Chapter 33

Diana didn't let us get away with slacking off for long.

The moment we finished lunch, she clapped her hands together with a smile that immediately made me suspicious. "Alright, boys. Since you're both missing school thanks to your suspensions, we're doing some schoolwork."

I groaned. "Diana..."

Lucas leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. "Come on, Mom. We just ate. Don't we get, like, a digestion break or something?"

Diana gave him a pointed look. "No, you don't."

I slumped in my seat. "But it's basically a holiday."

"Suspension is not a holiday, Adrian." She smirked, taking a sip of her tea. "Besides, I have your school's online portal, so I can see exactly what you're both missing."

Lucas shot me a betrayed look. "Why do you keep coming over? You always make things worse."

I kicked him under the table. "Shut up."

Diana ignored us, pulling out her laptop and typing something. "Alright, let's start with some maths."

I immediately slumped further down my chair. "Ugh. No."

"Yes," she said sweetly, handing me and Lucas some worksheets.

Lucas took his without much reaction, but I groaned as I scanned the page. My brain already hurt just looking at it. Numbers. Equations. Xs and Ys and fractions.

I hated maths.

I stared at the first problem, my pen hovering uselessly above the page. After a minute of nothing making sense, I let out a dramatic sigh and threw my head back. "This is stupid."

Lucas, who was already halfway through his sheet, snorted. "You've barely even started."

"Because it's impossible." I jabbed my pen at the paper. "Who even needs to know this? In what situation am I going to be trapped in a burning building and have to solve for X to escape?"

Lucas smirked. "If that ever happens, you're dead."

I groaned again, glaring at my worksheet.

Diana sighed, looking up from her laptop. "Lucas, help him before he bursts into tears."

"I'm not gonna cry," I muttered.

Lucas slid his chair closer to mine, glancing at my paper. "Alright, what's the problem?"

"All of it."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "You're being dramatic. Look, this is just algebra. You just have to move the numbers around until you get the variable by itself."

I frowned. "That's dumb."

"That's maths."

He pointed at the first problem and explained how to solve it, his voice calm and patient. At first, I just pouted, but eventually, I begrudgingly followed his instructions.

"...Oh." I blinked down at the page. "That makes sense."

Lucas grinned. "See? Not so bad."

I muttered something under my breath, which only made him laugh.

With his help, I managed to get through the rest of the worksheet. I still hated every second of it, but at least it wasn't as impossible as before.

When we finally finished, Diana checked over our work before pulling up the next subject.

"Alright, history," she said.

Lucas groaned, flopping down onto the table. "Nooooo."

I perked up, smirking. "Oh, come on, Lucas. It's just history."

Lucas turned his head to glare at me. "I hate you."

I grinned. "Revenge for the maths."

Diana handed out our assignments. "You're looking at World War II today."

I nodded, scanning the page with interest. I actually liked history. It was interesting. Wars, revolutions, politics—it was like reading a long, complicated story.

Lucas, on the other hand, was already scowling at his page like it had personally offended him. "Why do I care about dead people?"

I rolled my eyes. "Because history is important. It shaped the world we live in."

Lucas groaned. "I don't care."

"You should."

"I don't."

I huffed. "How can you like maths and not history?"

Lucas shrugged. "I like numbers. Numbers make sense. People don't."

I shook my head in disbelief. "We're so different."

Lucas smirked. "Yeah, and yet, you're still obsessed with me."

I kicked him again.

Despite Lucas' constant whining, we eventually got through the history work. He complained the whole time, but I was actually enjoying myself.

When we moved on to English, things got a little easier. We both worked through the comprehension tasks quickly, answering questions about a passage we had to read.

By the time we finished that, we both slumped back in our chairs, exhausted.

Diana glanced at her watch. "Alright, you two have done enough for today."

I perked up instantly. "Really?"

Lucas gave her a hopeful look. "Can we burn the worksheets?"

"No," Diana said, amused.

Lucas sighed dramatically.

"I have to go pick up Leon from college," Diana continued, standing up and grabbing her keys. "Try not to burn the house down while I'm gone."

"No promises," Lucas said, grinning.

Diana rolled her eyes, ruffling his hair before heading toward the door. "Be good, boys."

Once she was gone, I stretched, letting out a yawn. "Finally. I thought she'd never leave."

Lucas snorted. "She had us working like actual students."

I smirked. "Terrifying."

He chuckled, nudging my shoulder. "Wanna play another game while we wait?"

I nodded, already grabbing a controller. "Obviously."

