New Girl in School

Buster's heart thudded in his chest when Lu waltzed into their classroom like she owned the place. Memories of the two of them sneaking off together surfaced easily in his mind once more. Ocean waves crashing against the sandy beach as they swallowed each other's desperate moans, their hands roaming each other's bodies, tongues dancing in a playful ritual of desire as he ground his raging hard-on against her core.

There was no way he could forget her.

Hormones pushed him to seek sweet release at every opportunity and his mind played the memory on repeat. And every time he tumbled over the edge, it was because of her. She haunted his daydreams and appeared in his nightly activities like the most alluring siren, beckoning him to a forbidden ecstasy.

And now she was walking over to their table. Sitting next to him easily and leaning too close, smiling as if he was her favorite person on the entire island and making him more nervous than a germaphobe in a room full of questionable fluids.

The boy swallowed thickly, realized his mouth was dry and his palms were sweaty. And then she delivered the most overused pickup line but in such a tempting way that when he opened his mouth to respond, he stuttered out something so completely incomprehensible that even HE had no idea what it was.

Smooth.

His face felt hotter and he cleared his throat in embarrassment. Buster inwardly scolded himself and gave her an awkwardly charming smile. "Careful Lu, you're going to make all the other guys jealous of me."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. If anything, shouldn't Lucia be excited to work with her best friend? She and her father had moved to the island to follow Celi and Mimi after all. And his attention would have been on the both of them throughout every lab for the rest of the school year.

"You're choosing me over your bestie?" He questioned, trying to tamper down the feeling of satisfaction that was bubbling up within his chest, "Won't she feel slighted? Now she's going to have to babysit John."

Buster chuckled to himself at the idea. This was going to be their first actual lab since the girls moved to the island and neither of them had any idea what sort of chaos happened when a Wilder was left to his own devices. John wasn't really very good with science, or many other subjects for that matter, and usually relied heavily on Buster to get through the classes they shared. This arrangement was bound to be a disaster.

But who was he to say no to his gorgeous new friend? Besides, he liked it when she bossed him around. And though he did like Celi and would like to date her, he also liked Lu. Perhaps much more than was appropriate.

But she was definitely on the same wavelength as him and willing to get flirty and dirty with him. In all honesty, if she was willing to spread her legs for him and straight up fuck him, it would be his undoing. He'd probably ask her to be his girlfriend instead.

It'd probably be so much easier, so much better. And then he wouldn't be neck deep in this mess of longing and guilt and confusion. All these hormones and confusion were screwing things up for him and making him wonder if he was worthy of actual love instead of just flings. Instead he could have a real relationship with someone who was totally interested in him, like Lu seemed to be.

Unless he read things wrong.

Unless she still harbored feelings for a previous boyfriend or fling. But he felt pretty confident that he could make her forget any other guy she might've had before him, no matter what he had been like in the sack.

After all, Buster was a monster in bed.

With that in mind he smiled at her, feeling back on his game. Let Celi be stuck dealing with John's bullshit during lab. If anyone deserved to be able to finally enjoy science class to the fullest it was definitely Buster. He was done carrying his troublemaker cousin through their shared classes, especially since John never put forth any effort of his own. And was it really so terrible to want to work with a girl as pretty as Lu, who showed an actual interest in him?

"You know what? I'd love to be your lab partner." Buster smiled, reaching over and giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, "Thanks for asking."

Celi for her part, could only roll her eyes with a rueful smile at her besties behavior towards Buster, all too used to the sight and the surfer's flirty nature.

She'd known Lu for years, even before she'd started working with the girl's father as a model, and the two of them were as thick as thieves despite the fact that personality-wise, they were as different as oil and water. So she was no newcomer to the sight of Lu flirting or even just hamming it up with whatever guy that happened to catch her fancy.

It seemed like Buster was her catch of the day this time.

Celi knew that they had gotten along incredibly well when they'd first met. Lu usually tried to hold herself back around new people since her personality was a bit much, but surprisingly with Buster, they went back and forth with their banter like they'd been doing it for years. No awkwardness whatsoever, just Lu being her usual a hundred percent self with no restraints, and Buster had been eating it up!

It made the rosette happy, getting to see her oldest friend getting along so well with her news friends. Though, she'd be lying if she didn't say that she was feeling a little down since they couldn't be partners like the old days...

