Chapter Four | All The Hot Chocolates

"under the many surface layers, you will find the true one"

...

THE MORNING sun rays entered through the open windows of the room in blocks. Adelyn squinted her eyes open to see Lucas's arm thrown over her waist. They still didn't have bed sheets which was why they were on the hardwood floor of Lucas's room this early in the morning. The twins tossed and turned, taking turns telling stories, the entire night until sleep finally came to them at around midnight. Both of them were exhausted beyond words.

Adelyn shoved Lucas's arm off her and sat up. The purple comforter fell off her shoulders and onto her lap in a bundle. A yawn escaped her lips as she stretched her hand into the air. Lucas was still deep into dream-land. He had a little droplet of drool escaping his lips which Adelyn knew she would tease him about later. "Rise and shine, twinny." She poked Lucas on the cheek. No response. Lucas could sleep through a storm and Adelyn knew that from experience. She cupped her hands and positioned herself near her twin's ear. "Get your butt up, Lucas!"

This time, Lucas jolted up. His hair was more messy than usual and tired lines were clear as day under his eyes. "What the heck, Ade? Let me sleep," He groaned, trying to lay back down on his pillow but ended up falling flat on the floor when Adelyn pulled his pillow out of the way.

"Get up or else I'll scream again." Adelyn threatened, holding the pillow away from Lucas's grasp. Lucas knew that his twin sister could be loud whenever she wanted to. Not wanting to wake the entire neighborhood up, he copied his sister's actions.

Lucas left the room and into the master bedroom bathroom, knowing the chances of his mother still occupying the bathroom were slim. Adelyn grabbed her blue sweatshirt and black leggings before entering the bathroom for a shower.

Just as predicted, their mother was nowhere to be seen by the time the two got to the dining room. "Banana?" Lucas grabbed a banana off the kitchen island and offered it to Adelyn. Adelyn shook her head, not in the mood for breakfast. "Suit yourself, more for me," he shrugged. Peeling the banana while simultaneously tossing a few blank notebooks inside his bag, he barely glanced at his sister.

Adelyn ran her hands through the bottom of her silky hair, attempting to smoothen it out over and over again. Lucas reached up and took her hand in his. "You look beautiful. Now, come on." Her nerves slimmed by barely an inch.

"Stop lying to me. You're my brother. It's your job to say that," she rolled her eyes. She pocketed her phone and slung her bag over her shoulder. She speed-walked through the door, sparing Lucas a glare on the way. He stood in the same spot as a minute ago, dumbfounded on what had just happened.

After a minute of thought, he shrugged and followed his sister out. All that matters is that he made her get outside and they would get to school on time. He knew that it wouldn't take anything but a quick stop of donuts and coffee to mend his twin's heart, and he was beyond grateful for it at the moment.

Adelyn sat on the front seat of the car, her black leather boots perched on the beige foot board. She was biting her nails, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Her attitude had disappeared, and though Lucas would never admit it, he preferred her attitude versus seeing his sister sad. Too sappy for his liking but it was the truth. "Can I drive?" Adelyn broke the silence with a soft voice.

"Ade, you know I can't let you until you pass the written drivers test next week," his voice was sorrow. While he constantly teased his sister for not having her permit, he understood his sister's love for being behind the wheel. She would say it made her feel powerful and as if she was floating. The usual first-time-driver fears were never visible for both the siblings.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, mister goody two shoes," her teasing smile shining bright. And there was the sister he knew and loved. Lucas playfully glared at her before flicking the car keys.

"Get in, idiot." Her laugh was contagious as she launched herself into the car and flung the door closed. The door's slam practically shook the car. "Oh yeah, close it a bit harder, will you? Breaking the car door is definitely on my life to-do list," he yelled exasperated. Adelyn's 'evil' laugh was heard through the tinted car doors.

Lucas walked around towards the other side door and gently pulled it open, making his statement. "What was that? I couldn't hear your whining," Adelyn smirked. His irked expression provoked her further.

"Goodness, save me," Lucas muttered. "I was going to get you coffee and donuts, but I guess you don't want any."

"Lucas Conners! You didn't dare just bribe me with coffee and donuts," she shrieked. She slapped his chest but he grabbed her wrist just in time.

"Hey, ever heard the saying 'don't hurt your favorite brother who is also driving the car'?" He received a deadpan look in response.

