Lucas let out a groan of annoyance as he pulled his hand back from the strings of his guitar. “Stop, stop!” He said angrily, his frustration apparent on his face as he returned his instrument to its stand. “Dude, what the hell is wrong with you today?”
For the third time in a row, Florian had come in a measure too soon and thrown off their entire performance. It was so unlike him – Florian was five years older, which also meant he had five more years of experience too. He was an incredible musician, one Lucas had always looked up to. Usually he was the one calling Lucas out on his mistakes, not the other way around. Something’s definitely up…
“Nothing.” Florian shrugged. “I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.” Lucas sighed. “What’s going on?”
Florian said nothing for a few moments. “Alright, look.” He said at last. “I really didn’t want to say anything. I mean, it’s none of my business, really… But it doesn’t feel right to keep this to myself…”
Lucas felt a feeling of dread wash over him at his friend’s words. This can’t be good. “What is it?” He asked. “Come on, you know you can tell me.”
Florian rose to his feet abruptly, rubbing a large hand over his face. “Okay, so… For the past couple weeks, people have been… talking, I guess. And I thought it was just rumors at first, but last night –”
“Okay, back up, back up.” Lucas drew closer to him as the feeling of dread deepened. “What have these ‘people’ been talking about?”
Florian sighed. “Clara.”
“What?!”
“They say she’s been hanging out with this guy, Julian. And I didn’t say anything sooner because I really didn’t think it was true, but last night…”
Lucas shook his head, interrupting Florian’s story. “She was at Lena’s last night.”
“No, she wasn’t.” He replied. “I saw her at a party down at my buddy Max’s apartment. And they were right – she was with Julian.” Florian let out a soft sigh. “She was too, uh… ‘busy’ to notice me, if you know what I mean. But I definitely noticed her.”
Lucas did not immediately reply. Clara has a boyfriend?! How long has she been keeping this guy a secret? He wondered. Why would she keep this from us? It definitely wasn’t a surprise that Clara would lie to her parents – she’d always been a bit sneaky about things. But why? Why not tell her parents she was seeing someone? And what the hell was she doing at a party like that?
“So… what’s the big deal about this Julian guy anyway?” He asked at last, trying his best to ignore the uneasiness in his stomach. Lucas was terrified of what the answer might be.
Florian bit his lip nervously. “He’s bad news, Lucas.” He said softly. “Let’s just say he’s got a reputation for, uh… taking advantage of younger girls. Girls like Clara.”
The nausea in Lucas’ stomach worsened. He knew exactly what Florian meant by “taking advantage”. Oh God, Clara. What are you doing? “Y-younger girls?” Lucas asked. “How much younger, exactly?”
“Lucas… He’s 24.”
“What?!”
“Yeah, I know.” Florian bowed his head for a moment. “That’s why I felt like I had to tell you.”
Oma and Opa are gonna FLIP if they find out. Lucas shook his head slowly, trying to calm himself. “And what am I supposed to do about this, exactly? You know Clara. She’s gonna lose her shit if I tell anyone about this.”
Florian nodded. “And that’s exactly why I ended up telling you instead of Mari. Maybe you or Jocelyne need to talk to Clara about it.” He suggested. “I’m sure she’d listen to you guys before she’d listen to me.”
Lucas almost laughed. “Clearly you don’t know my Tante.”
“Not as well as you do.” Florian admitted. “But I care about her. And I just thought someone should know.”
————————————
“I knew it!” Jocelyne shook her head, her amazement apparent on her face. “I knew she was hiding something…”
“You did?” Her twin asked nervously. Jocelyne’s reaction to Florian’s news had not been exactly what he’d expected.
The girl nodded. “I caught her lying a few days ago. She’d told me she went to the movies with Lena last week, but it turns out she didn’t… She must have been out with this Julian guy…” Jocelyne paused and appeared to be lost in thought for a moment. “Are you sure Florian said 24?”
Lucas nodded solemnly. “I’m sure.”
She paused for a moment before replying. “Y’know, now that I think about it… I think I might have seen this guy before.”
“What?”