Lucas and I played video games for a while, sprawled out on the couch with the controllers in our hands. It felt nice to just sit back and focus on something that wasn't school or... my parents. Every now and then, Lucas would nudge me whenever I messed up, smirking as he landed another win.

"You're really bad at this," he teased, stretching his arms behind his head.

I huffed, crossing my arms. "I'm not bad, you just cheat."

Lucas grinned. "It's not my fault you have the reaction speed of a sloth."

I scowled and grabbed a nearby cushion, smacking him in the face with it.

Lucas sputtered, laughing as he grabbed his own pillow and launched it back at me. "Oh, it's war now, Shorty!"

"Stop calling me that!" I ducked, narrowly avoiding another pillow to the face.

Lucas just smirked, tossing his controller onto the couch and tackling me. I yelped as he pinned me down, his fingers digging into my sides.

"L-Lucas—NO—!" I gasped, thrashing as he started tickling me.

"You should've thought about that before you assaulted me with a pillow," he said smugly, his hands relentless.

I shrieked, kicking my legs. "S-stop! I—I can't—!"

Lucas just laughed, showing no mercy.

Eventually, I managed to squirm away, breathless and red-faced. "You suck."

Lucas flopped back onto the couch, looking pleased with himself. "You started it."

I pouted, crossing my arms as I caught my breath. "I hate you."

Lucas chuckled, ruffling my hair. "Love you too, Shorty."

I swatted his hand away, scowling. "I swear, I will throw you out of your own house."

"Good luck with that," Lucas said, smirking as he stretched out lazily on the couch.

I huffed but didn't argue, just flopping down beside him with a dramatic sigh.

For a few minutes, we just lay there, staring at the ceiling. The quiet was comfortable, the occasional sounds of the game menu music playing in the background.

Lucas turned his head toward me. "You doing okay?"

I hesitated before nodding. "Yeah."

Lucas didn't look convinced.

I sighed. "I mean... better than earlier."

He nodded, as if that was good enough for now. "Good."

Before I could say anything else, the sound of the front door opening made both of us sit up.

Diana walked in, setting her purse on the counter and stretching. "Alright, I'm back. You boys behave while I was gone?"

Lucas grinned. "Of course."

Diana gave him a skeptical look. "That's unlikely."

I smirked. "He tried to kill me."

Diana sighed, rubbing her temples. "Of course, he did."

Lucas scoffed. "He's being dramatic. We were playing."

Diana raised an eyebrow but didn't seem too concerned as she slipped off her coat. "Uh-huh. I'm sure it was all very civil."

Lucas smirked. "Totally. No injuries, no broken furniture. A very peaceful afternoon."

I scoffed. "I almost died."

"Drama queen," Lucas muttered.

Before I could smack him again, footsteps echoed from the hallway, and Leon appeared, looking thoroughly unimpressed as he dropped his bag by the door.

"Why do I have to suffer through college while you two just sit around all day?" he grumbled, kicking off his shoes.

"Because we're suspended," I said matter-of-factly.

Leon snorted. "Yeah, that's real impressive."

Lucas shrugged. "Hey, at least we're making the most of our freedom."

Leon rolled his eyes. "You mean doing nothing?"

"Exactly," Lucas said proudly.

Diana sighed, already moving toward the kitchen. "Well, since neither of you seem to be doing anything productive, you can help put groceries away."

Lucas groaned. "We just got comfortable."

Diana shot him a look. "Lucas."

He sighed dramatically, dragging himself off the couch like it was the hardest thing in the world. I stayed where I was, watching him with amusement.

He glanced at me. "That includes you, Shorty."

I huffed but got up anyway, following him and Leon into the kitchen. The counter was covered in grocery bags, and Diana was already pulling out items to sort through.

"Okay, let's get this done quickly," she said. "Leon, put the fridge stuff away. Lucas, organize the pantry. Adrian, you handle the snacks and—"

"Why do I get the worst job?" I interrupted.

Diana gave me a pointed look. "You can do the vegetables instead."

I shut up immediately and grabbed the snack bags.

Lucas chuckled under his breath as he started stacking cans. "Smart choice, Shorty."

I ignored him, focusing on my task. The three of us moved around the kitchen, putting things away while Diana supervised, occasionally correcting Leon when he tried to shove things haphazardly into the fridge.

Once we were finally done, Diana clapped her hands together. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Leon sighed. "It was unnecessary."

Diana pinched his cheek, making him swat her hand away. "It was necessary, and you're lucky I'm feeding you, mister."

Lucas leaned against the counter. "Speaking of food, what's for dinner?"

