III

An hour later, class ends. "Well I had a lovely time in class with you today Lory-Lorelai," says Braden. I chuckle. "I had a lovely time as well," I reply. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Looking forward to it."

I walk out of the class only to see Corbyn standing outside. He's talking to a few people and finally turns over too see me and he walks over. "Hey princess," he greets. "Hey," I answer back, hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I came to pick you up. Turns out we have chemistry."

I laugh at his pun. "Wait. How did you know I have chemistry?"

"Emily told me. She saw your routine during lunch and mentioned that we have a class later together. So I decided to come pick you up."

"Oh. Okay. We should get going then."

"After you, princess."

I laugh and walk to my other class with Corbyn.

I walk inside the room and grab a seat towards the right wall in the middle bench. Corbyn grabs one right beside me. "Wow. Clingy much?" I tease. "When it's someone as pretty as you, its hard not to be," he answers confidently. I snark. Few minutes later, class began and I paid attention. Corbyn didn't disturb me. To be honest, he seemed pretty engrossed in the subject as well, which is good because I won't get distracted either. An hour later, the bell finally rang and class was over. "Well, I have history now. I'll see you later at the field. Bye princess," he gives a wink, a small smirk and walks away.

I leave the room as well and go to my next class. Suddenly I feel someone grab me by the arm. I look to my side and sees that it's Alice. She gives me a bright smile and leads me to our next class.

"Sit here," she says, pointing to a seat right next to hers. I do exactly as she says. Soon, class starts. Ten minutes later, I get a chit from a person behind me. Confused, I open it to see who it's from, and surprisingly enough, it's from Braden.

"Twice in one day. Coincidence much?" It wrote.

I laugh and I turn around to search for him. He sat to my right, three desks behind. He gives a small wave and I chuckle and turn in front. Soon later, class started and before I knew it, ended.

"Ugh I hate literature," Alice groans. I never really understood the concept of people hating literature. I mean, what is there to hate? They're literally words in between pages of a book that can make you feel happy and sad simultaneously and if that isn't the most beautiful thing ever, I don't know what is.

"I have Geography now. I'll see you after school, " she says.

"Sure," I respond, and she walks out.

As for me, I finally have a free period. I walk out of the room and immediately someone clashes on to me and we both fall on the floor. "Bollocks! I'm so sorry I didn't mean to hurt you," he apologizes while he tries to see if I was okay. Luckily enough, I didn't break anything. "No no, it's okay. I'm okay," I reply. "Are you sure? You were hit pretty hard."

"I'm fine."

"Oh, well then that's great." His British accent comes out thick and rich, almost soothing. "I'm Jerome, by the way. Jerome Hudson. The school's Head President."

"I'm Lorelai Dixon."

"Oh. So you're the freshman."

"Not exactly sure you can call me that but sure."

He lets out a small laugh. "Oh, shit. My books." He looks down at his feet and notice his books and start picking them up. By the time I could help, he had already gathered everything in his arms. "Well, I have to get these to the library. I hope I'll see you again."

"Looking forward to it." Lies. I hate meeting new people. He smiles and walks away. "What was that about?" Aiden startles me from behind. I turn around in shock. "Dammit Aiden don't creep on me like that again!" I scold. "Whatever. I heard you have a free period now. Let's go."

"Firstly, how did you know that? And secondly, where?"

"Emily told me. And we have a history project to finish so let's get started." He walks away towards the front door. I swear, I think everyone's got my routine memorised except for me.

I follow behind him to the parking lot. He gets in his car while I stare at it for almost 5 minutes until he finally gets out. "What are you staring at?"

"Your car. You have a wrangler. A black one on top of that."

"Oh. Yeah. Dad bought it for me last summer."

"You still talk to your dad?"

"Well I-" he hesitates and shakes his head and says, "Never mind. Just please get in the car." I walk up to the front seat and he opens the door from the inside. I get in and give him a smirk. "What?" he asks, curiously. I laugh. "It's nothing. Just, hurry up and get us home already."

"Why would we go home?"

