The Game Of Lust

What Are Friends For

After we ate, Huey received an urgent call. “I'll be right there! ” he said before putting down his phone.

“I gotta go mehn” he rushed to his feet and rustled through his pockets.

“So soon?” I asked.

“Yea something came up,” he replied, placing some money on the table, he added a tip for the waitress and quickly headed out in fast gaits. I turned to the window beside me, I got a view of the parking lot from were I sat, it wasn't very assuming. At Bonny's we got a really good view of an art studio just across the road. I also preferred the food at Bobby's as well, it was obvious Huey only came here because the star attraction, Stella.

I sat, thinking of where to go next. I couldn't afford to go home because I was terrified of Louie and all the obscene things she was doing to my body and my sanity. Around her I lost all rhyme and reason, with Margret back home I couldn't bare to be caught in anymore stupid situations.

I heard heavy breaths approaching me, I turned and found Huey behind me, “Forget something? ” I asked

“Yea, can you help me with something?” he swallowed hard, still panting loudly.

“What is? ”

“Can you pick Lola up from school? ” he asked leaned the chair behind me.

“Yea sure”

“I love you mehn” he patted my shoulder happily.

“Don't ... Say that” before I could say anything else, I realized that he was no longer behind me, he had rushed back out the door as quickly as he'd came in.

Given something to do, I jumped out of my seat and walked out the restaurant. The air was easier outside, away from home, though I wasn't sure what to call it.

Driving to Lola's school, I looked up at the object handing from my rare view mirror, it was the crochet sunflower, made by Lola. I did as I was told by hanging it my car, and I felt safe with Lola's cute charms. I waited outside her school, parked along with people who were also there to pick up their children. The driveway was crowded with parents and teenagers running and chattering about, I didn't attend a normal highschool and couldn't bare the noise around me. I had to get out of there quickly.

I looked around and found Lola standing yards away, she was wearing a knitted sweater and a beanie on her head. She sighted me and a dazzling smile spread across her face. I got out the car to help her with the pile of cardboards she was carrying.

“Hi there!” she smiled, she had a very bright set of teeth “I wasn't expecting to see you. ”

“I just happened to be around,” I replied with a proud grin on my face.

I dropped the cardboards in the back seat. Then she proceeded to opening the door.

“Mr Cleveman?” a woman called as she trotted towards me in a black tube skirt and a white blouse, she had to be a teacher.

“Mr Cleveman, Miss Claire Lola's art teacher,” she said breathlessly and wiped her forehead.

I turned to Lola before replying, “ You're mistaken I'm not Mr Cleveman.”

“Oh, I'm sorry who are you?”

“I'm… .”

“He's my other parent” Lola interfered. The lady looked at both of us with her mouth left open, according to Lola, she was adopted and Huey and I were her dad's, all because she didn't like talking about her real parents and neither did Huey. From what I assumed from all the years I knew them, they all had the same mother and father.

their father was away in the military, they hardly ever saw him.

Huey had to assume the role of father after their mom died.

“Oh excuse me, I forgot that Lola has two male guardians, ” she smiled awkwardly “The thing is Lola doesn't have a partner for the upcoming arts and crafts project.”

“What about her classmates? ” I asked.

“No body wanted to be her partner this year.”

“ But I can't be the only guardian involved”

“Its a really big task, all you have to do is assist her, nothing more and nothing less,” she explained.

“Can you do that Mr… um”

“Dalton!” I said in a stern voice.

“I don't need any assistance, I can do the project myself, screw all of them!”

“Language! Lola” I quickly sneered.

“Can you do that Mr Dalton?” she asked again, with pleading eyes.

“Of course .” I replied. The teacher smiled and quickly shuffled away.

“she fell for that, do I look that old?” I asked, peeping into the side mirrors of my car for any grey hairs hanging out .

“You look your age, Alfred ” she laughed and patted my shoulder. An unfamiliar woman walked by with her son and waved at us, she looked as though she knew me quiet well.

“lets go before anyone else approaches us.” I said as I rushed into the car. Lola went around and opened the door, before she could get in, she stood upright with a puzzled expression on her face.

“Wait a minute I forgot my markers in my locker,” she said “I'll be right back! ” Lola ran back into the building with her low hanging backpack bouncing about her back.