"That's not a saying, bro. Not even close." Adelyn took her hand back and glared a whole at the side of Lucas's head. Either he didn't notice or he was ignoring it, because his eyes were trained on the road in front of him. Adelyn groaned dramatically once again. "Will you get me Starbucks, atleast?"

"Nope," he popped the 'p', "Should have thought about that before you insulted by english skills. And why are you such high maintenance!" Regardless, he turned on the indicator to take a U-turn.

When the car came to the open window drive-through of Starbucks, Adelyn pressed the window open switch and watched as the glass slid down on the driver's side. Lucas, like the kind brother he was, turned towards Adelyn first, "What do you want?"

"Uhh.. Gingerbread latte?"

"A sugar rush this early in the morning? Too early for that, Ade. You good with a hot chocolate?" Adelyn nodded, thankful for any drink at the moment. And she knew Lucas was right. She had a history of going hyper after too much sugar, not recommended minutes before school.

Leaning out his window, Lucas recited the order to the barista. Adelyn watched the barista nod while clicking numbers on her keyboard. Lucas brought his head back in and put his hand out. Adelyn pulled a few crumpled dollar bills from the opening pouch of the car and placed them in his hand. Lucas relayed them to the barista.

A quick wait later, two brewing hot chocolates were placed on Adelyn's lap in the cardboard cup holders. "Thank you," Lucas smiled at the barista. Better make friends with everyone than enemies. The barista smiled back, already reaching towards her pen for the next order.

Adelyn took one of the matching cups out. Tiny reindeers and candy canes lined the cups rim with the green Starbucks logo in the middle. Christmas themed. The taste of the hot drink down her throat was perfect against the gloomy weather. She sighed in delight. "Life saver."

"You talking to me or the hot chocolate?"

"You and the hot chocolate. Thanks, Lucas," came her genuine response. Lucas grinned before snagging his drink out of the holder too. With one hand on the wheel and one holding the steaming cup, they drove in a comfortable silence the remainder of the way.

The car pulled up to a stop in an empty parking spot of Weathering Peaks High. The other spots were almost filled but a few lingering ones were scattered across the lot. They were early by ten minutes.

"Should we keep our head down while walking into the school?" Adelyn suggested as she exited the car. Lucas could practically see the wheels spinning in her brain, trying to come up with ways they could avoid their former best friends.

"We'll have to face them at sometime, Ade." Adelyn groaned but knew he was right. He slung an arm around her shoulder and whispered, "I got your back." Their motto. Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, he dropped his arm, and they faced the large building in front of them.

They received a few glances walking through the doors of the school. New students were not common at the high school. None of the comments seemed to be of recognition though. Everyone stood in their own pod circles by the locker walls. A few had their phones out and a few were whispering with their friends. Some boys were throwing a hand-held football around and some girls were fixing their make-up by the locker mirrors. The arrowed sign reading 'Office This Way' was found the most helpful to the twins.

An old woman sat on the chair behind the counter. She pushed her glasses up slightly so they hit the brim of her nose. Lucas coughed slightly in an attempt to get her attention, which Adelyn elbowed him for. "Don't be rude," she muttered through clenched teeth. Lucas elbowed her back, not getting how it was rude.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't see you two there. What can I do for you today?" Her voice was soft and almost fragile. She looked over at them with kind, glossy eyes.

"I'm Adelyn and this is my brother, Lucas. We are here to collect our schedules? We're new and were told to come here first?" The woman furrowed her eyebrows for a minute before placing a pointer finger into the air. She tapped a few keys on her computer and a soft drone released from the printer behind the desk. She swiftly swirled the chair before pushing herself up. Two blue slips of paper slipped out of the printer which was soon snatched by the woman. She handed them to the twins which they gratefully accepted. Adelyn smoothened hers out on her knee in a flamingo pose to keep it deprived of any creases. Lucas, on the other hand, almost immediately crinkled the paper in his hand.

The woman sat back down on the velvet chair, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear simultaneously. "I wish you both the best first day of school. We are excited to have you both here. Feel welcome to ask any questions to me or anyone." The genuine tone of her voice almost made Adelyn break down. She was already on the edge, and this woman that she had never met before's kindness had somehow soothed her. The woman's kind eyes and soft words wrapped around her like a blanket she never wanted to let go of. The motherly feeling that she and Lucas had never gotten a chance to experience.

