"That's none of your business, kid. I'm sure he'll change his mind if I just show him what I'm offering." She smirked a bit.
"U-Um… a little bit, yeah, but… mostly verbal and stuff. She made me take her number the other day even though I told her I didn't want it, and today she's been more… physical. My boss kicked her out of the store, but I think she waited outside for me…" Lucas explained, seeming very nervous and uncomfortable.
"You don't even know him. You know nothing about him, why would you just assume he'd like you because of… what, your body?" Melissa snapped back, getting a little bit braver. Most of it was coming from jealousy, despite knowing this woman made Lucas incredibly uncomfortable.
Mr. Brennahan listened to Lucas, nodding a little at his explanation. "Well, that's not okay. You said she was here, at the house?" He asked softly, glancing down the stairs.
"Oh, sure, especially compared to yourself." She sneered down at Melissa. "Lots of boys like older women because their girlfriends just don't satisfy them."
Lucas nodded a bit at the question, fidgeting with his hands. "Y-Yeah, she's… she's at the door. She followed me home. I'm not sure if Melissa decided to talk to her or not, but I advised her against it… I dunno if the woman is dangerous or not."
Her words hit her like a slap in the face, stinging quite a bit. But she was too stubborn and angry to let her win right now. "Lucas wants nothing to do with you." She insisted, hands shaking as she tightened them into fists.
"Wait- Melissa's trying to deal with it!?" Mr. Brennahan stated softly, quickly pulling away from Lucas and starting down the stairs. "I know she means well, but she seriously needs to learn when to let adults take care of things…" He muttered, making his way over to Melissa.
Lucas hurried back downstairs with Mr. Brennahan, looking up at the woman when he made it down. "Oh! Lucas, you're back~. I suppose I should show you what you're missing, huh?" She pulled open her shirt and Lucas flushed red, quickly covering his eyes with his hands. "P-Please go away, miss… I really don't want… whatever it is you think you're offering."
Mr. Brennahan immediately stepped up beside Melissa, pushing her back behind him. "You need to leave. Now." He insisted, ignoring anything she was doing. "I will not hesitate to call the police if you don't leave. Leave my daughter and Lucas alone. This is your one and only warning." He stated in a sharp tone. Melissa had grown incredibly uncomfortable as she made her way over to Lucas, gently pulling him into a loose hug.
The woman rolled her eyes and reluctantly turned around. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Offer's always on the table~" And after what seemed like ages, she left. Lucas was trembling a bit, and still had his eyes firmly covered so he wouldn't see anything that he didn't want to. "Is… is she gone…?" He asked in a shaky whisper after the door closed.
Melissa nodded a little, quietly rubbing circles into his back. "Yeah… she's gone." She whispered, pulling back just a little. Mr. Brennahan looked over to Lucas, letting out a soft sigh as he locked the door. "You two okay?" He asked softly, coming up and resting his hands on both of their shoulders.
Lucas looked up weakly when he was sure that the woman was gone. "Y-Yeah, um… I-I think so…" He replied softly. "How do we make sure she doesn't try and do something like that again, though?"
“I’m not sure, honestly… I don’t think there is a way to keep that from happening again.” Mr. Brennahan admitted, running a hand through his hair out of frustration. “I guess if she tries to follow you again, or comes back, we call the police. I don’t really have any other solutions right now.”
"Okay…" Lucas held tightly to Melissa's hand, obviously still shaky and uncomfortable. "Or a restraining order, I guess, but I dunno how to get one of those…"
“I can look into it.” Mr. Brennahan offered, giving him a tired smile. “I’d offer to do more, but I need to get back upstairs. If you need me, you know where I’ll be.” He nodded, before disappearing back upstairs to his office. When he was gone, Melissa gently lead him over to the couch to sit down. “You okay?”
"Okay, sir…" Lucas followed Melissa over to the couch and sat down with her, pale and uneasy. "I… I-I dunno, honestly. I don't feel… safe. I feel like she's still watching me through the window or something."
Melissa nodded a little, pulling him closer. She was still feeling protective over him, not wanting that woman to get to him. Mentally or physically. “Would it be better if we went upstairs to my room? Or do you just want to sit here for a little bit?”
"Either is fine, I guess…" Lucas buried his face in Melissa's shoulder and held tightly to her. "I'll have to find some way to make sure she doesn't try and bother me anymore…"
“I’m sure we can figure out something…” Melissa whispered, rubbing circles into his back. “Your boss probably won’t let her back in the store now, because they kicked her out earlier. And I’m going to drive you there and back, so it’s not like she can bother you then. She’d have to come back to the house… and I think my dad was serious about calling the police.”
"Okay…" Lucas kept close to Melissa, obviously tense and stressed. "I just… really don't wanna see her again. I don't like thinking about her…" He sighed shakily.
“Then we can talk about something else, if it will make you feel better.” Melissa offered, kissing the top of his head. “Or we can do something to distract you. Like turn a movie on, or something.”
"Yeah, sure… that's fine…" Lucas kept his face buried in Melissa's shoulder, curling up on the couch with her.
Melissa reached for the remote, and turned on the television before pulling him closer. “Is there anything I can do, honey?”
"Not much more than you're already doing, Mel… I'll be fine…" Lucas murmured in reply.
Melissa let out a weak sigh, nodding again. “Right…” She sighed softly, kissing him gently. “I’m so sorry she was bothering you… I should have come and got you- I just… I lost track of time.”
"It's not your fault, Mel… I left work early anyway…" Lucas murmured, still holding tightly to Melissa. "I just wish she'd leave me alone… I've made it pretty clear I don't want anything to do with her."
“Yeah… I don’t understand why she wants you so badly. Like- of course, I find you attractive, but why is she so interested in you individually..?” Melissa mumbled, resting her head against his.
Lucas shrugged a bit. "I'm not sure… and I'm not sure I want to know why." He sighed shakily. "I just want her to leave me alone, whatever her reasoning is…"
Melissa nodded a bit, keeping him close to herself. “I’m sorry she’s bothering you… I wish I could do something to fix it.” She whispered, burying her face in his shoulder.
"Mm… hopefully it'll all be over soon, yeah? We'll… we'll find some way to make her stop…" Lucas whispered weakly.
“Yeah…” Melissa whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. “I still wish I could make things better… I’ll be there to protect you though, and to make sure she won’t hurt you…”
"Thanks, Mel… I feel like I should be dealing with better, but I just…" He sighed shakily. "I really don't know what to do with this. I've never had to deal with something like this before."
“Hey… don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault she makes you uncomfortable. I mean- come on. She’s harassing you- and just… all of it.” Melissa mumbled, shoulders slumping.