𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 ; lucas zumann

[14]REAL LIFE

CHRISTMAS HAD FINALLY ARRIVED, and New York City was magical. Central Park looked like Narnia, covered by a thick layer of snow. The Clayton family lived on the Upper West Side in a small but cosy apartment overlooking Central Park. The wooden floors were covered by Persian rugs and there was a large brown velvet sofa. Kaya's younger sister, Olive, had been over the moon at the first sight of Lorie's roommate. The twelve year old had jumped into her sister's arms as soon as she walked through the door. The house was lovely, and smelt of pine needles and cinnamon, the perfect Christmas pairing. The tree was small, but was almost falling over from the weight of all it's decorations. There was a piano in the corner of the living room, and Lorie asked who played, only to find out that everyone in the family did. The Clayton's were more than welcoming, but Lorie's mother had insisted that she stay in California for Christmas Eve and a few days that followed, which left the girl in New York for five days. She was okay about that, but not too mad about the idea of spending the festive holidays in forty eight degree weather now that she knew what it was like in the cold. Kaya and Lorie spent their time strolling through Central Park in the snow, ice skating on the Central Park rink and Christmas shopping on Blecker Street and Sixth avenue. 

When she finally arrived back in West Covina, Lorie went straight to the beach with her brother. Their house hadn't exactly been decorated very much, with a few straggly pieces of tinsel draped over banisters and a scrawny tree in the corner of the living room.  The girl leaned back on her beach towel and soaked in the vitamin D. 

The beach was a good place to go in that heat, but Lorie wasn't sure if she really wanted to be there. For the first time in her life, she actually wanted the holidays to be over. She actually missed Yale. She missed the library, the bookstore, late nights out with Kaya, frat parties, the smell of old beer, sharing an English book with Lucas— Lorie stopped herself. Since when did Lucas creep into her mind like that? Never. Not once since she'd left school had she thought about the boy, and she sure as hell wasn't going to start doing it now. Come to think of it, the curly haired boy had made an appearance in her thoughts when she walked past a store with those dorky sweaters like the ones he always wore and thought of him wearing one. That was it though, obviously. Right. She could stop wasting her time thinking about him now.

"Lorelei?" someone said. 

The girl opened her eyes and squinted up. She sat up, only to see the last person she wanted to see: Connor Wilkins.

"You look hot." he said, eyeing her up disgustingly.

"Ew," Lorie said, wrapping a sandy towel around her body. 

He didn't get to see her in a bikini anymore.

"How's Yale?" Connor asked, sifting a hand through his wet hair and revealing a ton of disgusting armpit hair.

"You don't get to talk to me, Connor," Lorie growled, standing up and stomping away towards her little brother.

"Was that Connor?" Toby asked, looking a little angry.

"Yeah," she said with disdain.

"Was he bothering you?"

"Yes, but it's fine Tobes," Lorie told him. "I don't need your help. I'm the older one, remember?"

"Okay," Toby mumbled. "I just really don't like that guy."

"Believe me, neither do I."

Lorie had a long history of choosing the wrong guys, and Connor was one of them. They'd been off and on all through junior year, and he'd given her the serious trust issues that had stayed with her to that day. 

"Promise me one thing?" Toby asked as the two of them walked back to their house that evening.

"Depends, what is it?"

"You have to promise."

"I can't if I don't know what I'm getting into."

Toby chuckled. "Promise me that the next guy you fall for is nice, and nothing like the others. Nothing like Connor Wilkins."

Lorie paused, suddenly thinking of Lucas for some unexplainable reason.

"That's a weird promise," she finally said.

"Just say yes," Toby laughed.

"Fine, yes!" Lorie smiled putting her arm around her little brother's shoulders. "Now can we please go get some food? I'm famished."

"What does that mean?"

"Hungry!"

It was a shame you couldn't get into college for being people smart instead of book smart. If you could, Toby would get into the best in the country.