Lucky's (Mis)Fortune: CHAPTER TEN

The most awkward part of this dinner was the sound of clattering forks hitting our plates. It was the only sound in the room, making me want nothing more than to escape. I'd much rather go back to lying in bed for endless hours until I needed to work again tomorrow morning. But these were my bosses, and whatever they said, I had to agree with, naturally.

I could be watching a movie right now, or doing homework, or sleeping.

I sigh.

"What's the sigh for?" Mr. Sawyer—Khael—asks.

I turn my head up and see his stern face looking at me, an eyebrow raised. I feel my ears and cheeks become hot at the sudden attention everyone was giving me, making me slide down in my chair a little bit.

"Sorry, it was nothing... Thank you for inviting me to dinner. I appreciate it." It would have been too awkward if I hadn't said anything else, right? I should be respectful and grateful even if I didn't actually want this.

"We're glad you joined us," Mr. Lewis beamed. He looked around at everyone else, silently begging them to not let the silence return.

"Right. We like to know our employees," Aiden says.

Translation: We like to make sure that they don't make stupid mistakes like exposing us. We want to make sure that we can trust you.

I nod silently, looking back at my food and pushing the pasta around with my fork. The clattering sound returns, and nothing else fills the space. Back to the start, to the awkwardness and nothing else. I stop myself from groaning; their eyes on me again was the last thing I wanted.

I just needed someone to stand up and leave, then I could do the same. Come on, someone, I beg.

"Well, love the awkwardness, my dear family, but I will take my leave," Leo abruptly speaks, making a big deal of pushing his chair back and standing up.

"Where are you going?" his brother asks, unfazed.

For a second, I wonder where their parents could be, but I forget about it when Leo answers, "I'm going to the race with Mykel and the others. I'll be back by three."

I watch Eliott perk up at his response. "I'll come with you," he says, standing up. "What about you guys?" He looks at his boyfriends for a response.

"Will everything be alright if I leave?" Mr. Sawyer asks Mr. Lewis.

The older man smiles. "Of course. Everything will be in order. Have fun and be safe, you four." He laughs, standing up as well and pushing his chair in. "I'll be heading to my office if anyone needs me."

"And I'm going to get everyone to clean up," Ms. Angela explains, getting out of her chair as well.

I take it as a sign that I can now leave, thanking all the lords and gods above as I push my chair in. I was about to walk away when someone called out to me.

"Yes?" I ask, internally cursing as I turn to look at Aiden.

That boyish smile was back on his face as he rubbed his nape. He looked sheepish, glancing at the other men in the room before speaking. "Would you like to come?"

Utterly confused, all I can mutter is, "Huh?"

"Would you like to come with us to the race?"

I look around at the others, searching for the right response. Leo seemed like he couldn't care less. Khael looked ready to kill me if I upset his boyfriend. Eliott looked like he wanted to kill me if I said yes. Aiden just looked eager for my response. I didn't want to go with them. But I also didn't know if it was okay to say no to my higher-ups.

"I—I don't think that's a good idea," I finally respond after a while of thinking.

"But we want you to come. Right, guys?" Aiden looks around, hoping for happy looks, but everyone just seemed bored. His expression turns bummed out. Khael seems to take note of it and steps forward.

"Just come with us, Jordan," he requested—no, commanded.

I bite my tongue because I couldn't say no to my boss, especially when he spoke in that tone. Like Leo had told me, what Khael says, goes. So with a lot of reluctance, I nod my head. "If you really want me to..."

Eliott scoffs, but Aiden grins widely.

"Can we just leave already?" Leo questions with annoyance after typing into his phone.

His brother rolls his eyes and is the first to walk off with Eliott's hand in his. Leo follows suit, and Aiden walks beside me behind the rest of them. He doesn't say anything, just puts his hands inside his pockets as I fight the urge to ask him why he invited me to come. Why is he being this nice to me? I didn't need it, and I'm sure his boyfriends weren't exactly accepting of his kindness towards me. So, why? Everything has an explanation. His attitude towards me has one too, and it is not just because that's the type of person he is. Although, I could see that he was genuinely kind, a good person even.

