Brighter Places [🗸]

11. lucas garcia can actually dance

i'm 2 days late sorry forgive me pls 

it's been a hectic week whoops

***

"So, apparently Monday Carter is throwing a party."

Dani's voice slides into the air, eagerly biting into a homemade panini as she glances at us from across the table. Eyes bright, she pushes curls of her hair behind her ears as she fills us in on the party.

It's been about a month since Monday's coming out, and I'm guessing this party is to invite nothing short of the school to celebrate with them. 

Riya breaks off a piece of Dani's panini, nodding slowly. "Sounds gay, I'm in."

Which isn't surprising to hear. After all, Riya Khatri is the brown bicon that your parents ought to have warned you about. Her queerness has always been something she kept under wraps. She'd only moved here at the beginning of last year, after all.

However, the state and school she'd moved from hadn't exactly been too fond of any aspect of her identity. But with a somewhat huge move, Riya owns every aspect of her identity with flippant peace signs, and her chin tilted way up in a way that commands all attention. Like she knows exactly who she is.

"Well," Amir shrugs, leaning back in his seat as his fingers drum across the table, glancing towards Riya. "If you and Dani are going, then I'm going."

I raise a hand to my chest in faux offense, catching onto Amir's unintentional—or intentional— slight. "Ouch. What about me?"

Amir rolls his eyes, giving me an unimpressed look. "We already know you'll be there. Can't miss a chance to hook up." Despite the effort to keep his face even and slightly rigid, amusement dominates his features as he finishes. "Horny fucker."

"Rude," I say, hand against my chest. Amir just maintains that unimpressed look before turning back to Riya and Dani, diving into some conversation that I subsequently get distracted from.

My eyes scan the cafeteria, almost searching for something. My eyes travel from table to table when I hear a slight snort, drawing my eyes back to Riya.

"Looking for your latest victim?" She asks, leaning back in her chair, eyebrows raised and challenging grin rising to her lips.

Without removing my eyes from the cafeteria, I flip her off, to which she snorts. "You don't disrespect your mother like that." 

To which I reply, eyes still on the scene, "Too bad, mom."

A smirk curves onto my lips at the dramatic gasp elicited from Riya. She swiftly returns back to Amir and Dani's conversation after a not-so-gentle kick at my shins underneath the table. My eyes continue to rove over the tables.

My eyes find the GSA table, everyone hovering around each other, laughter filling the air, bright colors practically emitting from the table. Then, my eyes land on him. Lucas Garcia.