Lucas knew what was going through his sister's mind just by her dazed expression. He thanked the confused woman and quickly ushered Adelyn out of the room. "You okay?"

The question was enough to snap her out of her daydream. She gave Lucas a reassuring smile though it did nothing to ease Lucas's oozing concern. "I'm fine. Come on, let's not be late." They glanced down at their rough papered schedules. The class names were organized in spreadsheet tables with the teacher names on the right side.

"I have sophomore english first period, you?"

"Calculus," Adelyn made a face. Math was never her favorite subject, though she didn't have the worst grades. Lucas snickered. English was an easy A for him.

The shrill sound of the warning bell filled the hallways, making students scatter away in response. Like stampeding animals, they all ran to their classes to escape the pink detention slips that came along with the hallway monitors. "Okay, be safe alright? I'll see you and love you."

Adelyn blew Lucas a flying kiss before joining the rush of late comers to their classes. Calculus was room 127, not far from the office at the end of the hall. She pushed the steel door open with two hands and entered the still noisy classroom. The buzz of chatter filled the room as Adelyn found an empty seat near the middle row of the room. The last bell striked, indicating tardies to late comers. The teacher entered the classroom a few minutes later, the classroom door slamming behind him. Mr. Wilson, was the name written on her schedule.

He positioned himself in the front of the room, placing his laptop bag on the floor by the chair. The chatter didn't stop. Adelyn carefully observed the classroom around her. The walls were beige and corny math posters were hung across the room. Letter stickers spelled out Calculus on top of the long whiteboard with Mr. Wilson's contact information on the bottom left corner.

Mr. Wilson sorted through the stacked paper deck and pulled out one of the bottom ones. He then walked over to Adelyn's desk and placed the paper in front of her, making the few conscious eyes turn towards her. She quickly thanked the teacher before bending her head a little more. Her bangs fell as a curtain between her and the prying eyes. Mr. Wilson finally made his way to the front of the classroom, clapping his cupped hands loudly.

The chatter went down to a bare minimum which Mr. Wilson didn't seem to mind. She was forced to tilt her chin up and watch the board.

"Hello, hello, this fine morning. Exciting news, we have a new student joining us today. Ms. Conners? Would you care to introduce yourself?" Adelyn stood up, soon finding her shoelaces the most interesting.

Wesley was too engaged conversing with his aquanitence on their after school plans to hear the scrape of the chair being pushed back against the tiled floor. His mother had screamed at him this morning and there was no doubt she would ship him off to military school if he didn't come home right after the school. This was his last warning and Wesley knew it.

The new student started talking in a soft yet confident voice. Her voice picked up in frequency and volume at each word. "H-hi, m-my name is Adelyn."

Wesley's head whipped around faster than all the curls on his head could handle. He would recognize that name anywhere.

A beautiful girl stood in front of the class. She had black straight hair pulled in a ponytail that shined against the golden classroom light. Her eyebrows were perfectly shaped, bare of any makeup, and she had blush pink lips. Her cheeks were tinted with a natural shade of blush and tiny earrings dangled from her ears. But that wasn't what caught his eye. The bright glint in her shining hazel eyes, grown to be Wesley's favorite color, proved that the girl standing in front of him was Ade, his best friend and soulmate.

Adelyn, currently unaware of the swarming thoughts in Wesley's head but way too conscious about the curious pairs of eyes, continued. "I moved from Nevada to California with my twin brother and... that's it." She immediately plopped back down on the seat. She whipped her head back down and let her hair curtain do it's thing. Being the center of attention was not one of Adelyn's strengths. That job was reserved for Lucas and Adelyn was the calmer one.

One by one, eyes slowly started turning back to the front of the classroom. One burning stare though, didn't falter and continued burning a hole on the side of my head. Adelyn, feeling cowardly, kept her eyes aimed at the introduction worksheet in front of her. Mr. Wilson had given her a worksheet with all the topics they covered this year and that they were planning to cover. A thick binded packet contained worksheets from each of the units. Curiosity got the best of Adelyn and she tilted her head up to meet the constant stare.

Wesley and Adelyn's eyes connected. 

...

Ah, and they finally see each other. Who loves Adelyn and Lucas's relationship? Definitely me, do any of you have siblings? I have a younger brother and we fight... let's say 75% of the time, but regardless, he is my favorite person on this planet. Here is our next chapter of All The Colors and have an awesome day!