But, she supposed she was also slightly thankful that Lu had chosen Buster to be her lab partner. Nothing against the boy, he would've certainly given her less of a headache than John no doubt will she silently grumbled to herself. But before Lu had made herself known, buster and John were nearly at each others throats trying to claim the rights to be partnered with her once the teacher had announced it.

It had been beyond annoying, and she'd been just about ready to snap at them both before Lu had swept in the save the day, albeit unknowingly.

"Now" She thought with an exasperated sigh as she felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulder and pull her to the solid chest of the boy that'd been sitting on her other side a little too quietly. "What do I do about this one?"

"Looks likes it's you and me honey"

To say that John was thrilled that Celi's little friend had shown up and picked Buster as her lab partner was an understatement. John would have to personally thank her later since it meant that he alone would have the rosette's undivided attention. Not that he'd ever had a problem picking up chicks before.

Those who were drawn to dangerous guys had often sought him out, since John and his older brother were practically infamous. But Terry and Patty had been together since middle school and he flat-out refused to let that change for anyone, no matter who they were. He was always polite, but firm. And once he made his decision there was no changing his mind for anything.

So despite John's icy glare and fiery irritation with the general public, he was still fairly popular with the ladies. After all, the Wilders were all well known for being exceptionally good-looking and John was no exception. Even at his absolute worst, hell bent on chaos and destruction, he was still incredibly handsome.

So the only real competition John actually had was Buster, who also had their family's incredibly good looks. He really never had any desire to prove how tough he was, despite learning martial arts alongside his cousins, and was frustratingly easygoing no matter what problems life threw at him. Added to that, he was sociable, likable and polite, which wasn't usually a bad thing.

Except when chicks eventually decided that John wasn't giving them enough attention. They'd frequently turn to Buster for someone willing to fully focus on them, but eventually they'd leave him too. Because Buster was a sex addict and even the most boastful girls had to admit that his sex drive was out of control.

John briefly wondered if he should warn Lu about it, but decided against it. Lucia knew that both boys liked Celi and had decided that she wouldn't step in and interfere, much to John's dismay. If the darker girl would take the initiative and actually pursue Buster as a potential boyfriend, there was no way he'd turn her down. He never turned any girl down that John knew about.

Maybe that was the problem.

Maybe Lucia was concerned that he'd be unfaithful since he was currently pursuing Celi? John had no way of putting those fears to rest either, as his cousin never bothered with an actual relationship and had no qualms taking girls from others. Or sharing them.

But the girl seemed to be supportive of John's interest in Celi, so he considered her an ally. And he'd watch her back if need be. And if she actually did have an interest in Buster? Well then, he'd make sure his cousin would never stray. Even if he had to break his arms and legs to do it. Because if Lucia was going to help him get Celi, John would help her get Buster.

In the meantime, John's arm slid around the rosette's prim little shoulders and pulled her to him as though she already belonged to him. In his opinion, she did. She just needed time to accept that. Too bad John wasn't terribly patient. "Looks like it's you and me, honey." He couldn't help but sound smug. He'd won Celi as a lab partner and he was going to enjoy it.

Sure, he wasn't great with science. But he was confident that he could capture her heart by being her partner in as many subjects as possible. If she wasn't going to come to him easily, then he'd wear her down until she eventually gave in. Either way, she was meant to be his. She just needed to realize that.

The sight of Lu blushing made Buster's heart pound in his chest and his entire body flood with endorphins. It was a sight he could get used to and he definitely liked what he saw. The corners of his mouth perked up in playful satisfaction as the surfer frantically tried to get her own heartbeat under control. Clearly she wasn't used to guys treating her like this.

It was both frustrating and delightful at the same time.

Frustrating because how dare they treat such a beauty as anything less than a queen, but also delightful since her previous pastimes had lowered the bar so much that all he had to do was step over it. But as sweet as Buster could be, he also had some sadistic tendencies. Having the bar of expectations being set so low wasn't going to fly in his book. It was time to raise it back up, preferably so high that no one else could hope to reach it.

Lu was worth it, after all.

But then she was expressing concern for John. Apparently Celi was quite the slave driver when it came to her grades. Not that it was a bad thing. Buster himself made sure to keep his grades as high as he possibly could and was even taking a few advanced placement courses. In fact, next period was pre-calculus for him, whereas John would head to geometry. Maybe having the object of his affection bust his chops for slacking might do him some good and whip him into shape.

"I'm sure he'll catch holy hell." Buster snickered in amusement, "But maybe it'll do him some good and get him to finally put forth some effort from now on." For years now, John's decent grades had been thanks to his cousin's efforts since the young ruffian had no interest in educational matters. He'd been more than comfortable working with his hands as a contractor and playing music with his family members.

