He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Chris wasn’t going to show. Chris had stood him up. Maybe his other friend had changed his mind and they’d gone to the arcade together after all. Maybe he’d gotten in trouble at home, and his parents wouldn’t let him go out. Maybe he was sick. God forbid, maybe he was in an accident. Lucas knew he was being ridiculous again, but he clung to the hope that wherever Chris was, he was sorry he’d missed their date.
B Y THE time he got home, Lucas had worked himself into a frantic state. What should he do at school on Monday if he saw Chris? Should he ask him what happened? Should he act pissed and wait for Chris to apologize? Or should he pretend it hadn’t fazed him at all? One thing he was fairly sure of was that Chris wasn’t sitting around obsessing over the events of the night the way Lucas was.
As Lucas climbed the stairs to his room, his phone vibrated in his pocket. His first thought was that maybe Chris had somehow gotten his number and was calling to apologize. But when he looked at the screen, he froze midstep. It was a Facebook notification.
Chris Robins has tagged you in 2 photos .
Lucas’s heart raced. When had Chris taken his picture? His phone vibrated again.
Jessica Thomas has commented on a photo of you.
Another buzz.
Chris Robins has commented on a photo of you.
Andrew Brooke has commented on a photo of you.
This couldn’t be good. Jessica and Andrew had been sitting in that booth at Bay’s.
With trembling fingers, Lucas booted his laptop and logged into his Facebook account. By the time he clicked on the first notification link, his phone had vibrated several times more. Each buzz caused his chest to constrict further. Tears threatened to break as he waited for the screen to load. Please, don’t let it be anything bad.
The link took him to a photo album on Chris’s Facebook wall. The first photo showed Lucas playing piano at the harbor. Lucas let out a shaky breath. It wasn’t a great shot. Several heads obstructed the view of the piano, but Lucas was in the center of the frame, plain as day. Below the photo several comments had been posted.
Jessica Thomas : Cyndi Lauper!
Eight people “liked” the comment.
Chris Robins: Stop picking on Lucy. Girls Just Want To Have Fun!
Lucas choked out a sob. Twelve “likes,” followed by several more comments, all poking fun at him.
He clicked to advance to the next photo, which had also been taken at the harbor. In this one, Chris stood with his friends, the same kids from the booth at Bay’s. He had his arm around Jessica.
How could Lucas have been so stupid?
The next photo had been taken at Bay’s. It showed Lucas sitting alone at a table. The caption: Like a Virgin.
It was too much. Lucas slammed the lid of his laptop shut and pushed it away as tears continued to flow. He curled up on his bed—clothes, shoes, and all.
Why did they hate him so much? What had he ever done to any of them?
After a while, he sat up, wiped his eyes, and kicked off his shoes. He stared at Ted, who even in silence, seemed to offer sympathy. Lucas felt the urge to reach for him. He knew it was childish. He was too old for that kind of stuff. Imagine what Chris would say if he saw Lucas holding a teddy bear. Lucas flipped his pillow over to the dry side and lay back down. He rolled over, turning his back to Ted, and waited for sleep.
Chapter Three
Beautiful Boy
L UCAS was halfway finished with his Lucky Charms when his mom entered the kitchen. His dad stood at the sink, rinsing his coffee mug.
“How is my beautiful boy this morning?” his mom said. She smiled at Lucas as she popped two slices of cinnamon bread in the toaster.
“Fine.”
“Sharon,” his dad warned. “You’re gonna give the boy a complex.”
“Well, he is beautiful.”
“Sharon, I thought we agreed—”
“Fine. How is my ridiculously good-looking boy this morning?”
Lucas chuckled. “I’m fine,