Losing my Favourite Game

By: n i g h t s h u n t e r

Chapter Ten: Changes

A/N: Gah, i'm not even going to try and redeem myslef for the long absence. Sorry.

I eyed the school building with apprehension. I didn't want to be here. I really didn't want to be here. I stood a few hundred meters away from the schools front entrance, trying to force y feet to work and enter the building.

Sighing with resignation I entered the building, the stares of my fellow students were enough for me to et over my trepidation. I had never been scared of entering the school before in my life. Not when I had been a lowly loser, not even after my failed attempt at an initiation had been spread about school. So what was so different now? I had decided I needed to change. Now that I had found this glaring fault in myself I wondered if everyone else could see it too.

I already knew that Lilly wouldn't be at school today, she had rung me in the morning to tell me so, so when I saw Krissy in the hall, instead of smiling and waving and continuing on my way as would normally have when Lilly wasn't around. I approached her and said hello.

"So was the party as bad as you expected it to be?" She asked me sardonically, I didn't take any offence, Krissy was distant with everyone. She was very forward and didn't seem to care if she unnerved people with her words.

"I can't remember most of it." I lied, I remembered it, it was a blurry haze up until the vomiting but I remembered it still.

"Not surprised you were pretty tanked. I expected you to be dancing on tables with lampshades."

"I wasn't that bad." I said, though it was more of a question.

"No, but you are a lot more open when you're drunk. You're too reserved girl."

Ok, so maybe everybody did notice this big gaping hole in my personality.

"I'm an outsider."

"Only because you choose to make yourself one."

I was a little relieved when the bell rang. I was beginning to realize how selfish I really was if all these people I don't know all that much about knew a lot about me. Though to my defense I did know Krissy a lot better then Lukas, it was just that we had never really hung out as friends.

Lunch came and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Usually when Lilly was away I'd go hang out in the library but now I wanted to actually try and connect with my friends. The only problem being our little group kind of falls apart when Lilly isn't around. She's like the glue that holds us all together. So instead I roamed the halls for a bit, after ten minutes I was bored out of my brain and decided to head outside, get some fresh air and whatnot.

I found an empty bench on the school grounds and sat, my thoughts inevitably led to Lukas, I had caught glimpses of him in the halls today but he was studiously avoiding me, and honestly I wouldn't know what I would do had he approached me. Something stupid no doubt. I hadn't caught sight of Sera yet, and I yearned to know if she was really his girlfriend. Lukas really didn't seem like the type to cheat. He was a jerk but he couldn't be that bad. But then why the hell had the girl said she was his girlfriend? What did she have to gain from that.

The bell rang signaling the end of recess and I couldn't bring myself to get up, my thoughts had made me depressed and the thought of maybe running into Sera scared me. I knew she was at school today, the rumor mill was going overtime at the pretty new girl claiming to be Lukas' girlfriend. Honestly I had been surprised by how many sympathetic glances I had received. I groaned as I hauled myself up.

"Come on it can't be that bad." I heard a now familiar accent coming from an unfamiliar voice.

"Damn are you Australians taking over or something?" I asked turning to the person who had interrupted my solitude.

"ah, if you are that pissed with Aussies you must have met Lukas."

I laughed as I took in the newcomer. He was cute by generic standards. Blonde hair, blue eyes, a bit stocky with an even tan. "You could say that."

"My names Jason Field." He said, holding out a hand for me to shake, which I took, I had never had someone offer to shake my hand in introduction before, it was unusual.

"Ana Michael's." I replied as we headed towards the school.

"Ana huh, I've heard about you."

"From who?" I asked, instantly defensive.

"Lukas of course, and my sister Sera."

"Your sister?" I questioned, that's a little bit weird. Maybe Lukas hadn't sent for his girlfriend. I couldn't imagine him being rich and powerful enough to order her whole family to move.

"Yeah. You see, Lukas' parents and my parents are in business together. We've expanded into the states, my family stayed behind to tie up some loose ends in Australia before moving across here. Of course we will only be here for six months or so before going back to head the Australian branch."

Wow, how could a person toss tid bits about their lives around so easily?

"Guess you didn't want to hear my life story huh?"

"No. Wait I don't mean no, I mean no, I don't mind. It's interesting." Gah, I thought I had lost my leaden tongue, but it comes back any time a cute guy with an accent smiles at me. He laughed at my attempt to communicate.

"I like how you wave your hands about when you are flustered."

I blushed then a thought occurred to me. "Do you and Lukas get along?"

"Yeah, we are best mates. Why."

"You're so different. You are so nice and he's. He's so him." I finished lamely, not really knowing an insult worth his name.

"He's a bit rough around the edges but you get used to him." He said to me with a wink.

"You two should be in class." Came a surly voice from behind us, we both turned to see Lukas approaching. My heart jumped in my throat and I blushed with anger remembering our last encounter.

"Pfft. Since when did bad boy Lukas care about getting to class on time?"

"Bad boy Lukas?" I asked with a laugh.

Lukas glared at Jason, "I'm going to hurt you." He growled.

"Aww. Am I embarrassing you?" He asked in a childish cooing voice. My opinion of this boy was growing steadily with every word that left his mouth.

Lukas growled and I laughed and quickly covered my mouth when Lukas shot me a look. Serves him right, at least I knew some one was able to et the better of him.

"I thought you talked to Sera." He said to Jason, ignoring his friends playful banter.

"I did, I swear, she just won't listen." Jason held his hands up in front of him as if warding off an attack.

Right, the conversation had gone from fun to uncomfortable in three seconds flat, so I started to back away, ignoring my intense curiosity over whatever Lukas had wanted Jason to talk to Sera about. She was his girlfriend I'm sure he could have said something himself.

"Where are you off too?" Jason asked me, catching me in my attempt to slip away.

"To class, school is still in session you know."

"Fine, oh wait. Are you doing anything this afternoon?"

"Not really, why?" I asked defensively, so it takes me a while to warm to people, well most people, I warmed to Lukas instantly and look where that got me.

"Cool, want to be my tour guide? "show me around town we can hang out and whatnot. We'll make it a date." Jason said the last Part while throwing a glance in Lukas' direction he seemed to miss the extremely pissed off look he was giving him.

"Well if it's a date." I said slowly, jokingly.

"It's a date then." He cut in enthusiastically. "I'm staying at Lukas' house I'll wait for you out front at about fourish."

I didn't move from my spot, not sure if I should laugh or be exasperated by his completely outlandish way of behaving.

When he noticed I hadn't moved he made shooing motions at me. "Go on, run along to class, we" He gestured between himself and Lukas as if I didn't know who 'we' was "have man issues to discuss." I laughed when I took in the exasperated look on Lukas' face, like he was resigned to the strange way his friend behaved.

Something told me I had just made a new friend who I would be able to confide in or call when something was wrong. Maybe I even found someone to help me get over Lukas.