Good Luck Charm (Completed)

Angered Friends and Scattered Ends

       "Hey!" Lucas called as Marty exited the bathroom where he'd been with Vincent. Lucas was angry. Angry that Vincent had gone into a bathroom with Marty and angry with Marty. "What the hell was that."

      "Calm down, golden boi. I'm going." Marty stated angrily, making his way to the door.

      "No, you're not just walking out, we need to talk." Lucas shouted after Marty. The rest of Lucas' friends stared at him from the couch, never before having seen him like this. "You guys stay and... keep watching the- I need to talk to Marty for a minute."

      By the time Lucas made it out of the apartment, Marty was already gone from the hallway, and Lucas had to grab the elevator to catch up to him.

"Wait!" Lucas called after the boy. "I said I wanted to talk."

"Fine." Marty turned around. "Talk if you want to talk. I'm listening."

"Marty, what was going on in there?"

"Nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing." Lucas narrowed his eyes. "You can't be... making Vincent uncomfortable like that."

"I didn't make him uncomfortable." Marty stated, his face a mask of no emotions.

"Yes you did!" Lucas exclaimed in exasperation. "You were... you were holding his hand, not letting go when he asked you to stop- I mean.. Vinny said he never gave you his number, and I'm inclined to believe him because I can't imagine why he would!"

"Because he doesn't like you Lucas." Marty huffed. "He doesn't like you and if it's not me it'll be somebody else. He'll be going off with somebody else. He isn't loyal to you and I don't know why you waste your time on him."

"Vincent said he never gave you his number." Lucas repeated.

"And you believe him over me? Left you out to dry in high school? He's not your real friend, I'm your real friend." Marty shouted.

"Why the hell would he give you his number? Why would he want to hold your hand? You spilled your fucking drink on him for God's sake. He doesn't even like you." Lucas shouted.

"That was an accident." Marty grumbled. "Vincent is in college now, Lucas. Eventually he's going to find a relationship, and you're always just going to be his friend."

      "You don't know that." Lucas sputtered. "Things can change."

       "Things never change. A spade will always be a spade, that's just the way of the world. I know you Lucas. You love too hard. You fall too far. You can't have him walk out, when he left you the first time you were a shell. You were a shell of yourself all through high school!"

       "We weren't even friends then!" Lucas shook his head.

       "But I could tell. I've been around the block Lucas. You were broken. Last year, you and I became friends and you came out of your shell on the soccer team, and you made new friends, and you became... outgoing and fun.. you became whole again. Just for him to pick the same college and send you spiraling into a slump, unable to even play soccer anymore. It's pathetic."

     "If it's so pathetic, then leave."

      "No Lucas. I can't watch you do that to yourself again. I can't watch you throw your life away. You're a grown man, you don't need to love some boy just because you liked him before!" Marty shouted.

      "It's more than that!" Lucas shouted back. "His mother raised me, his family raised me... I'm.. that will always be a part of me."

       "So cut it off. Cut your losses and move on. You don't need raising anymore."

       "I'm not like you Marty. I can't just end things like that... I actually care about people." Lucas ran a hand through his blonde hair. The streetlights cast an eerie glow over Marty as he stood in the parking lot.

      "Is that what you think of me?" Marty narrowed his eyes. "That I'm some unfeeling monster? That I can't have a lasting relationship."

       "I think you're one to talk about healthy relationship bouncing from girl to girl like you do." Lucas crossed his arms.

       "That is not the same." Marty shook his head. "I don't fall apart every time I lose one of the girls, so let me ask you who you think is better off."

"I'm fine, and I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much." Lucas rolled his eyes. "If you think I'm throwing my life away, fine. Let me throw my life away, it's no skin of your nose."

      "Come on Lucas! Look at yourself! You're a mess! I can't sit here and you do this to yourself. I can't and I won't. Don't let him get close to you if you can't handle it not being in a romantic way, because you're outta luck." Marty jeered.  "I'm protecting you."

"You're not protecting me out for me. You're being a real jerk." Lucas grabbed Marty by the shoulders and pushed him.

"I don't know what you want me to say." Marty looked back at Lucas. "I'm trying to help you! What you want from me?"

      "I want you to say 'I'm your friend, I'll be there for you.' You don't need to stop the fallout, you just need to be supportive." Lucas pleaded. "Maybe I throw myself away... maybe I can't stop myself, I don't need to lose you over it too."

      "Fine. I'll shut my mouth. You go and you do what you're going to do, and I'll do what I'm going to do."

       "Okay." Lucas nodded slowly.

       "I'm outta here." Marty pulled open his car door and drove away. Lucas stood watching the car pull out of sight. Marty had a point, Lucas did fall too far too fast, but he could stop himself. Lucas could restrain himself. He didn't need to fall in.

       Vincent was his friend. He'd lost him once and he couldn't do it again. So if Lucas had to have Vincent just as a friend and nothing more, he'd just have Vincent as a friend. It was better than nothing.