CHAPTER 10

"I am fucking glad that you didn't break a bone, Belle," Jake tells me after examining the bruises on my arms and legs keenly. He is acting like I am the one on the hospital bed with a broken limb right now and I can feel Lucas eyes on us.

"We can't say that about you, I can't help but feel responsible." 

He broke his right arm and his nose is swollen, I can only thank God that he didn't crack his forehead. 

I expected him to blame everything on me but he has spent the last ten minutes convincing me that nothing was my fault. "I am to blame if anything," he told me these five minutes ago but it wasn't convincing enough. 

"I should be feeling responsible too but I know it was an accident, I can't blame you for that." He tells me placing his hand on mine in assurance.

"Can't believe you are still shifting blames, you two should be glad that you are still alive," Lucas tells us rolling eyes at our immaturity but he has a point we should be grateful that we are still alive but I can't help it, if I didn't get anxious, if I didn't snap at Jake we would not be in this room right now. 

I watch Lucas walk from the door step to the only chair that is in the room, just next to Jake. 

"You are okay?" He asks him and Jake roll his eyes dramatically.

"Yes, I am okay." 

"I shoul..." I start but he cuts me mid sentence.

"Enough of the blame game right now, you are alive and that's what matters right now." Lucas says this with a lot of intensity and I know he means every damn word. 

It matters to him that I am alive, that makes me feel special. I don't know how I blended in here but for some reasons I am fucking glad that this two boys are with me right now. I thought I loved my space, I thought I hated people, I thought I couldn't stand men but here I am in a room with this amazing dudes.

"So are you hungry? We can get you something to eat." I ask Jake looking at Lucas for approval. His impassiveness is back and he is looking at Jake absently. 

He is the strangest person I know after myself. One time he is happy and making jokes and another time he is very gloomy. One time he is letting his guard down and the next minute he is all guarded. You can't predict when it comes to Lucas. 

"You stay I will get you two something to eat," Lucas says standing up but I am quick to protest. I am not hungry right now.

"I am okay." 

"You haven't eaten anything yet, so I guess you don't have a choice in this Bella I am buying you fries." He tells me shoving his phone in his pocket totally leaving no room for protests. 

"I am Belle," 

"You will always be Bella to me," He winks at me before walking outside, shoulders high, and he shut the door right after him.

"Is he always like this?" I ask Jake and he laughs lightly, he is so used to him being all bossy and I guess he is okay with it. 

"Bossy as fuck? Yeah he is always like that but he is my best friend." The smile he is wearing right now is enough to know that he loves Lucas and enough to make me doubt his sexuality. 

"Are you two straight?" I ask him curiously and he bursts out laughing. A very annoying laugh. 

"What? You think we are gay?" he asks in between laughter and I fight the urge to hit him but he is already nursing a broken limb. He is laughing uncontrollably.

"I don't know, we are in the twenty first century and I wouldn't be surprised." I tell him and he just shakes his head. "You two are pretty close, too close..."

"I'd do him if I was gay," he tells me laughing and I narrow eyes at him. It is not even funny. It is a dude we are talking about here.

"What? Have you met Lucas? He is hot as hell....Jeez Belle don't give me that look." He tells me in between laughter and I just shake my head. "Is someone jealous of Lucas already?" He eyes me playfully and I burst out this time.

"You think Lucas is hot?" I know he is hot but I just ask anyway.

"Do you think he is hot?" He answers a question with another question and I feel like he is trying to trap me.

"Well that will be my first assignment in SU," I tell him. He is still laughing and I take my time to look at him thoughtfully.

"I know I am hot too, please stop staring," jeez this guys is so full of himself but it is not a bad thing anyway.

"You wish," I tell him and he pouts in pretence. I can't believe I am the one making  jokes with Jake right now, I don't remember the last time I had so much fun, I don't remember the last time I laughed this hard, I don't remember the last time I sat this close to a person who wasn't Elsa, I don't remember the last time I was genuinely happy. I don't know which charm Lucas and Jake are using on me but whatever it is I am fucking glad that they chose to use it. It is working.

"Your best friend is annoying, he keeps calling me Bella," I tell him rolling eyes to infinity.

"Can't agree less but he annoys the people he cares about," Jake tells me and the words sink in my head. 

Does that mean that Lucas cares about me?

"He cares about me?" I ask rhetorically.

"He hit the hell out of Archie less than six hours ago Bella that should be proof enough," I assumed that he pitied me or something.