“Yeah, the night your band played at that cafe, remember? There was this older guy there… He and Clara started talking about halfway through your set. They even missed your last song because they were outside together…” Jocelyne shrugged her shoulders. “You know how Clara is. She talks to everybody! I really didn’t think it was a big deal at the time…”
Lucas was stunned. That was a few weeks ago. Had Clara been keeping this guy a secret for that long? “What was he like?” He asked at last. “Did he seem like a creep to you?”
The girl bit her lip. “I mean, I didn’t talk to him or anything. I guess he seemed nice enough. Just maybe a little too interested in Clara… But I really didn’t think anything was gonna happen.” She shook her head. “This is SO creepy. We’re only 16! Clara HAS to know this is wrong!”
“Of course she does. Why else would she keep this a secret?” Lucas sighed. “So I guess the question now is… What are we gonna do about it?”
“I don’t know.” Jocelyne admitted sadly. “We could talk to Oma or Opa about it… But Clara would probably never forgive us if we did.” She shook her head. “She’ll probably flip out if we confront her about it directly, but that might be our best bet right now…. What do you think?”
Lucas said nothing. Neither option sounded particularly appealing, and no matter what he or his sister did, it was sure to create drama between them and their aunt. Would it really be worth it? “Maybe…” He said slowly. “We don’t have to do anything.”
“What are you saying?”
“I dunno, just…” He hesitated. “Maybe Clara knows what she’s doing. Maybe this guy isn’t as bad as Florian’s making him out to be.” Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe we should just let it be.”
Jocelyne raised an eyebrow at him. “Okay.” She said softly. “Let me ask you this… What if it was me? What if I was the one dating this Julian guy? Would you just ‘let it be’?”
“Of course not.” Lucas did not hesitate. “How could I?”
Jocelyne just looked at him.
“But that’s different…” He sighed. “You’re my Schwester, Joce. She isn’t.”
His sister shook her head. “We both know Clara’s always been more like a Schwester to us than anything else. And even if she wasn’t, we have to do something.” She insisted.
Lucas closed his eyes for a moment. She’s right. Damn it. “Okay. Maybe we should talk to her.” He agreed. “Or at least, one of us should…”
“And by ‘one of us’, you mean…?”
Lucas just shrugged.
“Damn it. You’re gonna owe me big time for this one, Luc.”
————————————————-
Ohhhh so he isn’t 35 like I’d predicted Bahahahaha 😂 But at least he’s old! And he’s a player, too Clara’s going to run away with this guy, I’m sure! Can’t wait to hear what she has to say about this! So much drama ahead! 😍
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Lol not 35 nope 😛 But still way too old for her 😉 Interesting idea about her running away! We’ll see what happens… All I can say is yes, there is most definitely drama ahead 😛 Hehe thank you for reading!
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I have a feeling Clara won’t like them meddling in her business…
I think Joce and Luc are really sweet for caring so much about their aunt. I hope they’ll be able to talk some sense into her, although I doubt it… When love and hormones are flying around, there’s not much room for sensible thoughts.
Also, I keep switching bewen shipping Florian and Clara or Florian and Joce… But after this chapter, it might be Florian and Clara after all 🙂 so adorable when he said he cared about her.
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Joce and Luc both inherited Tobi’s “good” trait hehe so they both care a lot (though Joce is a bit more brave than her brother as you can see hahaha)
And I love that people are shipping Florian with Joce and/or Clara! ^_^ He is super sweet and also super hot… Good genetics to add to the family tree for sure 😛 But we’ll see what happens! (He is definitely too old for them right now anyway hahaha)
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Yeah I love Florian! I just don’t think we know enough about him yet to definitely ship him with one of the girls… But I’d LOVE it if he became a member of the family 🙂
As for the age thing… My boyfriend is also five years older than I am and we started dating when I was seventeen haha, so for me it’s not a huge issue. But it differs for each person and relationship of course 🙂
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Yeah, plus when you’re a teenager, a year or two makes a huge difference in your maturity level. I feel like a 16 year old is pretty different from a 17 year old!
Even with Clara and Julian, 8 years isn’t earth-shattering when you’re adults. But a 16 year old is just so… Young. Hahaha
(And we will slowly get to know more about Florian, by the way 🙂 He’s a good guy. The whole family loves him!)
