark contrast to his usual self, who would be cracking jokes and talking about the latest cyberpsycho XBD's he saw.

There ain't no way he could just ignore this. He was a bit of an asshole, a little impulsive when it came to fighting, overly cautious, a sackless dense gonk—but there was one thing he wasn't, a disloyal choom.

Concerned, Lucas decided it was time to find out what was going on. "Hey, man, you okay?"

David looked up slowly, his eyes dull and lifeless. "Yeah, just... a lot on my mind."

"Come on, man. You can tell me. What happened?"

David hesitated, but eventually spoke up. "Got caught in a crossfire yesterday, and Mom ended up in the hospital." He sighed deeply, his shoulders slumping even more. "Doc said she's stable, but... I don't have any eddies to visit her. Got the basic package and no visitation rights. Rent's due too. It's like everything's falling apart all at once."

Lucas thought for a moment before speaking, "Maybe, I can help with your mom's situation. I know someone who can help. She could hack into the Night City healthcare system and upgrade your membership."

David's eyes widened in surprise. He looked at Lucas as if he had seen a ghost— nah, more like he had just seen Night City legend Johnny Silverhand himself.

"I know I'm handsome and all, but you don't have to keep staring at me like that."

"Lucas, are you serious?"

He nodded.

"Man, I don't know what to say—"

"Don't thank me yet. I still need to ask her first and we're not really on good terms." Lucas pulled out his phone, dialing the only netrunner he trusted besides his mother. He didn't want to involve her; that would just mean another round of scolding.

The phone rang several times before going to voicemail. Lucas cursed under his breath and dialed again, with the same result. Frustrated, he quickly typed out a message: "It's urgent. Pick up."

A few moments later, his phone rang. He answered immediately, and he heard a familiar, feminine voice on the other end. "What is it?"

"I need you to do me a favor," Lucas said, cutting straight to the point.

There was a pause on the other end before she responded, "What do you need?"

"My friend's mom is in the hospital, but he can't visit her because of his basic package. Can you do your thing and upgrade his membership?"

Another pause, longer this time. "It ain't that easy. I'd have to get past the guards and need an access point to hack into the system. I'll need some help."

Lucas's brow furrowed at the added complication. After a quick moment of thought, he responded, "Yeah, I figured as much."

"I'll come to you now. Where are you?" 

"I'm at City Center with my friend, down by the food court."

"Alright be there in half an hour."

"Thanks, I owe you one."

"Don't mention it. See you soon, Lucas," she replied before the call ended.

He turned to David and patted his shoulder. "We'll meet up with my friend and get your mom sorted. That'll be one less thing for you to worry about."

David's eyes welled up a bit and moved in for a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you, man."

"Woah, relax. You're weirding me out. I'm not into guys." Lucas gently pushed him back.

David chuckled and shook his head. After a brief pause, his curiosity got the better of him. "So, who's this friend of yours?"

"An ex," Lucas admitted. "She tried to steal my data chip, and I caught her red-handed. Let her go for her number. Looking back, I probably wasn't thinking at all."

"You were probably thinking with your dick."

Lucas looked at his choom as if he was offended, but he couldn't deny it. David was kinda right. He had been mesmerised by her beauty and had been partially thinking with his dick at that time, but could you blame him? At his age, any hole was a goal as long as— ya know, it was none of that creepy shit.

"... So, I am right," David continued, taking Lucas's silence as confirmation.

"I'm not that shallow, okay?" Lucas replied, a bit defensive. "Yes, I might've been attracted to her looks at first, but the more I got to know her, the more I genuinely liked her. It must have been just a one-sided thing, though, because she broke up with me after just a month of being together."

"That sucks. Got a photo of her? I might—" David paused, then quickly added, seeing Lucas frown, "Relax, relax... I'm just kidding."

"Not funny," Lucas muttered, taking a bite of his lunch.

"Alright, alright. Can I at least know her name? You know, since we're about to meet and she's going out of her way to help me."

"Her name is Lucy."