Penny for your thoughts. [Addie]

[Lucas Blacke]

It was not quite a sunny afternoon, but no a chilly one either. It was just the right amount of right Luke figured as he was lying on his back in the grass. The sun broke through on occassion to make sure it didn't cool off too much, and as such the the boy contemplated taking off his shirt, but after some thought decided against it.

For one, the weather could make a 180 and leave Luke out in the cold, secondly, it would take him back to a place that, however he did not mind it, it would hurt too much at the moment. And just like that his thoughts had taken a turn into depressed-alley. Like they tended to do at least once every 30 minutes.

His mind drifted as two metal balls rotated in his hand without Luke needing to pay any attention; it was his ability at work. Having seen someone rotating metal balls in their hand before allowed him to copy the exact movements and recreate them whenever he wanted. And as much as he would argue against it, Hammel had been quite helpful in him getting his ability down. He didn't get quite as tired when recreating these days. Plus, his muscles got training out of the most mundane moves.

His eyes closed and almost caused him to drift off as the sun came out once more, this time for a good while making Luke seriouslky consider taking off his shirt in order to get some color going. ''Not all that much people around, I could pull it off.'' He figured as he made an effort to sit upright with his hand still making the same movements.

He hesitated. Was it worth it surpressing memories at the cost of being burned alive? Luke shook his head internally, put the metal balls on the ground and took off his shirt.

Now he had to hope the sun wouldn't hide behind a stray cloud.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn didn't have a home to go back to in the summer time, and really, she had never felt so alone in respects to family. Monroe and Eloise had graduated, but at least they were staying in pilot ridge, but she wasn't too happy with that arrangement they had made. After all, if you were in a relationship with a guy who was 'destined' to fall in love with another girl, and that guy ends up moving in with that other girl, you wouldn't be too happy about it, either.

The blue-eyed Empath made her way across the courtyard with bare -or what appeared to be bare, but really were covered with a light layer of makeup- arms, her hands linked in front of her to comfort herself. She wanted to get used to this, and to stray away from always wearing the signature cardigans because, well, summer was far too hot for her to always being wearing it and her job wouldn't allow her to wear the turtleneck unless she gave a legitimate reason.

And she most definitely wasn't admitting to her boss why.

But putting all that aside, the brunette was relatively alright. She wasn't depressed like she had been lately, and Eloise had picked out a few cute things for her to wear while still staying in Adaryn's comfort zone. It was her who had decided not to wear the sleeves that went along with the outfit. The jeans she wore also were a result of Adaryn's 'makeover'. She was musing on the subject when suddenly a darkening feeling started creeping into her stomach, and she turned to find dark blue tendrils wrapping around the figure of a shirtless boy.

Shirtless. Boy.

She couldn't very well leave him there, but what if Monroe found out she was talking to another guy, let alone shirtless? But he was upset, and she could tell; the dark blue said all she needed to know in that respect. Adaryn couldn't just up and leave him there when she knew she could help, could she? No, she couldn't.

Taking a deep breath, Adaryn pushed herself forward and only stopped when she felt she was close enough to hear her. "Uhm, are you okay?"

[Lucas Blacke]

Just as he bent over to pick up the metal balls once more he saw some silhoutte in the distance coming his way. He shrugged off the feeling of 'ohmygod she's someone I don't know' and went back to stretched out position in the grass and began rotating the objects in his hand again.

He briefly closed his eyes as he just now fully felt the effect of the sun on his bare chest, it didn't scorch like some other days and was actually way more comfortable than wearing a shirt. And aside from feeling comfortable, the word 'tan' was thrown around mentally alot.

There was just the issue of his mind drifting off to a dark spot every now and again. But luckily he had his smile, and people reading minds didn't exist.

''Crap!'' Luke realized as he instantly took an upright position. ''Hammel!'' There were people with powers around. He began to wonder if x-ray vision was a thing, or something other that was slightly indecent. He shook his head and saw the same silhouette in the corner of his eyes, but this time way closer.

So close that he couldn't be blamed for blatantly staring at her. It was a her, and she wasn't all that bad to look at either. Luke licked his lips and giggled in the back of his mind. He was going to have fun. Oh yes he was.

''Uhm, are you okay?'' The girl had said from quite the distance, but she had made sure it was still audible. She came across as nervous, something Luke could use in his routine. Just like he had done with Marnie. Just without the cheerleading routine.

He gulped as the name shot through his mind. Not alot of good memories there.

''The time is 2 PM!'' He joked as he got up.
He exhaled, figuring that whatever he wanted to do had to take a backseat to what he needed sooner or later, and why not let it all go while outside?

''Actually, no, I am not okay.'' He sighed.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn was visibly confused at his explanation, that is, until he truly admitted he was not okay. 2 PM? What did that have anything to do with the swirling mass that surrounded him, unless 2 PM was just a generally depressing time for him? It was an odd idea.

"Do you mind if I asked why?" Adaryn came forward a bit closer, but not enough to potentially get him to move away. Most people in a state of depression didn't really want to be approached or asked about what it was that ailed them. She knew for a fact she didn't like to be asked anything of the subject and typically tried to steer it away from her.

