it could be worse ~ lumax

party of 5

El raced to Susan's car as soon as the last bell rang. Out of everyone, she seemed to be the most enthusiastic about their upcoming plans. There is an exciting jitter in her stomach caused by the possibilities of tonight. El's main hope is for everyone to have fun and for her best friend to admit her feelings.

"How did you get out here so fast?" Mike asked as he climbed across the backseat.

"I may have run..." El admits. "I wasn't about to give up the front seat!"

Susan laughed as she began driving them back to her house. A light conversation started to pick up when questions about tonight were asked. "Are you guys sleeping over?" Susan wasn't sure if she was comfortable with Max spending the night at a random boy's house, but then again, they would be right across the street.

"I think we're just hanging out," Mike clarified.

"El is definitely coming to our house after...Mike, you can too," Max adds as they drive through a yellow light while passing by grass fields.

"But! If Lucas asks us to sleep over, we're going to say yes," El states while turning around to look at Max and Mike as if she is giving them orders.

"His mom works the night shift...there is no way she wants to come home to 3 extra teenagers in her house." El rolls her eyes as Max thinks of reasons not to sleep over at Lucas's house.

"How about we just wait and see how we feel?" Mike proposes while getting out of the parked car.

"Fine," Both the girls grumble as they walk inside Max's house.

The next hour consists of Max and El getting ready while Mike sits and watches. They weren't getting dressed up, but the school air affects everybody. Hair gets frizzy, faces become oily, and a musty feeling takes over. Fresh clothes, a new face of makeup, and a hairbrush make all the difference in the world.

"Lucas is home and said we can come over whenever." El squeals when Mike finishes reading his text. Max's eyes widened at her best friend's action.

"Are you excited?" El smirks at Max.

A burst of laughter escapes Max, "Oh my god, your face killed me." El just scolded her, making Max laugh harder. "I'm sorry," She says while catching her breath. "I think it'll be fun, but not with that smirk you gave me."

"Screw you," El laughs. "Let's go!"

Once they walk outside, they are met with three little faces. Laila, Nick, and Blake. "MAX!" They all cheer and hug her.

"Hey, guys! I was just headed out."

Disappointment took over their faces when she said she was leaving. "We wanted to watch Home Alone with you!"

"And I swear we will watch it together, okay? Just not tonight; I already made plans with my friends."

"Ugh...okay," The two boys complain.

"Have fun!" Laila smiled.

"Thanks! I'll see you guys later. Bye, Mom!"

"Bye, Sweetheart!" Max hears as she closes the front door.

The three of them walk around back, as Lucas instructed, to find Sophia lying in a portable bassinet. Sophia's face immediately brightens up when she sees Max.

"Hi, sweet girl!" Max greets her in a slightly higher-pitched voice and picks her up. El gave Mike a knowing smile while confusion filled his face.

"I thought Max being good with kids was a joke," Mike whispered to El.

El just shook her head at him when Lucas suddenly opened the slider door.

"Hey, guys!" Lucas welcomed. His smile doubled in size when he realized Max was holding Sophia. "She likes you," He adds while looking at Max.

"How's it going, man?" Mike asks.

"Not too bad, you?"

"Pretty well."

"Good, good. I figured we would want to go out to eat, but honestly, it's up to you guys. I'm good with whatever."

"Yes! Can we go to that new restaurant in town?" El cheers.

For once, everyone seems to agree. "I'll be right back; I just have to grab her diaper bag."

Lucas disappears into the house, and Sophia begins to fall asleep on Max. "I told you his mom was working the night shift," Max directs at El.

"Hey, I never doubted that," She surrendered. "Oh my god, she is the most precious thing ever."

"Yeah, don't get any ideas...I will not be a teen dad," Mike makes sure to add.

El rolls her eyes at his comment. "I said she was precious, not that I wanted one." 

Max laughs at the two, and they all begin to make their way to the car once Lucas comes back outside. To Max's surprise, she slipped Sophia into her car seat without waking her up. El made Max sit in the front with Lucas while El and Mike sat in the back with Sophia.

"Party of 5?" The hostess asks and leads them to their table.

A long booth in the middle of the restaurant was quickly filled up by the party. "Thank you for holding her earlier," Lucas says as they sit next to each other.

"Yeah, it was no problem. She's adorable," Max smiles. They hold eye contact for what feels like an eternity. He couldn't help but notice how her blue crystal eyes softened when she smiled. Her smile made him feel warm and fuzzy all over. If he was being honest, he's been looking forward to spending time with Max tonight, not Mike.

"We should play truth or dare tonight!" El suggests, pulling them out of their trance.

Everyone agreed. Max secretly hopes it will help her get to know Lucas better.

"I can make a fire on the deck, and we could sit out there. I bought snacks, and we could make s'mores and stuff," Lucas adds.

"Sounds good to me," Max smiles, looking forward to the rest of the night.

OMG, I UPDATED YALL! I honestly forgot how difficult it can be to write. I spent a solid 3+ hours writing this because I either couldn't focus or was stuck lol. Sorry, it wasn't longer but I am going to try and incorporate writing into my schedule. That is if y'all want me to keep writing. LMK! I did not revise this either haha