The Kings of Kentworth

48.

Stephanie and Lenny

Lenny and Stephanie were having lunch the next day and so, they sat together at thier table as usual.

"Seen Lance anywhere?" Stephanie asked as her eyes moved from one corner of the cafeteria to the other in search of Lance.

Lenny exhaled and gave her a look that seemed to say 'Pleased don't start this shit again'.

"What?" She shrugged. "I'm just asking."

"Because you are paranoid and think he is going to get killed or something," Lenny sipped on his milk.

Stephanie rolled her eyes and bit into her apple. "I'm not paranoid," she sighed before she looked into Lenny's eyes. "I know something is up and i'm joy going to rest until I find out what."

Lenny forked up bunch of fries in his mouth and began chewing before he looked at her and shook his head in confusion. "I don't get it," he said. "I mean, I know you really like him, but the dude has told you times without number that he's gay. What more do you want?"

Stephanie opened her mouth to reply, but said nothing. She shook her head and looked back down at her food. "Forget it, you wouldn't understand anyway." She said.

"Make me understand, " Lenny said, looking almost amused. "seriously."

Stephanie looked up at him with a deadpan stare. "It's not about him being gay or not, Lenny. It's just...I don't know. I don't even care if he likes me or not. I just feel drawn to him."

Lenny stopped chewing and then tilted his head to the side and looked at her.

She rolled her eyes again. "Oh forget it." She waved him off.

Lenny dropped his fork and raised his hands in surrender. "Okay okay okay," he chuckled. "I'm Sorry, alright. It's just...I don't get why you would be doing this for someone you wouldn't care if he liked you back."

Stephanie sucked up her coke with a straw and looked up at a smirking Lenny, keeping herself from emptying the whole bottle on him. He was her best friend, hell, he was her only friend, but even she had to admit, he could be a pain in the ass sometimes. She didn't know how else to explain it to the jackass. She felt drawn to Lance, and it wasn't about being his girlfriend or whatever. She just liked Lance. She wanted to be there for him. Yes, at the beginning, she thought she and Lance would be something, but he has had made it clear that he wasn't interested. It sounded crazy, but she even felt the need to be closer to him the more after he had repeatedly told her that he was gay.

"I think we both know why you are doing this, Steph." Lenny said. She looked up at her friend and saw his blues eye boring into her.

She shook her head. "Quiet Lenny," she waved him off. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh come on Steph," Lenny threw his head back, coughed out a half laugh and then looked back down at her again. "You've got to let go of the past."

Stephanie stiffens and stops chewing before she looked up at him with cold eyes.

Lenny reached for her hand on the table and looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "What happened to Alex was not your -."

"Shut the fuck up Lenny!" Stephanie's scream echoed round the entire hall. The whole place went quiet and everyone turned to Lenny and Stephanie's table.

Stephanie held herself from walking away as she felt the eyes of students in the cafeteria tear through her. She looked up at a startled Lenny and suddenly felt sick.

"I-I'm so sorry Lenny," she stuttered as she adjusted her glasses with her finger and was the one reaching for his hand now. "I just....i'm sorry."

Lenny's features softened into a smile as he squeezed her hand in response . "It's okay." He said in a calm tone.

Stephanie smiled at her friend and suddenly remembered why they had been best friends since they were ten.

Suddenly, a loud crash startled the both of them and like every other person in the cafeteria, they spun in the direction of the sound.

"Watch where you're going punk!" Bruce sneered at a junior whom he had knocked his tray of food out of his hands. He used his hands and pushed the boy out of the way as he confidently walked through with his friends following close behind.

Stephanie narrowed her eyes in rage and turned to Lenny.

"I know," He said as a matter-of-factly while chewing on his food. "Some people have just refused to evolve. Some people are still Apes. There's nothing you can do."

Stephanie looked back again and saw Bruce and his friends getting to their table and not giving a damn about the boy they had deprived of a decent afternoon lunch. She spun to Lenny again. "Sometimes I just want to walk in where with a gun and just keep shooting at all of them till there nothing left for the paramedics to see," she hissed. "God, they're assholes."

"Uh-huh," was all Lenny uttered and that triggered Stephanie's curiosity. She looked up at him and saw him staring at something behind her.

"What are you looking at?" She asked as she glanced behind her and back to him.

"Huh-Oh...Um...Nothing," he blinked rapidly.

Stephanie glared at him.

Liar.

She exhaled and turned again and this time, she made sure she followed Lenny's line of sight to know what he was looking at and her eyes landed on Bruce's group and particular landed on......Lisa?

Stephanie turned to Lenny with wide eyes.

"What?" He shrugged.

"Are you crazy?" She hissed with her eyes still wide.

Lenny shot a glance at Lisa again before looking down at his food. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.

Stephanie crossed her arms on her chest and glared at her childhood friend. "Um..apart from the fact that she's Trevor Bowman's girlfriend, " she stated. "She is way out of your league."

Lenny shut his head up to her and Stephanie saw his blue eyes harden like she had never seen it before. He glared at her for a while before his eyes moved to Lisa's table again then faced stephanie again with a smile slowly growing on his face. "Well, Caleb doesn't seem to think he's out of your league," he said.

Stephanie frowned. "What are your taking about?" She asked, before she turned and looked to Bruce's group. Caleb immediately turned away when she caught his eyes.

She then turned back to Lenny "Ugh purleeeeese," Stephanie uttered. "I could never ever date that jackass. He's rude and arrogant. A dick-head just like his peers."

Lenny smirked. "You sure?" He said as he dropped his fork to his plate and picked up his box of milk. "He's a Kentworth prince you know, and you could be Prom Queen this year."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks," she scoffed. "But No thanks."

Lenny chuckled and sipped on his milk.

Stephanie chewed on her last piece of apple and stared at the remainder she held in her hand, and then she froze. She looked up at Lenny.

"What?" He asked with perplexity.

She then slowly turned to Bruce's group and caught Caleb giving her occasional glances as he was indulged in a discussion with Aaron. Stephanie then turned back to Lenny with a smile. A mischievous and evil smile that made Lenny drop his shoulders and exhales because he knew his friend had gotten an idea; an idea he knew already and it made him sick.

"Jesus Christ, Stephanie Morris," Lenny shook his head in despair at his friend who was smirking at him. "You're Impossible."