Intermission - Lucy White (Part 2).

Fernanda might be new to the group and, by her own admission, a bit of an airhead, but even she wasn’t that blind. She understood what Alice and Mila saw because she saw it, too. Physically speaking, at least, Lucy fit Oliver’s type of woman to a T.

It was clear that Alice and Mila had immediately moved in to do… something about it, even she didn’t know exactly what their objective was. Her best guess was that they wanted to at least form something of a friendship with Lucy to stay in contact and eventually introduce her to Oliver. Honestly, they had moved to do what Fernanda wanted to do, but couldn’t. She didn’t have the charisma Alice and Mila had, so all she could do was provide some manner of backup.

The girls all introduced themselves properly and began to walk around, looking at the cars as they talked. At one point, Lucy asked Alice a question about what V6 or V8 stood for in car lingo. As Alice began to explain, Mila subtly pulled Fernanda aside.

“What is it?” Fern asked.

“Sorry, I acted quickly so as to not lose our chance, but… I need to ask you if you’re okay with this.”

Fern chuckled. “So you ARE trying to hook her up with Oliver?”

Mila smiled sheepishly and began to fidget. “I mean… I think it would be nice if they met at least once. It’s not like Oliver’s, but I have a good feeling.” Mila then shook her head hard. “But we abort this plan immediately if you’re not okay with it. You just started dating him officially, after all.”

“...” True. Introducing Oliver to a new girl just as her own relationship with him was just starting seemed… counterintuitive. That said, Fern had, at no point, assumed she’d be the last woman to be in a relationship with him. She had agreed to this knowing there might be more after her. Still… “My only issue is that it’s so soon,” Fern admitted. “I do see what you mean about missing this chance, though.”

“You suddenly disappeared on us and we didn’t know if we’d ever see you again,” Mila told her. “I’d like to at least add her on social media. And besides, you know Oliver won’t rush anything, even if he does end up liking her.”

Fern nodded. “Yeah, I know. And anyway, I suppose there’s no harm in seeing where this goes, right?” She grinned with a hint of mischief. “Also… I’m guessing I’m not the only one who’d like to… watch them.”

Mila matched her grin.”Oliver was right. You ARE a freak. I love you.”

The two girls laughed together before returning to Alice and Lucy.

“Ah, by the way,” Alice said, addressing Lucy. “You said you want to be an editor, right?”

Lucy nodded. “Yeah. I’ve always been more into books and comics that TV shows and movies. I used to proofread fan fiction in high school, even made some pocket money out of it. I wanted to do it professionally.”

“Our Fernanda here is trying to write her own comic, you know?” Alice said, smiling proudly. “Her art is already great. She’s just trying to come up with a story.”

Fernanda’s face heated up. She didn’t expect to suddenly be the topic of discussion.

“Are you serious? That’s so cool. Are you trying to publish for one of the big companies?”

Come on, Fern. Push yourself out of your comfort zone some more. You can share your interests with a stranger. She’s the one asking, after all.

“N-No, not really. I just want to draw something for myself and then… maybe publish independently if I think it’s good enough. It’s difficult, though.”

“I bet,” Lucy said, nodding. “But this way you keep your freedom to write what you want, right? I’d say indie comics are some of my favorites.”

“Really? What have you read?”

“I read Sword of Promise when I was 18,” Lucy said, smiling fondly. “It’s one I still think about from time to time.”

“Oh, I read that, too!” Fernanda said, smiling excitedly.

“What’s it about?” Alice asked.

“A knight finds a magic sword that’s super powerful and makes him one of the best warriors of the land,” Lucy started.

“But using it forces him to uphold every promise he makes or he dies,” Fernanda added. “It’s more of a romantic comedy than a serious epic, but it had some good fight scenes.”

“Hah! It’s my first time finding someone who’s also read it.”

“I happened to see it recommended on a forum and thought it looked interesting.”

Things were getting livelier between them. They walked around as they talked, with Lucy turning her head every other moment to look at the cool and strange cars as she began asking her own questions.

“So… Let me say it to remember it well. Alice, Milana and Fernanda, right?” Lucy said, remembering their names. “What do you girls do?”

“Alice and Fernanda university,” Mila answered for them. “I’m going to modeling school, trying to make use of my meager talents.”

“She sells herself short, but she already has a following on social media,” Alice said.

“Ah, speaking of. Do you mind if I add you?” Mila took the chance to ask.

Lucy smiled wryly. “Sorry, I don’t use social media at all. I’m not cut out for it.”

“What do you mean ‘not cut out’?” Fernanda asked.

“I don’t like to share my personal life, or take pictures of myself, or even what I eat. I believe in… living in the moment, I suppose.”

“Oh, I get that,” Alice said, nodding firmly. “I don’t like sharing my private life, either. And our boyfriend is the same, too.”

“Oh, that,” Lucy said, raising an eyebrow. “You mentioned your boyfriend, then gestured to the three of you. So…”

“Ah, yes, we’re all dating the same man,” Mila said easily. “Us and four other girls, actually. It works.”

“Does it? Well, you do seem happy to me, at least.”

“He’s… very attentive,” Fernanda said, smiling shyly. “I only started dating him a couple of weeks ago, but… He really has a way of making you feel special.”

“Yeah…” Alice said, smiling fondly.

“Don’t get us started, though, unless you’re ready to hear us gushing about him,” Mila said, grinning.

“Well, maybe I do,” Lucy said, crossing her arms and smirking. “If the guy can keep seven women happy, then he must be VERY special.”

“We could introduce you, you know?” Mila said, jokingly and teasingly, of course. But you know… Maybe it would work? Fernanda couldn’t blame her for shooting the shot. “Are you single?”

Lucy took it well. She laughed. “I am, but I don’t know if I’m looking for a boyfriend right now. Especially not one who seems so busy. Speaking of, what’s he doing now that he’s not here with you?”

“Ah, he’s at work,” Alice said. “He’s a waiter at a bar and training to be a bartender.”

“Ugh, don’t say that… I could really use a drink these days…”

“Well…” Fernanda couldn’t help her own smirk. “We happen to know a master bartender.”

Overall, it was a fun night. They watched the races, or the bits they could. Alice gave them an easy ride downhill with some drifting, which was incredible, and they ended up parting ways with Lucy at around 12:30 am, when the girls started making their way back home.

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