"Aiden. You literally said that we need to finish our assignment pronto."

"And you told me you liked studying in coffee shops where the smell of cocoa beans fill your nose and you can have any pastry you want so you don't go hungry because studying always makes you hungry and that sitting in calm and serene places always helped you concentrate better." He looks at me, smirking and gives me a look that says I should be impressed by what he had said.

I look at him and a small smile forms on my lips. "I told you that when we were nine. I can't believe you still remember."

He turns his head back to the road and answers, "Yeah well, I remember a lot of things you've told me." I smile and keep my eyes on the road. The entire ride is in utter silence. When we get there, I look outside my window and suddenly I am walking down memory lane. I get out and stand outside my favourite place when I was a kid. Emily, Eddie and Aiden and I would always come here everyday after causing some mischief. Lou's Café always felt like Christmas nights when you would just spend your time in the kitchen baking and you could just feel the warmth in the air. I guess that's why we always stopped by. It felt like home. Some more than others. Especially for Aiden since he didn't really have a great childhood at home. His parents would constantly fight and someone would always get hurt. Aiden would lock himself in his room and cover his ears, hoping that it would all end. Sometimes when the screams were too much, he'd leave home for the night and show up outside my window and would tell me everything about it. Then we'd end up eating candy that I would store in my cupboard and we'd stare at the stars and try to create weird shapes. When he turned ten, his mom found out that his dad was having an affair with another woman. Aiden's mom finally kicked him out and filed the divorce papers. That was the day that I saw Aiden break down for the first time. He wrapped me around his arms and cried so much that his head started to ache. Exactly the next day, my parents took me to England and I never got to say goodbye.

"Lore?" Aiden's voice snaps me back to my senses.

"Yeah, what? Oh yeah, sorry. I got lost in my thoughts for a moment."

"It's okay. Let's just go inside already." He opens the door door and I walk in. Suddenly the aroma reminds me of so many memories I had in this shop : Eddie choking on a cherry, Emily accidentally pouring smoothie on herself, having a cake competition with Aiden. A warm sensation tugs my heart. I smile, because I know that I'm finally home.

I walk up to the counter and see Lou. I smile brightly and call out his name. "Hey Lou." He looks at me with a dull face. Bemusement slowly starts taking over and he shouts out "Lorelai?!" I laugh. He comes out of his counter to take a proper look at me. "Oh my Goodness sweetheart you've grown so much child!" He pulls me into a hug while I refrain myself from crying. "Sweet Lory. I have missed you so much!"

"And I've missed you too."

"Come! Deborah needs to see you."

He pulls me to the kitchen and I see Lou's wife. The moment she sees me, she yells out my name and runs over to hug me. "Oh my baby you're so beautiful now!" Wow. I thought you would say that I've grown but you say that instead. Now it makes me think that you thought I was ugly back then.

"Do you want to have something? No you have to have something. I'm not taking no for an answer. What do you want sweetheart?"

"Coffee. Coffee would be really good right now."

"One cold coffee coming right up."

"How'd you know I wanted cold?"

"Child. You have been coming here ever since you were seven. You may have been gone for five years but I still know you damn too well." I laugh. I walk out of the kitchen and notice Aiden sitting at the counter. He lifts up his head and sees me walking towards him and stands up from his chair, signalling me to sit on it while he moves on to the other. I wear a confused expression, but nonetheless, do what he tells me. He then sits on the chair to my right. "What do you want to have?" he asks. "Oh no, I'm good. I just ordered coffee and I don't think I want to eat yet," I answer. He gives me a look that showed that he was annoyed and that he didn't buy any of the words I had just said. He turns to the counter and yells, "Hey Lou, one big plate of pasta and two cups of cold coffee please." He then turns to me and says, "I'm not letting you walk out of here without eating your favourite meals." I smile at the fact that he still remembered what my favourite food is. "Fine. Now can we please get started?" I plead. "Absolutely Peaches," he replies. I suddenly turn to him with a bright smile across my face. Even he notices what he had just said. "You haven't called me that in seven years."

"And it'll be the last time you'll hear it again."