But then again, Adaryn hated attention.

"And... uhm... why are you shirtless?"

[Lucas Blacke]

She looked confused. Why'd she look confused? She was the one placing herself on the other side of the globe, not him. Maybe his 2 PM comment got her the confused look, and that only succeeded in breaking Luke's face into a smile.

''No, I don't mind you asking. Be my guest. Beautiful people get to ask me 3 questions on the first date.'' He replied at her firwst response. Funny thing was that he mentioned a date without even knowing the name of the.. girl?

''Yeah, deffo a girl.'' He thought as he scanned her and found his glare locking on a not-so poper place. He finally averted his gaze and smiled as he scratched the back of his head. ''And I must say, you are quite the beautiful specimen.''

Luke was quite good in hiding his depression, as always. He drove people away before they could figure anything out about him, and the ones that he didn't drive off.. well, he considered close friends. But no matter which one someone belonged to, there were always jokes to be made before saying anything too serious.

''This be not the way it be workin', lass.'' He said with a heavily improvised and probably wrong Scottish accent. ''Ya asked me a question and now ya gotta answer one o'mine.''

He coughed and spoke as normal.
''So what's your name?''
The boy threw one arm in front of his chest and took a bow. ''My name is Blacke, Lucas Blacke, milady.''

[Adaryn Breslin]

Word Vomit. He was spewing word vomit.

Half the things he was saying she wasn't even able to really understand because he was going from subject to subject, and frankly, it was making her head spin and her cheeks to redden. He was looking at her, and not in an appropriate way, either. The brunette crossed her arms along her chest.

"You know, if you'd slow down maybe I'd be able to understand you and answer your question," Adaryn huffed, surprising herself a bit at the sudden burst of, well, sarcasm and sass. Was Eloise really rubbing off on her? It seemed so. She also didn't like the fact, though it was hypocritical, that he had gotten overly cheery -or tried to act it- even though his aura said otherwise. Maybe it was also that he was staring at her chest and that irritated her beyond belief, however, she knew what he was doing. He was trying to push her away.

"My name is Adaryn. I'd just like to say that you aren't fooling me with this chirpy and quick speaking, just so you know."

[Lucas Blacke]

''Its not?'' Luke said, attempting to go for sarcasm himself. ''Well goshdarned, guess I have no choice but to say what is really on my mind.''

He tilted his head. ''I once stabbed a basketbal because it annoyed me,'' He sighed dramatically. ''Now you know my horrible past.''

He cracked a smile and got down on the ground in a squatting position and picked up the metal balls he had in his hand earlier and started rotating them again without really thinking about it.

He looked the girl in the eyes. ''Okay, Adaryn, Addie,'' Luke said as he calmed himself down, knowing that he should give the girl at least one chance at a normal conversation. ''to get bback to your second question,' He raised his empty hand and rotated it counter-clockwise. ''why I am shirtless, is going to be countered with a similar, albeit indecent, question.''

At least he knew it was indecent. Contrary to what he made people think, he was fully aware about what he said and why.

''Why aren't you shirtless?'' He pointed at the shining sun.

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn's lips turned down into a scowl at his response. Was he mocking the idea of a horrible past? Jesus, this guy really did want her to leave, didn't he? But there was a bubbling sense of stubbornness that was erupting from her being that wasn't there a few minutes ago.

At least he had the decency to announce it prior to offering her an 'ableit indecent' question; she really didn't know how to take that, truthfully. While she could pretend to be stubborn and put her foot down for sarcasm, she didn't know how to handle the idea of 'indecent' questions like the one he had just asked her. If she were to be honest, she felt shirtless under his gaze, not only because he was just staring at her chest, but also because her arms were almost entirely bare except for a partial sleeve that covered her shoulders.

"So you're overheating. Alright." Adaryn's cheeks heated up, but she effectively dodged the question that he had asked. "Depressed and overheating, a wonderful combination."

[Lucas Blacke]

As she took her time thinking of an answer Luke had the time to think of where he'd want this conversation to go. It seemed like this girl, Adaryn, knew what was really going on in his pea-sized brain. And there was the small issue regarding this other girl that went by the name of Marnie Sullivan. He wanted to show her, directly or indirect, that he had changed. Or that he could change, and he wanted to do that as soon as possible.

Of course Luke wouldn't be able to turn his personality around just like that, but it would help if he acted normally for once. Especially when facfed with a girl like Adaryn who seemed to know what was going on deep down, and also mentioned it continuously.

Luke shrugged mentally at the comeback of the girl, but also cracked a smile at it. It was something he'd expect someone to reply with, and that was what made him change his mind about pushing this girl away. Well, that and the fact that she had mentioned what he felt.

It was true, he didn't feel himself lately. Probably due to what happened in the library. It had been some time, but it was still embedded in his mind as if it was yesterday. He needed someone to vent to, he needed someone to take it all away for once. He had to give up living in solitude and accept help for once. Something he had never done before.

''Not so much overheating,'' Luke hesitated a moment as he looked Adaryn right in the eyes. ''as much as hiding behind comments.''