Buster had always been of the opinion that John was throwing away future opportunities by skipping class and slacking off, but the Wilder refused to listen to common sense. Maybe letting the fairer sex try to whip him into shape was the way to go since his own efforts were barely keeping John afloat. Even when he literally handed John the answers.

Having Lu as his lab partner would give him a much needed break from the aggravation of trying to get John to focus, to explain that what they were doing was not pointless, that it built skills they'd need in life. And though it would've been nice to work with Celi, he couldn't deny that working with Lu would probably be more fun. And who knows? Maybe the rosette could whip John into shape.

Good luck to her. She'd need it.

Now his partner was expressing gratitude about not having to spend the next few days on hardcore mode, knee deep in research and lab tests. He flashed her a cheeky smile and bumped her shoulder as she'd done to him. "Oh, but Lu, I thought you liked getting hardcore?" Buster teased gently as he lowered his voice and leaned close to whisper in her ear, "Especially when I was rubbing hard against your core. I remember that being very good for both of us."

Pulling away, he winked and dug a small scrap of paper out of his folder. Scribbled a quick message and a cell phone number on it. Then he passed it to her. The note read: "For a good time, call" and then his number, with a little heart next to it.

"Since we're lab partners and all." The boy gave her his most charming smile, "But you can call or text me anytime. I'll probably be up."

Oh, he'd heard his stupid classmates whispering amongst each other. They were loud enough that he was able to not only know that he and Celi were the hot topic of conversation, but John was able to hear exactly what was being said. Their so-called 'whispering' wasn't enough to hide anything from him.

"Look, that girl's only been here a week and she already belongs to him."

"Poor girl, I bet he's already gotten her pregnant."

"Another girl ruined by that family."

"Look at her! Do you think he forces her to have sex with him?"

"Probably. He's so mean, I bet he hits her if she says no."

"If she's willing to fuck him, I bet she'd fuck anyone."

"Lets hit on her when they split up."

By this point, John went from content to downright murderous. The warmth drained from his eyes leaving a frigid façade of total malice. Gently placing Celi back in her seat, John started to rise from his chair, expression dark and chaotic. He cracked his knuckles, ready to start cracking some heads together. Violence was not the answer, he knew. Violence was the question.

The answer was yes.

Or at least it would've been if the elderly science teacher hadn't spoken up. "I wouldn't have considered my students to be so ignorant and filled with malice for their peers had I not just witnessed it myself." He said sharply, disappointment evident in his voice, "I'm too old to put up with this rubbish. From now on anytime I hear such idiocy in my classroom, those students will receive an automatic 'F' and in-school suspension. Over the weekend. Do I make myself clear?"

The classroom went silent in shame.

Unsure what to do with this development, John's brows furrowed. This was the first time one of the 'normal' teachers had stepped in and put a stop to things. He wasn't used to such a thing. The teacher raised his scruffy eyebrows at the Wilder as if waiting for him to make a move.

John stood there in confusion for a moment more, then gave the old man a small smile of appreciation and sat back down. Maybe this crotchety old fart wasn't so bad after all. His arm wrapped around Celi once more, but gently, relaxed. He didn't drag her to his chest this time.

"How's this?"

The teacher picked up where he'd left off and John gently squeezed her shoulder. Maybe he'd start putting forth some effort in this class from now on. After all, he couldn't make Celi do all the work. He smiled down at her.

Emerald green eyes cast an appreciative glance over her and he teasingly poked her in the side. "If you're thinking of what to get me, I can give you a wishlist." The boy offered, clearly amused, "But in the meantime, if you need someone to show you around, I'm your man. Well... I mean, you could also just ask Celi, but the offer's still on the table."

"What's your schedule like?" Buster asked, his gaze drawn to the printed sheet amongst Lu's planner and notebook on the table, "Mind if I get a little nosy?" Reaching out, he slid the paper towards him and glanced over it, noting that they shared a few more classes.

"Hey, now that's lucky. We've got four classes together. Music, science, lunch and phys ed. Not bad." The smile he gave her was gentle with only a hint of flirtatiousness, "Want to walk together?"

The content response from Celi soothed his temper enough to almost completely relax. Whether she was actively trying to keep him happy or simply avoid seeing his unbridled fury for a second time, it didn't matter. She wasn't upset with him nor did she try to pull away from his hold, so he was appeased.