"Why? That's not fair. I like that name."

"All the more reason to stop calling you that."

"You're a horrible person, you know that right?"

He smiles. "Enough chit chat. Let's start with the assignment already."

I look back at my books, still smiling like an idiot. We then grabbed our books and started our assignment. Aiden and I wrote about Thomas Paine and his life story. As we went deeper into the assignment, I started cracking jokes while Aiden mocked me, making me laugh my lungs out. I even tried to impersonate Thomas Paine and failed miserably which made him laugh a little at first, but he just kept throwing sarcasm at my face till I could no longer breathe. Lou kept filling our table with food. The other customers kept staring at us like we were complete lunatics but Aiden and I were too deep into the conversation to notice. After a while, the laughter subsided. Aiden and I were just looking at each other. "Hey, Aiden?" I call out."

"Yes Lorelai?"

"I'm really glad we're talking again."

"So am I."

"Really? You were kind of cold to me when we met after a long time the other day."

"Well, you left for England exactly when I needed you most, more over, without any heads up or any information about how long you'd be gone and you never even tried to contact me all these years so it's only natural that I reacted that way."

"Aiden-" I get cut off by him.

"And when I found out that you and Emily called every week offended me because you could call her but you couldn't call me. So, speaking truthfully, I did get hurt at first but then I grew up and I really don't mind anymore. And everything is behind us and we're on good terms again."

Tears start filling my eyes. Aiden looks at me and laughs. "You big idiot. Don't cry." I unzip my bag and take out my hankie to wipe my eyes. "I didn't think it would affect you. I'm so so sorry." I sob even more. He pats my head and suddenly put his forehead on mine and he closes his eyes. "It's alright." His action makes me break down even more till I end up wrapping my arms around him as I cry more.

When we were six, I fell really sick and my parents were not home and all my brothers were in school. Aiden came over as usual and saw me laying on my bed. He then did everything to help me get better. He tried making my favourite food, made me watch my favourite shows, even rubbed my feet when they got too cold. After a while, he decided to check my temperature. Back then, he didn't exactly know how to use a thermometer yet. So, he did what any six year old boy would do and placed his forehead on mine. Exactly then, my parents came home and I finally got proper care. The next day, I was cured. Aiden and I joked that it was because he took away all my sickness when he kept his forehead on mine, and ever since then, whenever one of us is going through a tough time, we would always put our foreheads together to help each other out.

I pull back and wipe my tears. I check the time and notice that it's already 3:45pm. I look at Aiden as I say, "I have soccer tryouts now."

"How are you going to go back to school?"

"I don't know. I'll figure it out." I stand up and swing my bag across my shoulder. "Thank you for the food, and I'll text you later." Before I could walk away, Aiden stands in front of me and blocks the way. He takes my bag away from me and says, "I'll drive you to school."

"You don't have to." I reach out to grab my bag back but he swats my hand away. "I want to," and he walks out.

I get in the car and he starts driving. Ten minutes later, we reach school. "Good luck out there," he wishes. "Wait you're not coming?" I ask.

"No. I have to run a few errands for mom."

"Oh. Okay."

"I'll text you later and ask about the tryouts. For now, give it your best shot."

"I'll try." He smiles and drives out of the parking lot while I run to the field. I notice the coach talking to the team and I run up to him. "Coach Hastings!" I call out. He turns behind and notices me running towards him. "I'd like to try out for the team." Everyone laughs. "Guys stop being assholes," Corbyn scolds his teammates. Thank you Corbyn. "And uh, what makes you think you're qualified to join the team?" the coach asks. "I was the captain of the soccer team back in my old school," I say. The boys start making sounds. "Well then, captain, if you can score five goals in a row, I'll let you join. If you can't, you're cleaning the bleachers for the entire semester," he says. "Challenge accepted." I respond. He gives me a smug look. "Scott, you know what to do." A guy nods and walks up to the goal.

