Preston Brothers: Lucas Part 20

"Who cares?" a random girl I've never spoken to rebuts. "Cooper Kennedy has money and he's not afraid to spend it."

Grace scoffs. "Lucas has money," she says, facing me and shooting daggers with her eyes. I slump in my seat, avoiding her glare.

"Yeah," Dumb Name agrees. "Luke has money, but Coop has f.u.c.k You money."

"Garray!" Mrs. Miles says through a gasp.

"What does that even mean?" the random girl asks.

I'd smash my head against the desk, but the giant bunch of flowers is in my way.

Dumb Name says, "It means the Kennedys can say f.u.c.k You to anyone, and their money makes it okay."

I wave Logan down when he enters the cafeteria. He smirks and strides toward me. Then he dumps his bag on the table and slumps down in his seat. "I heard you got a delivery this morning."

"You heard that, huh?"

He chuckles. "The whole school heard." His gaze shifts around me. "So where is it?"

"Mrs. Miles offered to keep it in her office until the end of the day."

He nods.

"So..." I start. "You wanted to see me?"

"I'm waiting on Leo."

"We're here," Leo says, walking up behind me. But he's not alone. He's dragging what seems to be an unsure Lucas with him. They move to the other side of the table where Leo forcefully makes Luke sit in the middle. Leo dumps his bag on the table, unzips it, then looks up at me. "Ready?" he asks, his grin wide.

I smile back, unable to contain it. "What did you guys do?"

Leo dramatically drops the paper plate on the table. "Ta-da!" he shouts.

My jaw drops, my eyes moving from the plate to each of the Preston boys in front of me. "Are these Virginia's brownies?"

Three heads nod in unison. All dark hair, all piercing blue eyes.

"You hunted down your old nanny to bake my favorite brownies?"

Logan shakes his head. "No. She's working down in Wilmington, so she emailed us the recipe."

I peel the Saran Wrap covering the brownies. "You made these?" I look at Lucas, hoping he's the one who answers. I'd made peace with the situation between us, but it seems like he's the one pulling away now, creating an ever-growing divide between us.

"Technically," Leo says, laughing at my reaction. "All six of us tried to make them. Dad had to take Lachy because he kept throwing eggs. After the third failed batch, the twins gave up. So it was just us three left."

"We got it right on the fifth batch, but then Luke remembered you liked yours with walnuts, so we had to make those," Logan says, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. "Lane," he says seriously. "I could've died making these for you. Then what would you do? Because I know you want me, and you can't have me if I'm dead."

I pout, meet Lucas's eyes across the table. "This is really nice."

"I'm glad you think so," Leo says. "Dad was p.i.s.sed when he saw the kitchen this morning."

Lucas chuckles, breaks our stare to glance at Leo. "Was he?" G.o.d, I miss his voice, his laugh, his smile. I miss being part of the Preston world.

"So mad," Leo says.

I pick up a brownie, inspect it. "It's perfect." I bring it to my mouth, but Logan stops me.

"We have to sing Happy Birthday first!"

"Don't you dare!" I hiss.

They all laugh. "Why not?" Leo asks.

"I'm trying to avoid any more attention."

I ate four brownies for lunch and now I feel sick.

In my defense, they were so good.

"I tried to cut you off at two," Leo says, shaking his head as he watches me walk, my hand on my stomach, toward Mrs. Miles office after school.

"You just here to gloat?" I ask.

"I thought I'd give you a ride home so you didn't have to catch the bus with the botanical gardens in your arms."

"I appreciate it."

I knock on Mrs. Miles' door and she opens it, flowers in her hand. "Tell your boyfriend I said thank you for the rose."

"Sure thing," I tell her, taking them from her.

I shuffle through school, cheeks red, past everyone pointing and whispering. Leo has to open doors and walk with his hand on my back to lead me around because I can't see over or through or around my present. We finally make it outside, and I feel like I can breathe again. Then he says, "Um. Lane?"

"Yeah?"

He takes the flowers from me, points to the parking lot. Specifically, Cooper and my dad in the parking lot standing next to a blue car with a giant red bow.

My stomach twists. "Oh no..."

"Happy birthday, baby!" Cooper shouts.

"You got me a car for my birthday?" I ask, moving toward him, a million different emotions rushing through me.

"Not just me," he says, hands up in surrender. He can read my expression: shock mixed with embarra.s.sment mixed with a whole lot of what the f.u.c.k?

"Cooper came to me with the idea, and we worked out a budget that suited both of us," Dad says. "Cooper found the car online, and I got it checked out." His eyebrows pinch, concern deep in his eyes. "Do you not like it, sweetheart? Is it the color or-"

"No," I cut in, hugging him close. "It's perfect." But he can't afford to buy me a car, or half of one, or whatever, and Cooper has an endless stream of f.u.c.k You money. I lean up on my toes, whisper in his ear, "Dad, you can't afford-"

He releases me, his eyes on mine. "It's fine, sweetheart." He glances at Cooper, then back to me. "It's a wonderful thing Cooper thought to do."

I turn to Coop. "Thank you." Then I hug him, too. "This is too much."

