It was the familiar scent of Luke Dawson. I put my lunch tray away and turned around. He stood in the cafeteria with a hundred pair of eyes watching him. Now that he was on track to becoming a player on a D1 college basketball team, there were rumors that he could be in the NBA. "Join us for lunch?" Luke invited me, "We came to eat here, since that's where you are." Behind him, Austin was kicking people off the center table and Chad looked uncomfortable at how unsanitary everything was. "Is someone going to clean this? Where's the service in this place?" These boys were used to lunch in a private classroom with food delivery, music and the in crew. Divas. Luke slid his arm around my waist, leading me towards them. "I'd like to join, but I have mathlete practice," I said, declining the offer. "I'm on the team again and my technique's rusty." If only he found me earlier during lunch when I was eating at LUCKY's table. The entire conversation had been based on him. Luke tried to conceal his disappointment, but he was never good at it. I smiled at how adorable that was. His arm around my waist didn't release. If anything, he squeezed me closer to him until I kissed his cheek. Then he let me go. I didn't want to leave him. Since he was a senior, he barely had any classes with me except for math. And I longed to spend more time with him during the day. At least we had our date tomorrow. Luke walked towards the guys as they sat at a now empty lunch table. The table remained empty for 0.345 seconds before a group of girls flocked around them. "We came out here and she didn't even join us?" Austin asked in dismay, watching Millie exit the cafeteria. Chad took his muffin back from a girl who had flirtatiously taken it off his tray. He scooted closer to Austin and randomly changed subject. "Luke," Chad said, "there's a girl I want to introduce you to. She's perfect, man. Hot and funny, plays tennis and speaks three languages. I could set you up this weekend. You two would be a great match." Luke stared at him. Austin also stared at him. "What are you even saying?" "What?" Chad asked, "Did I miss something?" After a minute, Luke sighed and let Austin explain. "Luke and Millie are kind of a thing." Chad dropped his muffin. "What?! When did that happen?!" No one knew how Chad missed this. Luke and Millie's relationship had played out right in front of him. From the grotto to his own circus party... "You know I got your back," Austin said, "but you are f*cking clueless sometimes, bro." Chad flicked a carrot at him. Austin caught it, "Tonight I'm joining Millie and Bianca and those girls at some bar. I'll make sure Millie has a good time." He promised Luke, "And there'll be no drama. I swear." "THE COPS ARE HERE!" someone yelled. Austin was pressed up against the wall as he was being cuffed for disobeying orders. He'd shoved an officer who was aggressively holding me. Our whole group was being rounded up and taken round back. Onlookers at the bar began to record the scene. Chris Hayes had made a quick getaway; not wanting to stick around for law enforcement. I knew Austin was wishing some of the other guys were here for backup. He hadn't been able to stop the me-Kelly-Julia confrontation by himself. I didn't expect to blow up at her the way I did. A couple weeks ago, I began to suspect that Julia slept with my ex-boyfriend while we were dating... I'd seen the signs. They call me oblivious, but I'm just collecting receipts. Anyway, this night was not going according to plan. "OW! YOU PULLED MY HAIR!" Bianca screamed as she accidentally landed in the fight. Kelly yelled at Julia, "BITC-" "This way," an officer directed them, herding the group to a back office. He was gruff with me, shoving my arms tighter until I felt a searing pain. "Stop! No one is touching my comedic muse!" The fighting stopped. Even the security guards paid attention. Where had I heard that voice before? "Don't make me come myself," he said. The punishing grip on me loosened and the police officer backed up. That's when I saw my rescuer. The gambler in the leather jacket from the Surfside Shack. He was still wearing a leather jacket. "You like to make an entrance, don't ya?" the gambler picked me up and adjusted my own lopsided jacket, "About time you showed up." He chatted away, leading me to a front row seat by the stage, while everyone else backed way off. "I told you about my gig a long time ago and I was about to take it personal. Now come on, kid, you'll be sitting in the front row." One minute ago I was being arrested, and now I was front row in a comedy show. Sometimes I think my life is the comedy. Austin sed into the chair behind me. The officers were allowing us to stay now that the gambler had said so. The others began to recover by the bar. Julia fled in tears. "Hey Austin, thanks for being there for me," I whispered as the lights dimmed and the gambler got on stage. "No problem," he muttered, while he stared down at his phone with a frown, "Hey Millie... isn't this your necklace?" I looked at his phone. He had a group chat open and in the middle of the screen was a picture of my mother's necklace. The one I lost at Chad's charity event. "Where did you find it?" I gasped, taking his phone and zooming in. "I didn't. Chad and Luke did. It was on the hood of his car." What?! It was getting late and Luke was running out of time. He wanted to have some things prepared for his date with Millie tomorrow. And he made Chad cancel his evening plans to help out. Chad had parked his car on the side of the street as they carried boxes back from a store. The storeowner had stayed open late, especially for them. "Let me get this straight," Chad said, while they walked back, "Jake wrote a song for her, sang it at the grotto and you still got with her that night? Damn, you got game." He was still catching up on the whole Millie-Luke backstory.