I place the ball on the ground and tie my hair. A bunch of boys in the back start saying that I won't make it and that I'm just an amateur. Anger rushes through me. I know that I never intended on joining the soccer team but after hearing it from Corbyn and the rest, it reminded me of how it fun it was to play soccer. Suddenly I hear Eddie threatening them saying, "If you guys don't shut up, I'll slam your head on the ground and make you eat dirt," and they all keep quiet. Wow. Being captain really does have its perks. He then yells out, "You got this Lorelai!" Corbyn and Eddie cheer for me at the top of their lungs. "Whenever you're ready kid," says the coach.

I take a few steps back and try to stay calm and focused. Immediately I run towards the ball and kick it to the left right corner and it goes in. Eddie and Corbyn scream in joy. "Calm down idiots. She needs to score four more," the coach mentions. Right when I started to feel less pressurized, he pressures me even more.

I take a few steps back again and concentrate. I then run to the ball and kick it even harder towards the left lower corner and I score. Eddie and Corbyn scream again. I do the same the third time and I score, again. The rest of the boys start cheering along with Corbyn and Eddie as well. Then, for my fourth one, I aim at the right lower area. Unfortunately, the goal keeper grabs it before it could go in. Frustration fills me. Right when I'm about to give up, I hear the coach say, "Keep going. You still have one more goal to score." I nod and do as he told. I take in a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to calm my nerves. I then open them and run to the ball and kick it really hard that the goalkeeper could not to stop it and it goes in. The team roars. Rage still flows through me. The fact that I couldn't make all five scores annoyed me, like I wasn't good enough. I walk up to the coach and the moment I get there, he lets out a long sigh. "Well kid, you've got potential I'll give you that. But you still missed one shot," he says. "Yeah I'm well aware of that," I say sarcastically while I roll my eyes. "Well, it would be a miracle if you had scored at least one goal anyway. No one ever has."

"What do you mean?"

"Scott is one of the best goal keepers in all of the schools in LA. The fact that you scored four out of five is an achievement enough. These losers scored only two to three."

"So wait, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say, welcome to the team kid." My heart starts swelling with happiness. Corbyn and Eddie run over to me and they both give me the biggest hugs ever. "Oh my gosh! Congratulations Lorelai! I knew you'd be able to do it!" Eddie exclaims. "Let's go celebrate. Food's on me!" Corbyn offers. "I can't I just ate," I respond. "With whom?" Eddie asks. "Aiden. We had to do a history project together so he took me out to eat."

"Oh okay. Well I'm starving so I'm going to go tell the rest of the gang that we're going out," and Corbyn leaves and Eddie follows. Corbyn walks over to the team and tells them that he's paying for the food and suddenly the team starts screaming in happiness. The coach walks over and stands next to me while we both watch the boys running away. "Kids." He shakes his head and walks away. I run over to the bleachers where I had kept my bag to drink some water. "Quite an impression you've made." I look up to see who it is and it's none other than Jerome. I laugh. "On you or them?"

"Let's say, both. So, twice in a day. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

I laugh. "Well, you just accidentally bumped into me so it's all you buddy." he laughs and says, "Well, I'm glad I could see such an angel again."

"I bet you say that to all the girls."

"No. Just the pretty ones."

I snark. "Cliché much?" he lets out a small chuckle.

"I'm looking for an assistant head president and I can't seem to find one."

"Oh that's sad." Please don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me.

He let's out a small laugh. "This is me asking if you would be interested in the taking the job."

Oh please no. "I don't know Jerome. I'm not exactly leadership material." Lies. I'm just too lazy to run the entire school.

"Tell you what. Come over to the office and you can see for yourself if it's what you want or not, and if you don't, I will not pressurize you."

"Alright, that sounds good."

"Excellent. I'll see you soon then." And he walks away. Corbyn and Eddie come up from behind me. "What does gay boy want?" Corbyn asks. I laugh and say, "It's nothing." Corbyn has suspicion written all over his face. "Anyway, we're going to go. Can you make it home on your own?" Corbyn asks. "Yeah definitely," I answer. "Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow princess," and he walks away. Eddie gives me a tiny hug and walks away too. Now how the hell will I get home?