I remained seated and started the car, I noticed a lot of the women around staring pointedly at me, one I thought would surely approach me but stood by her car with a smirk on her face, her expression said it all. I could tell she was a single mom and she'd comfortably assumed that I was a single dad as well.

After a few minutes, I grew impatient, peering around for any sign of Lola.

I finally caught her to a girl her age but a little bigger.

I called her name a few times and honed but she was engrossed in the conversation and did not hear me through all the noise and chatter. I proceeded to getting out of the car.

Before I could reach Lola, the girl in front her pushed her away forcefully and Lola crashed on the hard concrete, landing on her side. Students began to gather around but none rushed to her aid, perhaps they were all afraid of this same bully.

Lola stood and faced the girl again but this time Lola was ready for the attack, in a battle stance she was prepared to pounce.

I noticed a crochet hook in her hand, to prevent any punitive damages, I rushed to Lola, enclosing her in my arms, I picked her up. She struggled to break free with her ferocious eyes, she cried out inaudible words in a fit of rage. I'd never seen Lola angry before let alone furious. I carried her to the car as the crowd began to grow. She was fighting me to put her down, I put her inside the car.

“Are you okay?” I asked

“she read my diary out in front of the entire class” she cried.

I noticed the fall bruised her arm badly. They were sores and red blisters on her elbow as well. “I'm so sorry, ” I said, trying to calm her down.

“she likes this guy and he doesn't like her at all, she found out that he liked me. now She's blaming me for all of it like it's my fault, Charlie doesn't even like her, ” she explained, with tears streamed down her face,

“Teenagers are awful creatures, ” I said, wiping the tears off her face with the beanie on her head and she started to laugh. “Then she said why don't you call your dads to come save you . ”

“You told them you've got two dad? ” I asked, turning to Lola, I already realised it for the story she told miss Claire.

“ Cause they keep asking me to bring my parents, and I don't know what to tell them, My mom's died last year and no one knows where my dad could be” her voice wobbled frantically.

“I'm sorry Lola, you can't let these sassy kids get to you,”

“If you weren't there I would have handled it myself ”

“Then what would you have done if you you'd hurt her?” I answered, taking the crochet hook from her tight grip. I placed it on the dash board and drove off. The ride was quiet, Lola looked out the window the whole time and said nothing to me. I could tell she was still mad and the blister on her hand would probably sting. I stopped by a pharmacy, were her wounds were treated and cleaned, I also got her an extra large bag of chips, she loved them and I didn't like it when she was mad. She was supposed to be the jolly image of my day but instead that kid had to take away her smile, the smile I would stop at nothing to retrieve.

We got back into the car and continued, “Are you okay? ” I asked.

“ yes ” she nodded, looking at her throbbing arm.

“I haven't seen Kat and Bridget for a while now, they don't come by anymore? ”

“No They're both in college,” she sighed. Kat and Bridget were her older siblings, they were only two years apart.

“I'm sure you miss them a lot”

“Yea who's gonna try on my bucket hats?” she muttered.

“Huey wouldn't mind,”

“He's always busy these days, he couldn't even pick me up himself and yesterday I had to wait for four hours before he came to pick me up from school, it was raining,” tears formed in her eyes again. Lola was going through a lot and had no one to talk to, and barely any close friends.

“Your second dad came to the rescue, ” I said, pulling her rubbery cheek.

“Ouch!” she chuckled.

Finally we got home, she jumped out quickly and packed up the cardboards at the back seat and went into the apartment building, she came back for her backpack.

I handed her the bag of chips and pack of colourful yarns I'd bought from the general store. Lola looked up at me with glee growing in her expression, I opened my arm to her and she ran into them.

“You'd be a great dad Alfred,” she said, with a smile on her face,

“Bye Lola.”

I felt accompliment as she skipped into the building happily.

It got home that evening exhausted and hungry,

“How was your day? ” Margret asked sitting on the table, I looked around for Louie or her mother but they weren't in sight, I knew well enough that they regularly slept in the guest room, tonight was cloudy and the clouds were full with rain, in a weather like that, it was wiser to remain wherever you find yourself than to go anywhere and inevitably get stuck in traffic and most likely a rain storm.