The Invitation

A few weeks after Lucus had come back to school, things were more or less normal. After being kicked out, the bully, who was actually named Christopher, had come back a few days earlier. People were warmer now. More friendly. A few seemed pretty grateful. People now said hi to him in the hallways. People he didn't even know!

"Ya know, you might just be popular!" commented Ben on their way to second period as a girl with a high ponytail waved at him and said a soft hi. Allicia rolled her eyes, then softened her face.

"Hmm. He might be right. You have been getting more nice comments in the hallways. Even a few cute girls said hi. They batted their eyelashes all swoony." Allicia said matter of factly. Ben stopped Lucus and peered into his bang covered eyes as if looking for some sort of hidden prophecy engraved upon it.

"Yep! It's decided! You, are hot." Announced Ben slightly too loudly in a triumphant voice. A few people stopped to stare. The chatter of the hallway persisted, and Lucus picked out a few less than nice comments about Ben, while continuously agreeing with him at the same time. "What do you think, Allicia?" asked Ben, nudging her slyly. She paused, slightly. For some reason, Lucus really wanted to know the answer. He hid it, pretty well though, in his opinion. His face did get a bit hot, however. He hoped his bangs would hide it. "Come on! Surely you don't find him ugly, do you?" Ben grinned and looked at Allicia. She stepped back, and thought. Allicia's voice came out calm, and very collected.

"I guess he looks fine. But Ben, you can't really think I could answer that. I mean, I'm a girl. I guess a dimwit like you wouldn't have noticed." Ben was smart, but in a school full of the mentally gifted, it was easy for even the top student to become the dumbest. Ben was such a case.

"I am not dumb. I just wanted your take on it." he pouted and crossed his arms. Lucus couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed at the lackluster answer. They walked into class and sat down. A few more classes passed by. Eventually they said goodbye to Allicia, who lived in the other direction and went home together. Lucus stayed over at Ben's house for a little while. They went to his house almost everyday after school to do homework. Ben's mom ordered a pizza and they sat on the floor doing homework. The school finally gave him permission to do work with someone to help him. Besides, the usual fire ordeal did have him breaking a few more rules than before. It usually went something like this:

"Hey Lucus, what did you get for question number-"

"Did you finish that one yet, or do you just want the answer?"

"Come on man, just this one!"

"That and every other one."

"Fine, just leave me to die then. I guess I'll fail out of school, drop out then starve to death on the streets."

*Pause*

"Fine, give me that."

"Yay!"

This exchange happened for almost every question. They continued this process until the door dinged. Ben didn't hear it but Lucus did, and they both paused what they were doing to listen.

"I don't hear anything."

"Shhh." he paused and listened, "It's Abby."

"Whose Abby?" whispered Ben

"My sister from the orphanage."

"Oh, cool."

After a few more thuds of Abby taking off her shoes, a few more running to the stairs and multiple more running up the 3 flights of stairs the door burst open.

"Hi Abby. What are you doing here?" She panned, catching her breath. Instead of answering Lucus, she turned toward Ben.

"This house is too big. And you have too many stairs." she said this matter of factly. She was only two years younger than Lucus, and was in middle school.

"Abby, that's rude. Besides, what's that paper you're holding?" he pointed at it. He could hear the crackling of the paper.

"Oh right. Good news! You were invited to a gala as a special guest! They want you to make a short speech on being blind. They thought your work in the fire and fighting with that bully was inspiring. It's this Saturday, after school. You can even bring one guest!"

"Oh wow, my family and I are going to that one." cut in Ben surprised. "We're invited every year. It's usually kinda boring, but if you can get in good with the right people, you could go places with that big brain of yours." he took another bite of pizza. "I can show you around." Lucus was taken back. He continued munching on his pepperoni pizza letting it hang out of his mouth while putting away his finished homework.

"Are you guys going too?" asked Lucus. Even if Ben was there and he could invite someone as a plus one, he felt uneasy. A gala was just a name for a fancy party. Parties were always loud. Abby stood in the doorway and leaned on the post.

"No. That's what the plus one thing is for. Can I have that?" she pointed to the last slice of pizza in the box and Ben shrugged and gestured to it as if to say, 'go for it'. Lucus blocked her and took it before her. "Come one dude. You haven't even finished yours." Lucus didn't reply. Instead, he shot a new question.

"Did you do your homework yet?" asked Lucus holding it away from Abby. He turned his head towards her.

"Don't have any." she smiled smugly looking at the thick piles of paper sticking out of Lucus and Ben's folders. "Looks like you do though. Does that mean I get a slice?" Abby didn't wait for him to respond. Instead she stepped forward and made a grab for the pizza. It took a few tries because Lucus kept dodging her, but she got it eventually and smiled smugly. "I should tell you that Mother won't be able to make it to the gala as your plus one. She has to go to the mansion again." Ben didn't bother to ask what the mansion was. Besides, they were practically in one right now. It seemed out of place to ask that. Lucus frowned. That was what he was thinking.

"You'd better start thinking. I know my mom would be disappointed if you didn't invite anyone. She's always bothering me about it." Said Ben as Lucus stood to leave.

"I'll keep that in mind."