[Adaryn Breslin]

She didn't say anything that was funny, did she? She didn't understand the idea that she could look 'adorable' or 'cute' when irritated, mainly because nobody ever seemed to tell her that and so every time somebody smiled at her, she either assumed it was because she said something was funny or they were laughing at her. The blue eyed girl scowled, but ultimately stayed. After all, she had gotten this far, right?

His words sent a wave of sympathy through her the minute he said them, and immediately her scowl turned to a gentle, empathetic frown. The eye contact also caught her off guard, but she maintained it, if only for a moment. "I know, I can tell." She said quietly, sitting down on the grass closer to him. "I'm an empath, it's kind of my power to tell."

But what would she say aside from that? She decided to be straightforward, instead. "I won't bite or judge if you tell me what's wrong?"

[Lucas Blacke]

Luke broke out a smile as he turned his head away from the girl as he sat down in the grass to nervously pull out individual blades of grass. He knew he had to change, but to begin with doing so in the presence of a complete stranger? He wasn't too sure, but her mentioning the empath thing and the fact she actually know persuaded him to at least try. And on top of that she did look cute. She bordered on 'Bang' cute but Luke settled for 'Make Marnie jealous' cute.

She came closer to Luke, and for the first time the boy felt okay not spouting jokes for 5 minutes. He looked at the girl and smiled.

''I'd normally make some kind of joke about the biting part right now.'' Luke said as he was just fondling the grass now instead of pulling it out. ''But I won't.''

Lucas lay down in the grass and put his hand underneath his head for support. ''What's wrong,'' He began with a sigh. ''is alot of things.''

[Adaryn Breslin]

"Good," Adaryn offered him firmly, but at that moment she found herself struggling to hide a smile. It was nice that he was opening up and not avoiding her words by throwing inappropriate words her way. Addie knew little to nothing about Lucas, but she found that if he continued to act the way he was then, that she might want to know more.

Friendships for her were very few and far between, but if somebody was willing to open up to her, they typically found a way into her life some way or another. His vague words didn't phase Adaryn any because she knew about how difficult it was to speak to others, let alone a perfect stranger. "A lot of things is pretty vague," She tried gently, tilting her head down and to the side to get a better view of his face, "Mind sharing a bit more? It's okay to say no, I just want to help."

Addie didn't want to tell him that she could just as easily manipulated the emotion and dulled it, because it looked like he really needed to get something off of his chest. She could only hope he wouldn't get mad at her if he found out.

[Lucas Blacke]

Luke inhaled long and deep and let out a sigh. He had lots to share, and enough to get off his chest but no idea where to begin. And there was still the question whether he should actually let it all out. For all he knew it could be some sort of sick joke to pester him with.

He didn't want that, he wanted it to be real this time, one who stayed by his side though it all. He didn't want to fuck up anything again, he didn't want to say the wrong thing and make what seemed to have potential go up in smoke.

''Just promise me you are for real.'' Luke said silently as he found an upright position. ''I realize you don't know me,'' He added with a sincere look in his eyes, feelings radiating from his every word. ''but don't be like me.''

He turned his head and looked at Adaryn. ''I am pretty bad and have walked out on people needing me in the past. Don't be that girl.''

He looked the girl in her eyes and forced a smile. ''Because I see now how badly one person can need someone simply to listen.''

''The first thing I want to share is that I have been a dick in the past and want to change.'' He swallowed his fear. ''But I do not know where to begin..''

[Adaryn Breslin]

Adaryn raised a brow in confusion, his words making little sense to her until he clarified, and then her expression softened with the presence of physical empathy stirring in her stomach. She understood, and she knew how painful it was to be on both ends of that relationship, and each one hurt.

"I wouldn't have pestered you this much if I was just going to run away after things got serious," Adaryn tried, not really sure if that statement was the correct one to make -if it were too harsh. His eye contact made her uncomfortable, but she didn't say that. He needed this, and she knew it. He probably wasn't seeing Dr. Neville, either, which meant this was probably a crucial moment for him.

She tried not to avert her gaze, but eventually, she had to.

"Well, in order to change you have to find the source of the problem, and I know from personal experience that it is a difficult process. Sometimes it may take weeks, so while you're trying to figure that out, maybe you can look at individual little things that you want to change and try to change it?"

[Lucas Blacke]

The boy averted his gaze and smiled slightly. ''The source of the problem is me.'' He replied. He raised his eyes to the sky and squinted. ''Though the individual things are slightly less problematic.''

This was true, but there were so many little things that Luke didn't know where to begin. Maybe the first was just having a conversation not based on problems. What also factored in was the fact he lingered on his poblems a bit too much, and from time to time even hid behind them, this didn't help him in any way. Never doing anything new, and though he had started breaking his dull patterns he wasn't all too happy with how it went down.

He turned his head to the girl next to him and frowned. ''I think.. maybe.. in the long run..''

''I think I know what my biggest problem is.'' Luke told the girl.
''I want to change, but I hate change.''

The fear of being even more hated, even if he didn't show it, played a pretty big role in his life.