"Yeah, my dad is parked out front… how are you feeling, though?" Melissa asked softly, kneeling down next to him and offering him a hand. She looked concerned. "You look so hot, do you need another water bottle to take with us?"
"Yeah, I definitely feel hot… it's unbearable out here." Lucas took Melissa's hand and allowed her to help him up, noticeably still unsteady. "We've got some water bottles in the coolers. I've already had a few, but… another couldn't hurt." He made his way over to the coolers and grabbed a water bottle. "Let's head to the car…" It's probably better for me to be sitting right now…
Melissa nodded lightly, putting an arm around his waist to try and support him. "Yeah… wait- where's your stuff?" She asked lightly, continuing to walk up to the car. "I doubt you want to leave it here- and I can go get it." She told him in a soft tone, pulling the back door to the car open for him.
"Ah… it's in the locker room." Lucas sighed, glancing over his shoulder. "Shouldn't I go get it? You're not really allowed in the guys' locker room…" He rested one hand up against the side of the car to keep himself stable.
"Right… um…" Melissa paused, glancing between Lucas and the rest of his teammates. "I'll just ask one of them, like last time. You're tired, you need to sit down." She insisted a little, focusing her gaze on him. "Sit in the car with my dad, and Cody."
"Alright, alright…" Lucas hesitated before sitting down in the car and buckling himself in. He pet Cody with a weak smile and held the puppy close. He seemed to be pretty drained and wasn't focusing super well.
Mr. Brennahan glance back at Lucas, and smiled lightly. "Hey, how are you doing?" He asked lightly, giving a confused look as Melissa shut the door and started walking off towards the baseball field.
Lucas turned his gaze up to Mr. Brennahan. "I'm alright, thank you… it's… it's really hot out." He glanced out the window, his cheeks a bit flushed from the heat. "I'm still kinda out of it, to be honest… coach didn't think I was in a condition that I could play."
"I agree with his opinion. You don't look so great." Mr. Brennahan admitted, turning the air conditioning up a bit in the back. "Have you eaten anything today? Drank enough water? I don't want to bombard you with questions, I'm just concerned."
"Um… I had toast this morning…? I don't think I've eaten anything else… and I've been drinking, but mostly after I collapsed, so I guess I might've been dehydrated too." Lucas opened up the water bottle he'd brought with him and started drinking it.
"Lucas… wait. You didn't go to lunch? Why not?" Mr. Brennahan asked confused, glancing at the clock in the front of the car. It was getting late, and doing a quick estimate, he counted over eight hours of him not having anything to eat. And drink, for that matter.
"Um…" Lucas contemplated for a few seconds, considering what all he should tell Mr. Brennahan. "W-Well… there were some people bothering Melissa, so I took her outside to calm down… did she have something to eat when she got home? I asked her to, since she didn't have lunch either…"
Taken by surprise, Mr. Brennahan looked back at Lucas growing more and more concerned. "I- I don't know. I honestly didn't even know she was home, until you called. I expected you two to come back together." He told him softly, catching sight of Melissa starting to head back up to the car. "Is that why she seemed so off?"
"I guess so… I assumed that she told you. I'm not sure what they were bothering her about since I showed up in the middle of the conversation." Lucas drank some more of his water, still seeming a bit disoriented. He looked up when Melissa got into the car. "Thanks, Mel…"
Mr. Brennahan nodded softly, falling quiet when Melissa had gotten in the car. Melissa gave Lucas a light smile, and nodded. "No problem, Lu. Let's get you home, to get something to eat." She told him softly, buckling herself in place.
Lucas nodded a bit, petting Cody idly while he drank his water. "You need to eat something too, Mel. Surely you're hungry?" He asked, looking over at her questioningly.
Melissa glanced up at her father hesitantly, before focusing on Lucas. She shook her head a little with a soft sigh. "In all honesty, I'm really not." She told him in a soft tone, tilting her head back to rest against the seat.
"Did you eat when you got home from school?" Lucas asked softly. "You need to eat something… it's good for you." He drank some more of his water with a soft sigh.
Melissa dropped her shoulders some, shaking her head once again. "No… I'm sorry… I got distracted. I went to get Cody, and then headed straight up to my room." She told him weakly, watching her hands while she fidgeted with them.
Lucas nodded again. "Would you please eat something?" He asked. "I want to make sure you're taking care of yourself, Mel…" Cody yawned and stretched out in Lucas's lap.
"I- I'm really not…" Melissa trailed off, looking up to him. Sighing weakly, she nodded just a little before sitting back in her seat. "Alright… I'll eat something, when we get back."
"Thank you…" Lucas drank some more water and sighed. "You know I have your best interests in mind, right?"
Melissa nodded just a bit, playing with the end of her hair. "Yeah, I do." She mumbled to him, twisting her hair around her finger.
Lucas smiled weakly and finished his water bottle. "Sorry for pressuring you, Mel…" He murmured softly.
"I need it sometimes. Don't apologize for it." Melissa told him in a whispered tone, turning her head to look at him. "I'm just… being difficult."
Lucas gently kissed Melissa's cheek and pulled her close. "I don't mind, Mel… I just want to make sure you're okay."
Melissa nodded a bit, leaning into him when pulled close. "In all honestly, I'm rarely actually ever okay. But I appreciate you trying."
"Well, I want you to come to me if you're not feeling okay… I'll try my best to make you feel better, Melissa."
Melissa felt a gentle smile pull up, and she huddled a bit closer. "You won't have to do much. Typically being around you makes me feel better."
Lucas smiled weakly. "Well, I'm glad… I still want you to feel safe to come to me, though. Alright?"