"I don't know, I thought he ..." I trail away.

"You think he would have done that for someone he didn't like? You are too oblivious Belle." He tells me and he has a point. 

"Haven't had people caring about me save for my family," I tell him honestly.

"And us, we care about you so much Bella you are our friend remember." An inventible smile pulls on my lips automatically. I am their friend that makes them my friends and automatically my first friends in SU scratch that they are my very first friends. 

Well I had friends when I was little but I don't think they count right now, plus Elsa is a friend to me but more of a sister, we might not share the same DNA but she is the only sister that I have and I love her with everything I got.

"I never thought anyone would ever want to be friends with me." I tell him honestly.

"And why was that?" He asks me curiously giving me all his attention.

"I am always in a foul mood for starters, I don't get along with people, I let my anger and anxiety control me, I don't love people, I hate myself, I am a..." I wanted to tell him that I am anti social but he interrupts me midsentence. 

"I still want to be your friend, Lucas was worse when I met him and here we are. He is my best friend right now." he tilts my face with his left hand till I face him. "Let us be your friends," he requests and I just nod. I will give it a shot.

"Come here," he tells me moving back to the wall and I lay down on the space he has just vacated from my back facing him, carefully not to hurt him, he wraps an arm around my waist tightly and I scoot closer to him. I let him rest his chins on my shoulders and I close my eyes to revel the feeling of being in his arms. I feel at peace in his arms. 

I have never been this close to a boy and I am glad that it is Jake that is lying next to me.

Five minutes later the door is pushed open and I hear Lucas walking in. 

"Mmmh," he clears his throat noisily and my eyes snap open. He shifts his eyes from me to Jake uncomfortably before plopping himself on the chair and Jake decides to sit upright. Lucas hands Jake his fries and cocks an eyebrow at me.

"It is time to eat, Bella," he tells me and I ignore him, my stomach is grumbling but I really don't have the appetite.

"I will force this fries to your stomach and you won't like it, sit upright," he commands me and I just oblige. I haven't known him for too long but I know that he can do that, he can feed me. He is so daring.

"You are so bossy," I mutter when he hands me my share and Jake chuckles.

"It took you too long to figure that out, Bella." He shoves a fry in his mouth before saying "Girls are always into the bossy guys and you are a girl so..." he winks at me with a cocky smirk on his face and I fight a groan. 

Cocky looks good on him though.

"Belle here thinks that you are into me," Jake says out of nowhere and Lucas bursts out laughing almost choking.

"What? You think I'd smash that?" He asks pointing at Jake. "Jeez I have a type, Bella," he continues to laugh and Jake pretends to hurt besides me.

"Are you trying to say that I am not hot?" he asks Lucas who is now crutching his ribs.

Why did it take me a whole seventeen years to finally meet these crazy people? I should have met them when I was one. They are so funny.

"Wait you thought you are hot? Don't get ahead of yourself man." Lucas tells him and I laugh when Jake pouts in pretence. You would think they are serious.

"You are always checking me out so I know I am hot," I laugh harder at that and Jake joins us. 

I don't know how long it takes us to finish our fries but when I check my wrist watch it is some few minutes past five. I take my phone from my bag and I get five missed calls from Elsa, two from mom and one from Lucas. I missed Elsa's call, I should call her before they start filling for a missing person.

"You called me thirty minutes ago?" I ask Lucas.

"Wanted to buy you some fruit juice but I didn't know your best flavor."

"Peach," I tell him in case he wanted to buy me juice in future and proceed to call Elsa. She picks on the first ring.

"Where are you Belle?" 

"Relax I am safe Lucas will drive me home." I tell her and she sighs from the other end.

"Thanks fuck, I was freaking out. You sure you are okay?" 

"I am okay," I assure her.

"Next time make efforts of texting me where you are. You sound happy?" Typical Elsa, she never fails to notice little things about me.

"That's because I am happy, sis," I feel so happy right now.

"Did you get your first orgasm or what?" 

Jeez.

"No silly, but I guess I made two friends," I tell her chuckling.

"See you at home, can't wait to hear how your day was." 

"I love you, see you later," I hang up only to find Lucas and Jake staring at me, all smiles.

"So we are friends now?" They ask in unison.

"Well, if you two will not mind adding a girl to your circle." 

"Yes I want us to be more than just friends," Lucas and Jake both say in unison.