Cooper grins. "You deserve it, Lo."

"Hey, Brian," Leo says, standing behind me. "You got Lane a car?"

Dad smiles at him, pride in his eyes I haven't seen in a long time. Ever since I got my license, Dad had dreamed about buying me a car but he'd never been able to swing it, and with everything that went on with my mom and the college money, he'd given up hope. But now Cooper is here, and he'd given Dad the chance to do something he'd wanted for so long.

Leo sets my flowers on the roof of my new car while Dad tells him all about it. I step closer to Cooper, put my arms around his waist. "I can't believe you did this. And what are you even doing here? You're supposed to be in cla.s.s."

He shrugs, kisses me once. Then his lips curl, his gaze lingering on mine. "To be fair, it was a selfish gift. Next semester, I'll be back on the track team and I won't be able to come home as often. I was hoping maybe you'd come see me on campus?"

"I'd love that," I tell him honestly.

"So do you like it?"

I look at the car, the hood now lifted while Dad shows it off to Leo and Lucas. "I love it so much," I tell him. Not necessarily the car, or the fact that it's mine. I love what it means for my father.

"I'm taking you, your dad, and Misty out to dinner tonight," Cooper says. "And this time, we're doing fancy."

"Holy s.h.i.t," Logan says, now standing next to Luke. "Is this yours, Lane?"

I face him. "All mine."

He laughs. "So much for avoiding attention."

Cooper takes us to the same fancy restaurant Luke took me to for my sixteenth birthday.

He orders the lobster.

We talk about my new car, about Coop at UNC, about the track team.

"What about you, Lane?" Misty asks.

"Me?" I ask, a mouthful of steak.

"Are you planning on going to college?"

I glance at Dad, realizing he hasn't told her.

"We had a little hiccup," Dad says, his gaze lowered in shame. But he's not the one who should be ashamed, and I hate that he feels that way.

So I clear my throat, stab at my steak as if it were my mother. "I wanted to go to UNC, too, but my mom stole my college fund."

Misty chokes halfway through sipping her wine while Cooper's eyes snap to me. I'm still stabbing away, p.i.s.sed that my mom still has the power to make my dad feel like s.h.i.t. "She just stole it?" Coop asks.

"It's fine," Dad says.

"No, it's not," I hiss.

"Not here, Lo."

Awkward silence pa.s.ses while I try to regroup.

"You know," Cooper says, "both my parents are UNC alumni."

If he offers to pay for college- He adds, "My mom's good friends with the dean of admission there, and I'm sure she'd be happy to meet you, direct you toward some scholarships."

I say, "I don't have the grades for a scholarship."

"Maybe not, but there are a ton of them out there and not all of them are academic based. There are some for single-income families," Coop says, pointing to my dad. "There are some ridiculous ones, too, like if your birthday falls on a certain date. They're not much. I mean, a single scholarship won't get you all the way through four years, but if you get enough of the smaller ones, it might help."

"Lo's a senior and it's halfway through the first semester now," Dad tells him, "Isn't it too late?"

Cooper shrugs. "It can't hurt to ask, right?"

I skip dessert, a surprise to everyone at the table. But seriously, those four brownies are still playing havoc on my stomach.

"I have one more gift," Dad says, reaching into his breast pocket. He pulls out a square velvet box and I gasp, cover my mouth.

"Dad, you've already given me so much. I can't take that."

"It's not from me," he says, sliding it across the table. He reaches into another pocket, reveals an envelope. "Tom wanted me to give it to you."

Cooper goes rigid beside me. "Tom Preston?"

Dad nods at him, looks at me. "Lois?" he says, and I tear me gaze away from the box and up at him. "It's from Kathy, sweetheart. She left it in her will for when you turned eighteen."

My hands shake as I pick up the box, lift the lid. It's a gold necklace, a simple key charm attached to it. On the inside of the lid, there's a note in Kathy's handwriting: Lois Lane, It will make more sense when you read my letter.

I choke on a sob, pick up the envelope. "Excuse me," I whisper, standing up and taking the box and the letter with me. "I need to uh-"

"It's okay," Dad cuts in. "Go."

I run to the bathroom, close the lid on a toilet seat, and sit, my knees bouncing, my hands shaking. I try to contain my sobs, but it's hard. So hard.

When I finally work up the courage, I tear open the envelope, pull out the letter.

Dear Lois Lane, Happy birthday, sweetheart. It saddens me that I won't be there to see you grow up, to see the kind of woman you've turned into. As silly as it sounds, I hope you haven't forgotten about me. I hope that deep down, I'm still in your heart because you'll always be in mine. I didn't know you very long, but I feel like I knew you well. You brought so much laughter and joy to my family, and I'm forever grateful for that summer you spent with us.

I wanted to give you something that my mother gave to me when I turned eighteen. Don't worry, Lucy gets my engagement ring and everything else.

It's a key to your world, Laney, and I want to tell you the same things my mother told me when I was your age, just in case yours isn't around to pa.s.s on a similar message.

Love hard, love fierce, but love right.

Be careful with your heart, guard it, and if you feel the need to be reckless, make sure you are the one making that choice.