It was best to try to avoid a repeat performance of her first day at school when one of the idiot jocks had decided to bother her. The boy's overconfidence and bragging had been annoying to say the least, but John had heard it all before. Everyone thinks they're a tough guy when they haven't thrown down with him or Terry. There really wasn't any need to smack this idiot around for shooting off his mouth and trying to impress Celi, especially since she was clearly unimpressed.

Until the jock roughly grabbed her shoulder.

Her cry of pain was enough to launch him from his spot against the lockers and sucker punch that Duncan punk before anyone could blink. And for all that bragging, that punk went down like a bitch. But when John saw red, it spelled disaster for any offender unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of his berserker rage. He let loose on that smarmy bastard like there was no tomorrow.

Almost immediately, Buster had placed himself between Celi and the fray. It was almost second nature by now with how often John flew off the handle in situations like this, and she'd grabbed the back of his shirt in fear. John hadn't minded at the time, had been grateful for it because making sure she was safe overrode the rivalry they had for Celi's affection.

And when some teachers had shown up after Terry had stopped John from permanently disfiguring the punk, he'd heard his cousin speaking quickly in what sounded an awful lot like Japanese. A quick glance in his direction confirmed he was explaining what happened to his Computer Programming teacher, Miss Kaneda, who'd moved to the island from Japan.

It wasn't the first time he'd gotten his cousin out of serious trouble.

But John's main concern was making sure Celi was not only safe, he wanted to make sure his actions hadn't scared her off. There was a fine line between protecting the people you care about and being too possessive. But to his surprise and relief, she hadn't been afraid of him. She'd been more upset about the fight and the blood.

She'd even allowed him to treat the nasty bruise that marred her otherwise pristine skin. And now she was inviting him to do lab work together at her house. Without any prodding on his part. "Sounds good. I'll give you and your sister a ride after school today if you like." John said, pleased with the plans.

The bell signaling the end of class rang and the students grabbed their belongings, shuffling out of the science room and towards their next destinations. John's hand slid from her shoulder to the small of her back as he led Celi out, giving a quick nod of acknowledgement to the elderly teacher on the way out.

When John had caused a disturbance in the classroom, Buster's hand had drifted towards his left pocket. There were zip-ties in there now, just in case there was a repeat of last week's fiasco. Physically, John was much stronger and way more violent than the flirty boy could hope to be. But they had been sparring partners since childhood and because of that, the chances of John actually landing a hit on him were close to zero. Terry was the superior option to restrain John, but Buster could do it if he had to.

Unfortunately, it'd leave him open to taking a beating himself.

But that was a risk worth taking.

Luckily, he didn't have to. The science teacher had put a stop to it that left no room for argument and after some initial confusion, his hot-headed cousin sat back down. Buster breathed a sigh of relief and he relaxed. A minute or two later the bell sounded and the usual scramble to leave ensued.

Of course John took the opportunity to escort Celi out of the classroom with his hand on the small of her back. He frowned at the sight. After she'd been so frightened about last week's fight, it was mind-boggling to see that rather than trying to politely distance herself from John she was instead allowing him to touch her like that. What kind of home life did she have that made her defy common sense like that?

Then again, that same question could be asked of him. Celi had rejected Buster at just about every turn whenever he offered to do something fun with her, yet like a stray puppy, he kept coming back no matter how many times he was kicked. It was exceptionally disheartening, especially when she'd do little things that gave him hope that things might go his way. Like clinging to the back of his shirt during last week's upset. He sighed, forlorn.

She was good at not letting guys give up on her.

Suddenly, Lu's arm looped around his and drew him out of his morbid thoughts. As his eyes focused on her, she gave him a cheeky little smile. His aching heart fluttered in his chest, still ready to give more even though it had been stomped on enough over the years. She was so pretty, so sweet and fun, why couldn't he just move on and snatch her up before someone else did? "About that wishlist?" She'd asked, her eyes twinkling and calling out to him.

Buster lifted his eyebrows in curiosity. 

"Sooo...tell me what ya want, what'cha really, really want?" She sang, pulling him from the classroom with a fun little dance. Down the hall a ways he heard John's outburst but ignored it. Instead, he got into the spirit and grooved along. "I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want." He sang along, just as sassy as she had.

They danced their way through the hall until they reached where John had stopped dead, his fingers rubbing his temples as if he had a migraine. "Buster, how many times you gotta sing that Spice Girls shit? Joanna listens to that garbage on repeat and now I gotta hear it at school?" John glared at his cousin, clearly annoyed, "I oughta deck you for it."