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Oh geez. She’s already hopeless. Oh boy. Welp…when we get back to this subject I bet it’s gonna be showtime! (he he he) Or? Maybe not? Who am I kidding…it’s always showtime in this crazy family lol. I wonder if Clara is really daring and adventurous or if she’s simply just lonely. True, she has people in the house her own age, so it’s not like she’s physically alone, but I imagine that they probably get a lot of the attention in the house. And, she’s probably in trouble a lot while they’re pretty good kids. Maybe she feels like she doesn’t have much in common with them and is seeking out people more like her. Things that make you go hmmmmm. Anyway, I never realized how much Lucas actually looks like Tobi until this chapter. Him and Jocelyn look a lot more alike than I thought they did!
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Your grade for today is a B- 😛
Those are some interesting insights about Clara! And I think there is some truth there too.
And yes, they really do look pretty similar 🙂 Both of them are a pretty good mix of both parents, but I think they both favor Tobi
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I’ve decided you don’t get to grade me anymore LOL.
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I’m a teacher. It’s in my nature 😛
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Ha!
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Older guy. Got it. Oh CLARA… glad Jocelyne was ready to step in.
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Jocelyne is brave to face Clara! Haha
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Clara don’t get pregnant look at how Tobi and Colette are like now and they both loved each other enough to raise the baby together… *remember to breathe* This Julian won’t do that for you… *hugs Clara protectively even though she is probably taller*
Even though I said I didn’t like Clara she is still a Rosebrook and I feel like, as a loyal reader, I should at least try to do something… Clara doesn’t deserve to be taken advantage of… No-one does… *chews bottom lip* This will end so so badly…
Shall I go beat him round the head with a hardback copy of the complete works of Shakespeare? I’ve done that to other characters I don’t like…
At least in the other screenshots Clara didn’t yell. I wonder why she likes him so much? Is it because having an older boyfriend makes her feel grown-up and cool? Or does she actually love him? I hope not…
‘But I care about her.’ Is Florian in love with Clara, do you think? Hmm… I think he would be a much better match…
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Haha another florian shipper 😛
I’m glad you’re feeling protective of Clara! You’re right, she doesn’t deserve to be taken advantage of! 😦 Hopefully that’s not what’s happening..?
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*is dubious*
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If Clara got pregnant, Mari would be like ‘Seriously, I’m not saying I was the best parent, but WHAT DID I DO?’
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So… I’m sitting here wondering what we will read next time. Jocelyn’s journal about her tante being unreasonable or Clara’s rant on her blog about immature opinions her niece gave her. When they date older guys, people of the same age as them seem too immature. 😀
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A Tobi journal about what happened with Anna 😉 Hehe
Interesting insight about how dating someone older makes someone think they’re more mature haha I could definitely see that happening to Clara!
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Yay i can’t wait to read what happens between tobi and anna! Will it be out tomorrow?
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Nope, no Monday or Friday chapters still 😛 Tuesday ^_^
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Age is just a number, right? Unless one of those numbers is under 19, it’s not cool. At least, not to me. I’m happy Clara found somebody, but those numbers aren’t okay to me. Hopefully things work out… And hopefully Jocelyn’s little chat doesn’t send Clara running right to Julian…
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Ooh, that could be a consequence. 😦 I hope not.
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We’ll see! Those numbers are definitely questionable… That’s why Florian, Joce, and Luc are so worried (well, that and his reputation!)
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Lol, so it seems. Hopefully these numbers add up…
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Poor Jocelyn. She is now Clara’s number one enemy. I hope Mari finds out soon what is going on and has a heart to heart with that girl before she does something stupid. This family needs to seriously talk to each other!!!!
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We’ll see what happens! You’re right that they need communication in this family! (Though really, would the story be as dramatic and interesting if the Rosebrooks were good communicators? :P)
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My immediate thought was, “Like mother like daughter” but then I realized she is only messing with one guy. Judging by her facial expression she does not look pleased by the meddling though.
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Yeah, Clara probably isn’t too happy hahaha And as for being like Mari… You’ll see! 😛 She might be, she might not (regardless of whether it’s one guy or more haha)
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I still love you even though you tease me with your words! ♥ I am anxious to see Clara develop as a character she is the most interesting to me. ( I mean aside from Florian)
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Florian is very interesting 😉 To look at… *ahem* And Clara is my favorite/most intersting to me too! Though I do like Jocelyne very much. She will be a little more interesting as a YA 😛
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#Florian!