"Something quick," Diana said, stretching. "I don't feel like cooking anything complicated tonight."

I perked up. "Can we have pasta?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You just had pasta for lunch ."

"So?" I shrugged. "Pasta's good."

Diana laughed. "Alright, pasta it is."

Lucus groaned. "Again?"

"You can eat something else," Diana said sweetly.

Lucus huffed but didn't argue.

As Diana started pulling out ingredients, Lucas nudged me. "So, what do you wanna do until dinner's ready?"

I thought for a moment before grinning. "Wanna play another game so I can finally beat you?"

Lucas smirked. "You think you can win?"

"I know I can win," I shot back, already heading toward the living room.

Lucas chuckled, following me. "Alright, Shorty, let's see what you got."

Leon groaned as we left the kitchen. "You two are exhausting."

"You love us," Lucas called over his shoulder.

Leon didn't respond, but I could hear Diana laughing as she got to work.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I was still stretched out on the couch when I heard the front door open.

Lucas barely looked up from his phone, but I sat up slightly, watching as Oscar stepped inside, followed closely by his dad, Jonathan.

"Hey, losers," Oscar greeted, tossing his keys onto the counter. "Elijah wants you home after dinner, Adrian. No staying the night again."

I immediately pouted, slumping back against the couch. "What? But why?"

Oscar shrugged, kicking off his shoes. "Ask him, not me. I'm just the messenger."

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Elijah needs to chill."

I huffed. "I like staying here."

Lucas smirked. "Obviously. Who wouldn't want to be in my presence?"

I glared at him. "I take it back. I hate it here."

Jonathan chuckled as he stepped into the living room. "Glad to see you boys are the same as always." He ruffled Lucas' hair, earning a groan of protest, before turning to me. "How've you been, Adrian?"

"Good," I said quickly, sitting up properly. Jonathan was one of the few adults I actually liked. He was friendly, warm, and pretty much the complete opposite of my dad. Honestly, I had no idea how they were even friends.

Jonathan smiled. "Glad to hear it. You staying for dinner?"

I glanced at Oscar. "Apparently, I have no choice but to go home after."

Oscar just grinned, completely unapologetic.

Jonathan chuckled. "Well, at least stay and eat with us first."

"Obviously," Lucas said, standing and stretching. "Come on, let's see if Mom's finished making dinner."

We followed him into the kitchen, where Diana was already plating up food. "You boys washed your hands?"

Lucas groaned. "Mom, we're not five."

Diana gave him a pointed look. "I'll ask again."

Lucas sighed dramatically before turning on the sink. I followed, rolling my eyes but knowing better than to argue.

Once we sat down, conversation flowed easily. The topic quickly shifted to football, and soon enough, Leon was talking about the upcoming football game on Friday.

"You guys coming?" he asked, glancing at his parents.

Diana answered immediately. "Of course!"

Jonathan smiled. "I'll try to be there, but work's been busy."

Oscar nodded. "I'll be there."

Lucas turned to me. "And what about you, Shorty?"

I groaned. "Unfortunately, yes. I have to go watch my brothers play."

Lucas smirked. "Wow, what a supportive sibling."

I scoffed. "You're acting like I want to go. If I had a choice, I'd be at home doing literally anything else."

Diana chuckled. "Well, I think it'll be fun. And you'll get to cheer on your brothers."

I rolled my eyes. "They'll survive without my cheering."

Lucas grinned. "Alright, but I'm dragging you to the food truck with me. You can't complain if you're stuffing your face with donuts."

I narrowed my eyes at him, pretending to consider it. "Fine. But only because I like donuts."

"Uh-huh," Lucas teased.

Dinner continued with more teasing and lighthearted conversation, and by the time we finished, I had almost forgotten about the fact that I had to go home soon.

But then Oscar checked his watch. "You should probably head out, Adrian."

I sighed, pushing my plate away. "Ugh. Fine."

Lucas stood up. "I'll walk you."

That made me feel a little better. I didn't want to go home, but at least I wouldn't have to walk alone.

"Thanks for dinner, Diana," I said as I grabbed my hoodie.

She smiled. "Anytime, sweetheart. Tell Elijah I said hi."

I nodded, then followed Lucas to the door, dragging my feet the whole way.

"I'm being exiled," I muttered.

Lucas chuckled, bumping his shoulder against mine. "Come on, Shorty. Let's go."

And just like that, the night ended.

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Word count: 2313

Hey Guys Thanks for reading this story so please be nice and kind. I am sorry if there are any spelling mistakes or bad grammar.

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More chapters will be coming out soon.

*EMMA HETHRON*