Buster wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

"Go ahead." He shrugged, nonchalant, "But you'll make Jojo cry if you mess up my pretty face. I'm her favorite makeup model after all and she's giving me the full salon treatment when Mom and I come over this Sunday for dinner." He wiggled his fingers at John, the shell-pink nail polish was almost completely worn off and had been barely noticeable. "I'm going to need a new color this weekend, by the way. Can't wait to see what she picks out this time."

John deflated immediately at the mention of his little sister being upset. He grumbled a little under his breath about salon days being pretend and Buster not needing to let a preschooler use actual makeup and nail polish, but ultimately decided to let it go. Instead, he resumed leading Celi off to the lunchroom, leaving Buster and Lu alone.

He chuckled to himself then turned to Lu. "Sorry about that, he's always had a short fuse." Buster smiled warmly at her. Then the corners of his mouth perked up. "Anyway, about that wishlist. You sure you want to grant my wishes?" His voice was light, teasing, with a hint of deviousness, "How about a topless pic? You know, to soothe me after that whole ordeal?" He gave her a flirty wink.

He looked confused for a moment.

"You didn't see my family at the beach when I smacked your ass? They were picnicking right behind me." He shook his head, "Well anyway, it doesn't matter. You girls can join us Sunday if you want. Mom won't mind. And Joanna would be really excited to have some more girls to spend time with. She's three now, and she's the cutest little girl on the whole goddamn island."

"Fair warning though, if you play 'salon' with her, you don't actually have to let her use actual makeup and nail polish on you. Most people don't. Except Buster." John grimaced at the mental images of those 'makeovers', "He lets her do his hair, makeup and nails, and he won't wash any of the makeup off until after he goes home. It's embarrassing to watch, but she eats it right up."

Though the thought of his tiny sister giggling and dancing in happiness made him smile gently. "Dress up and tea parties are girly enough for me. I draw the line at real makeup." He admitted, "Although, don't be surprised if a tea party randomly breaks out and we all need to wear sparkly dresses and tiaras."

When Lu subtly reached up to squeeze one of her own soft breasts teasingly, he could practically feel the blood rushing straight to his groin. Swallowing hard as his heart beat to beat harder, his lower lips stuck out in a pout and a dramatic whine escaped him. He gave her some sad puppy dog eyes too, but it only made her giggle at his antics.

"That's so unfair of you." Buster stuck his tongue out at her so he knew he wasn't truly upset, "You should let me do that instead."

In a few minutes, they had made it to the lunchroom and the boy motioned around them. "As you can see, the cafeteria is filled to near-capacity during any periods that lunch is served. There are three lines you can choose from so that everyone can get their food and have time to eat it. It's often pretty chaotic in here so if you brought food from home, you can eat your lunch in the courtyard." He explained, pointing to a set of double doors that led outside. Welcoming sunshine was streaming in through the glass.

"Today our cafeteria's serving up some pizza. But if you're not a fan, you can grab a salad with or without croutons, some fruit, ice cream, whatever." Buster explained, "Sometimes they do cheeseburgers on Fridays. But not today, so I brought my lunch."

Amongst the sea of students chattering and goofing around, many of the tables were already starting to fill up with backpacks. Chances of them being able to grab a table with John and Celi were stating to look a little slim. Worse though, Buster caught sight of the one girl on the whole island that he just couldn't stand to be around.

Atty Wixel. Daughter of the weirdo his mom was casually dating.

If life were an anime - and wouldn't that be cool? - Atty would be the kind of girl that would be completely surrounded by a dark aura. She had greasy dark hair and a slight body odor that she covered up with tons of AXE body spray so that people would think she had a man. Her teeth weren't so great and her breath was enough to straighten his hair. Normally, he wouldn't hold any of that against someone, but her awful personality was the garbage ribbon that tied up the shit package that was her existence.

It wasn't like he hadn't tried to get along with her. In fact, he'd gone way out of his comfort zone to treat her as if she were his sister - especially since his mom hadn't been able to have any more kids after him. He'd taken her out shopping, had brought her free drinks and desserts from the coffee shop he worked at, taken her for a spa day, spent much of his free time trying to bond with her. But Atty had only looked at him as if he were something gross she had stepped in.

The worst part about the whole ordeal is that he had no idea what he'd even done to upset her. She just seemed to thrive on being miserable. And she was currently plopped down at a table in her drab day-wear, ignoring him as per usual as her eyes scanned the crowded cafeteria for John. For reasons he couldn't fathom, she'd been fixated on him ever since she'd first seen him.

