The Imperfect Plan | Wattys2023

Chapter Thirty-Two

There are different types of criers; you've got the single tear type from movies that always look fresh faced still, you've got the hysterical criers who half wail, half cry as the droplets pool from their eyes and then finally you've got the last type; just plain messy. 

That's me. 

As soon as Lucas had wrapped his strong arms around me and I practically folded into his warm chest, the flood gates had opened and they had no intention of crying. It was pathetic really, because that's the thing when you're a messy crier, halfway through you've completely forgotten about all the things you're crying about and instead you're crying because it feels good to actually cry. That's what I had done and now after crying, slobbering and all out snorting across his shirt, I was at the final stage of occasional sniffs and the odd hiccup. 

I was not a hot mess. I was inequitably a grotesque mess. 

However, despite all of this, Lucas had been great. He hadn't asked me anything, he had brought me to his car, smoothed down my hair and brought my ice cream. I knew he was perfect. He just wasn't Jackson. 

At the thought of him another hiccup escaped me and I had to hold in a gigantic sob that threatened to spill out into the world. He had been texting and calling me for an hour, until he had given up and I'd turned my phone off. 

Lucas' phone pierced through the otherwise silent car and I looked over at him, only now realising that he had driven the both of us practically home. We were only roughly a road over from our houses, but until I got myself under control that was the last place I wanted to be. 

Lucas mouth an apology to me, before answering his phone. 

"Hey Jackson. Yeah I'm good. Erm yeah, she's with me. Why? No. She's good. Not sure. I'll ask her now," Lucas turned to face me and said, "he wants to talk to you." 

I shook my head left and right quickly, looking out the window. 

"She said no. I don't know, you tell me. Look I've got to go. Yeah, catch you later."

Lucas hung up the phone and then turned back to me again, I made sure I was facing him again. It was the least I could do after everything he had done for me, after all it wasn't him I wanted to punch in the face. 

"You feel ready to tell me why my favourite shirt has mascara stains on?" he gave me a lopsided smile and I couldn't help cracking a grin at his attempt to lighten the mood. 

I knew I couldn't tell him the whole truth, not yet and I felt awful for lying when he'd been so kind to me. But even I didn't want to admit to myself how I'd been so stupid to fall for the one person that had categorically told me not to. 

"It's really nothing, I'm being over sensitive today," I started and he gave me a look that said he didn't believe me. "Basically Elena is a massive bitch and Jackson is just as much of an asshole," I sighed exasperated and Lucas let out a short laugh that he tried to turn into a cough. 

"Elena has had a stick up her ass ever since I came back to this stupid school and Jax is supposed to be my friend, so when she was being rude, I expected him to stick up for me, but he didn't. So, I decided to handle it myself and then next minute I'm getting the third degree from him. I told you it wasn't that big of the deal, but I don't understand what either of their problems are!" As soon as I had left the first few words out, the rest fell out like a never-ending piece of string. 

I let out another huff and fell back against the warm material of Lucas' car. 

"Am I completely overreacting here?" I asked with a sigh.

Lucas shook his head and let out a slight laugh as he did so. "I don't think so. Elena can annoy the hell out of anyone on a good day, besides you know she's only doing it because she's jealous. She sees you as competition and it doesn't help that you and Jackson have this weird friendship tutoring thing going on. Also, you know what he's like. He hates confrontation and emotions, so I'm not surprised he didn't jump in to defend you. But he did phone me up looking for you, which is more than he's ever done for someone else," Lucas explained and I sighed in defeat.