I pause when we reach outside. There were two cars waiting: one was the blue sports car Leo was driving when he picked me up from school, and the other was a black Tesla. Leo goes to the blue car while the others make their way to the electric car. I hang back, wondering who I should follow while also being in awe of the cars. I had never seen this much luxury up close.

"Come, Lucky. I don't think you want to be in a car alone with those three," Leo calls out from the driver's seat of the sports car.

I glance at Aiden, who was the one to invite me here, but just as he was about to speak, Eliott holds his forearm and stops him, which makes Aiden look back at me with a small grin and a shrug. "We'll see you there," he states, getting into the front seat beside Khael while the third man took the back seat.

I get into Leo's car, instantly awkward and already hating being here. If it was already this bad with only a couple of seconds in, I could already predict how the rest of the night would go. Anxiety-filled, that's for sure.

"I'm gonna pick up some friends," Leo utters, his eyes on the road as music starts playing.

I sigh and look out the window, already hating tonight.

Three people climb into the back seats of the car: two girls and one guy. Both girls looked ready to go clubbing in mini dresses that fit them tightly and bold red lipstick. One of them had a red dress; her hair was black with red streaks that looked oddly good on her. The makeup on her face wasn't heavy and complemented her well. I think she should've worn lip gloss instead of red lipstick, but who am I to judge? The other girl's dress was a bright pink with a slit on both sides, so if she moved even a little bit, I'm pretty sure her underwear would be on display. She had a long, bold winged eyeliner circling her eyes and a lot of glitter on her. The guy had black baggy jeans and a simple tank top that showed off his muscles. His hair was light brown, and when he smiled, there were dimples on his cheeks.

The four friends laughed among themselves as soon as they got into the car, leaving me in the middle of it all and in complete awkwardness. Maybe I would have been better off in the car with the three lovers. But no, they would've most likely been way worse—flirting, feeling each other up without any regard for me. I gulp, fighting the urge to shudder at the thought. Yep, this was way better.

"Jordan!"

"Huh?" I question, getting out of my thoughts.

"Jeez, man, that was the third time I said your name." Leo scoffed, glancing at me before rolling his eyes and turning them back to the road. "They want to know who the fuck you are. Go ahead, introduce yourself."

I glance at the three in the back who were looking at me curiously. "I, uh, I'm Jordan. I work at Leo's house."

The three laugh. "Interesting," the girl in the red dress says with a smile. "I'm Emilia, that's Daliah, and he's Mykel. We're the idiot's friends."

"I'll take that as an offense," Leo smirks.

She rolls her eyes, but Daliah is the one to explain, "They hook up every once in a while and swear that they don't like each other that way. Mykel and I have a bet. I think they'll get married in the next ten years; he says in five."

I glance between the two and smirk. "I say in three."

"Hey!" Emilia exclaims with a smile. "Wow. I was not expecting that from Mr. Quiet."

"Full of surprises, aren't I?" I say sheepishly. I thought that was stupid, but they must've found it amusing because all four of them let out a chorus of laughs.

The car parks soon after, and I let out a small "Woah" when I see what was meant by coming to a race. Yes, I could see the track and that the race had begun, but this was also a full-on rave. There was a DJ, coolers, drinks, and a lot—a lot—of people around the whole area.

I try not to make it obvious that I had never been to a place like this as I continue to stare, but I must've made it obvious.

Mykel puts his arm around me and laughs, "Welcome to the best place in hell."

"They look crazy," I comment under my breath as I watch a group of angry people being close to fighting. It wasn't the fight itself; it was the look on their faces.

"Everyone here is crazy, darling," Mykel says before walking off with his friends.

I soon follow because one thing was for sure: I didn't want to be in this place alone.