Well, he could kind of fathom it. His whole family was practically infamous for their good looks, and physical prowess. But she might as well have been invisible to John, as he never even noticed when she was around. Buster had even offered to help her improve her image so that his cousin might notice her - though he knew John would never actually go for her - but she'd refused. He just couldn't understand how her thought processes worked and had ultimately given up.

Besides, she was far too full of herself and thought every guy around her - including Buster - was obsessed with her. He frowned at her, shaking his head. "Ugh, Atty." The boy muttered to himself, "If only you didn't act like some creepy, self-absorbed stalker, some boys might actually like you."

Buster snapped out of it and turned back to Lu.

"That's Atty." He tilted his head in the creepy girl's direction, "Mom's sort of dating her dad so I've been trying to treat her like a sister, but she's not quite right upstairs. She likes to think that all the guys in school are obsessed with her and she thinks of other girls as a threat. Her current fixation is John, but she's not invited to our family dinners."

He paused for a moment, considered.

"Aunt Elaine's always up to meet our friends though, and she's an excellent cook. In fact, the food John brought to our picnic came from her. If you'd like, I can call her up and ask if it's okay to bring you along?" He offered with a brilliant smile, then added the surefire bait, "Jojo will be there, my aunt's only daughter, and she's the sweetest little cuddlebug ever. You'll love her the moment you see her. Everyone does."

"Just so long as you don't bring any food." John said flatly, turning up his nose at her lunch, "I don't know how you can be so pretty when all you girls eat is trash."

It hadn't been his intention to start an argument. He was simply stating fact. Every time he'd seen Celi or Mimi eat something it was usually bland, tasteless crap in Celi's case, or sugar-coated sugar for Mimi. No wonder they were so thin. He opened his own lunch which consisted of a hearty portion of potato salad, coleslaw and leftover hamburger steak with gravy, all homemade. Everything his mom made tasted good, even cold, and he decided to dig in.

The first bite of hamburger steak immediately melted in his mouth, even though it was cool, and the flavor was so good that he made a very definite hum of satisfaction. "But anyway, you'll like Joanna. She's like a little angel that we all take care of and play with. My brothers can be really annoying sometimes, but Joanna is the best kid in the world."

Buster let Lu drag him to one of the lines without protest. Luckily, it only took a few minutes for them to reach the trays, snag of for Lu, and get her a few slices of the pizza. He eyed the diced hotdog topping the slices she'd picked out on one slice and the tuna topping on the other. It's not as if he hadn't eaten it before when he was starving, but he'd overpacked his lunch today.

"Erm, Lu, you don't have to eat that." He said, staring down at the 'food', "I was out of it this morning and overpacked my lunch today. I'll share it with you." But she had paid and was pulling him towards the double doors before he'd even had a chance to tell her what he'd packed.

Once the duo was out in the beautiful weather, it was fairly easy to find Celi and John. They'd picked out a nice secluded spot away from their peers. It was for the best, as both of them seemed to be easily annoyed today. He followed after Lu as she called to her bestie with a wave.

Celi seemed to be both comfortable next to John and also frustrated with him.

Honestly, that's how everyday went, he noticed. What kind of a relationship could thrive on being annoyed with someone everyday? Maybe it was some sort of Stokholm syndrome and Celi was growing closer to John because he simply refused to leave her alone. Maybe Celi just enjoyed guys who were kind of an asshole. John had his good points, but he seemed to thrive on pissing the girl off. It had to be some kind of fetish.

Nevertheless, he sat down next to Lu and joined her in watching what would probably devolve into another shit show. Opening his bag, he pulled out his lunch container and began to unpack it. First he pulled out the packs of sushi he'd bought on the way to school, then he pulled out the container of leftover shrimp alfredo he'd made for him and his mom last night. He'd made way too much for the two of them and each had decided to have some for lunch today. He'd been so tired this morning after his impromptu shift, that he'd forgotten he'd packed a fork and had grabbed another from work.

Buster glanced over at Lu as she was about to take a bite out of one of the pizza slices.

"Stop."

He'd never commanded anybody to do anything before, so his sudden order surprised even him. It definitely surprised Lu. He took the slice out of her hand, dropped it on the tray and shoved it away from her. "Don't eat that shit." He said and handed her a fork, "Have some of mine. It's better, and you won't throw up."