3 You're Sitting At The Bar

The door to Luke's Diner rang as Lucy walked through. Luke being behind the counter as always looked up only briefly, "Hey, Lucy," he said, "You're spots already open, as usual." he pointed as he served someone some eggs. She sat at the counter.

Luke passed by her serving someone some coffee. He trailed back to her quickly and did a double take. "Why aren't you sitting at the table." he looked at her suspicious.

"I'm sitting at the bar today." she said confidently.

"You're sitting at the bar, period." he looked at her, "What caused you to do that?" he asked not liking change. Especially sudden change. "Luke, I would like a coffee please." Lucy asked him with a smile. "A coffee??" he looked at her; his concern doubling. "You never order anything, and where's your music book? And your earbuds?" he spitfires questions.

Lucy smiled. She was thoroughly enjoying this. She moved her hair behind her ear and gestured to the earbuds. She then held up her backpack, insinuating her notebook was in it.

Luke breathed finally, "So you haven't completely cracked." he looked at her, "Why are you suddenly sitting somewhere else." he asked.

Lucy smiled and gestured to her new backpack. "Can you guess?" she asked.

"You got a new backpack? That's why?" he furrowed his eyebrows exhausted and confused.

She shook her head and unzipped the bag. She opened it for him to look at the school supplies. He looked at it unphased, "What, what does that mean? School supplies." he shrugged before he stopped. Luke's eyes widened as wide as his tired eyes could, "Oh! You're going to school! You're going to school??" he exclaimed. All the people looked at his outburst.

Lucy nodded excitedly, "Yes. I start today." she smiled proudly.

"How'd you convince your grandpa?" he asked getting a mug and filling it with coffee, "How is the old fleabag anyway?"

"Not a fleabag," she said light heartedly, "And he's fine." she zipped up her bag. "He compromised."

Luke looked at her before passing her the mug of coffee, "On the house," he said. Her face lit up. "-Just for today," he interrupted anything she was about to do. "Okay? Now drink up, school starts in a few minutes." he said.

Lucy nodded happily and drank from the coffee mug. "School starts in a few minutes." Luke said again as if realizing just then. Lucy looked at him strangely, "Yes..Luke, so you said." she said.

"No-I--just-- drink your coffee--" he stuttered as he hurried upstairs to his apartment. Lucy took a quick sip of her coffee and was about to put in her music when she heard some stumbling from upstairs followed by loud thuds.

She watched Luke a few seconds later as he pulled Jess down by his sweater shirt. His hair was all disheveled and his dark eyebrows were knit further in anger than usual. "Let go of me man!" he said.

"It's a few minutes before you have to go to school, Jess!" Luke scolded. "I was gonna get up." he said defensively.

Lucy pulled out her phone and pressed play on her music. She looked down at her coffee and took a sip while she heard quick and catchy guitar strums in her hand. She tapped her fingers against the counter along with it and smiled. She took another sip of her coffee as the song lulled her along the seconds of the day.

Suddenly she felt her earbuds get yanked from her ears. She flinched; getting a bad nostalgia form from that feeling. "Hey, you conscious today?" she heard Jess ask. She looked at him with less of a smiley attitude towards him. "Could I have my earbuds back?" she asked already slightly disturbed.

"Uncle Luke tells me you're going to school today." he said; ignoring her request and holding her earbuds hostage.

"Yes, now give them back." she reached for them. He pulled back quickly with a smirk. "Your first time in school." he added to the news. Lucy looked at him with a slightly glare, "Yes. Now give." she held out her hand impatiently.

"Why haven't you been to school before?"

"I was homeschooled."

"Why? There's a suitable school just down the street." he said his curiosity causing him to basically interrogate her.

"Please Jess just give them back." she pleaded.

"Your music isn't going anywhere." he said. Luke walked by, "Jess leave that girl alone." he said in a deep tone. Jess looked at him briefly before looking back at Lucy. He gave a cocky smile before handing her the buds, "Let's go then."

Lucy grabbed them back and put them back in their rightful place in her ears. She watched as Jess slung his not-so-heavy backpack on his shoulder. Lucy grabbed her backpack and followed in pursuit.

"Don't do that again." she caught up with him.

"Do what?" he frowned not recalling what he did wrong. Couldn't have been that early to start making trouble, he thought.

"Don't take my earbuds out. That's not okay." she told him.

"Look I get it you're obsessed with music. You're different." he said. "It's not a big deal." he added. She looked down briefly. "Just don't do it again." she continued walking. Jess sighed. He wondered what so wrong by getting her to listen to him.

He hurried up to catch up to her. "Okay then, the headphones are a no-touch." he shrugged, "Anything else I should know in case you get triggered again?" he said sarcastically.

"Why are you being so annoying today?" she changed the subject. Jess smirked at the new title he was promoted to, "Well you gotta have some practice before heading into a highschool, don't you think?" he said as they walked closer to steps of the highschool building, "There will be tons of people asking you for pencils and what you got for number 3 in math class."

"I think I'll live." she said sarcastically.

"Then comes the hard part," he walked in front of her and continued walking backwards, "Figuring out where you're going to sit for the rest of your miserable four years."

"One year." she corrected.

"Remember that whichever one you pick you're stuck there forever." he said. She ignored him.

Lucy stopped in front of the school steps. Kids around her age were stepping up with no problem and going inside.

Lucy took an unsteady breath and exhaled it just as shaky as she looked at the intimidating steps. Jess stood there confused. He spoke up, "You know usually in order to get stressed about high school? You have to, step inside first."

Lucy exhaled again, "Yeah." she looked at the building frozen in her step. Jess looked at her. He looked around to see if anyone was looking. He then took her phone out of her hand. Lucy looked at him confused ready to object. Jess held his hand up as if to tell her to refrain from lecturing him for a moment. He scrolled through her music and bit his lip before picking one. He played it and gave it back to her.

Lucy took it back before seeing he picked "Sunny" by Boney M. She looked at him with a confused smile. Jess shrugged, "Nothing to get you in the mood like some disco." he said. "Now come on, I like to be late to class because of me, not because of you." he walked up the steps.

Lucy listened to the disco beats and orchestra as she walked up the steps.