well, well, well… if it isn’t LUCAS 'LUKE' SULLIVAN, the THIRTY year old TEACHER AT VERDE VALLEY HIGH, who is best known around town for BEING IN AND OUT OF JUVENILE DETENTION. apparently they’ve been living in SOUTHPOINTE for HIS WHOLE LIFE (MINUS COLLEGE), and according to word on the street they are NEUTRAL. i’ve heard that they are quite GREGARIOUS & DETACHED, and if their life had a theme song it would be FLAGPOLE SITTA by HARVEY DANGER.

there was something about being home that still caused him to tense. he had gone to visit his parents and usually that those experiences never ended up well. his father was in a semi decent mood right up until the end , in so many words calling him useless , something he didn't have in him to deny. the other didn't need to know how he was fairing , his mother trying but failing to be supportive , he just needed to get away. unfortunately for whoever tried speaking to him it was bound to end in destruction. he hadn't lost his temper in a very long time but there was something about how the man had spoken to him that just caused him to snap. luke immediately rising to his feet and confronting the man , mere inches away from his face. as soon as he did he felt someone approach -- vaguely familiar from what he could see in his peripheral. " nothing's going on , " he said , fists clenched , jaw tight as the other man refused to back down as well.

luke always had the horrible habit of stuffing too much food into his mouth and then complaining about feeling like shit. the habit had unfortunately for him and now maverick had not gone away when he just stuffed almost half a pancake into his mouth before proceeding to open the water he had brought with him despite having a glass next to him. " if you give me shit over my water habits , i will walk out and leave you with the bill. " maybe , possibly , though he had to wonder much much fire fighters actually made in a small city like sedona. " unless you're one dollar away from munching on hamburger helper for the month then i'll stay. " he took a large sip from the bottle before placing it back down on the table.

" i feel like i'm having deja vu right now , " he said as he spotted summer at the grocery store doing whatever miscellaneous job she had tasked herself with. he had known her long enough to know that she tended to be a little more on the proactive side compared to him. " suddenly i'm fourteen and you're giving me , " he paused , thinking of the appropriate word in case any students were around. " slack for taking a handful of grapes. "

" okay ---- serious question , " he started , with the usual shit eating grin that he possessed when he spoke to roman. the two didn't necessarily seem to run in the same circles but it wasn't like the other had much of a choice given his reputation. " do you wash your head using body wash or do you still use shampoo ? " he quickly closed his lips to supress whatever laughter dared to escape. " i'm genuinely curious just because you know --- you're head's really shiny , you must take care of that dome of yours real well. "

luke didn't like to say he was horrible at cooking but he also wasn't one to go out of his way to cook when he knew he would just end up going out instead. paloma's was close enough where he didn't have to go out of his way and the food was actually good. he didn't have a usual dish he liked to pick up but every so often he switched up or even god recommendations from the servers and a particular chef that had seemed to want to teach him a thing or two. he looked up from his plate , lips curling into a tight smile , " i'm not here every day , " he paused. " but i am here today. "

whenever luke needed a change of scenery especially at night he tended to go to the nearest bar which just so happened to be where maya worked --- not a coincidence and while on any other day he would have hoped she was working he was actually needing to finish his work. however , upon entering he could see the all to familiar blonde being her usual pleasant self with the patrons. he ordered a beer and sat down , backpack on his shoulder before sitting. he was already focused when he saw her slide into the seat next to him. he hadn't heard her comment fully but had somewhat of an idea of what she said. " no , i'm not boring , " he just said off general assumption. " i just have work to do -- at a bar -- on a thursday night , " he leaned in , " a school night. " he took a sip of his beer suppressing a chuckle.

" you're gonna have to tell me why you think it's a bad idea , " luke was convinced his idea was great , probably too great and that's why tyler didn't necessarily understand or see his vision. however -- it was bad , probably something luke would regret but men's frontal cortex developed at thirty-five so he had a couple of years before he had to confront that reality. " i mean. , it'll be hidden , how bad can it be ? " tyler never really fought luke hard on his ideas , he could be an enabler but he preferred it that way. he attributed it to friendship but it was all transactional of course. " maybe -- the kids will finally think i'm cool enough to let them think i understand what the fuck 6-7 is . "