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By the look on her face, Clara didn’t take the confrontation very well. I think they did the right thing by talking to her first. But i doubt it is going to change anything so i think they also need to talk to Mari and Jonas. But can anyone really keep Clara from seeing this guy if she really wants to? They can’t exactly lock her up in her room.
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You make a good point — placing her under house arrest is basically the only way to keep her from seeing him at this point XD This will be a tricky situation for the Rosebrooks to deal with…
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There’s going to be a lot of drama up ahead! With Tobi and Anna (argghhhhhh), Clara and Julian and the rest of the fam because as we all know, with you, there’s never peace and undrama stories…
The good news is that Clara didn’t seem TOO angry when Joce came into her room? Maybe she’s been having second thoughts herself?
P.S We haven’t been seeing Auggy much 😦 ! #bringbackAuggy!!
😀
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Hahahaha poor Auggy doesn’t get to do much right now 😦 We will see more of him when he’s a teen, I promise 😀
And yeah… Drama incoming. Prepare yourself 😉
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Oh and when Florian said that he wanted to tell Lucas something I was like “oh sh*t… he saw Anna and Tobi……. ” so I’m just so relieved right now……. *wipes forehead*
Drama incoming? 😉 I can’t wait!!
😀
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Things are about to get interesting 😐 I think Florian and Clara are going to be a thing though 😀 I can see I’m not the first one to think that so #TeamClarian 😛
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Hahaha lots of #TeamClarian today after Florian’s little comment about caring about Clara. It’s cute 😛 You never know what could happen!
(And yes, things are most definitely going to get interesting haha)
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Oh, just wait till Mari finds out. She doesn’t strike me as the learn from your mistakes type of parent. She’s going to flip out at the thought of Clara heading down the same path she was on.
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Yeah, I don’t think Mari would be happy at all if she found out about Julian! But will she? We’ll see…
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Omg poor Mari. She would be so upset and seriously wondering where she went wrong as a parent hahaha! Let’s hope that never happens…
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I smell #Clarian all over!
And I was expecting Lucas to be more protective, maybe more like his grandvater Josh?
Ps lovely story
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Thank you for reading!!! 😀 I seriously appreciate it. And another member of #TeamClarian ! Haha I love it 😛
Lucas is tricky. He is a good person who cares about his family… But he’s way less brave than his twin sister! Joce is shy and quiet but when it really counts, she’ll open her mouth. Luc is more worried about starting drama and making things worse instead of better, so he’s less likely to take risks.
Thank you again 😀
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No,
Thank you for this awesome stories I’ve read d2d and a2a till this point in just a week!
What can I say I’m addicted!
I arrived from the Thoreau legacy 🙂
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That’s amazing that you’ve read so fast! That’s awesome ^_^ And I will have to thank Joie for sending you my way! 😀
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Oh poor fam … Drama on so many fronts
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My poor Rosebrooks 😦 Always drama…
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True … True. At Least this one is in the light . Tobi’s is still in the hidden sneaky stage. Never good.
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Judging from those final shots – that probably didn’t go well. But then Joce knew it wouldn’t.
I hope everything ends up okay with NO more teenage pregnancies – Tobi lucked out that Colette was awesome, from Florian’s description of Julian – he may be less awesome. Or maybe we’re type-casting him? But really she’s 16, wait two more years and they date her all you want. 😛
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Yeah, Joce had a feeling it wouldn’t go well… But she knew she at least had to try! And oh goodness, could you imagine the mess of another teenage/unplanned pregnancy in this poor family? Hahaha
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Yes. And I know you can too: The more the drama?!
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Oh Oh, this isn’t going to turn out too well – especially after those final screen shots :O
I think it would be beneficial to get the lowdown on this Julian fellow and figure out his deal. The age gap isn’t so much a problem as it is her being too young just yet (my parents have the same age difference) and Florian’s description of the guy is a worry. We had a feeling this might be the case…
I’m looking forward to see this drama unfold Hahaha XD 😛 🙂
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I was ever so slightly distracted by Florian as usual… So, I reckon Clara needs to get with him, you know, once she’s older so that the age difference isn’t as weird and once things inevitably go wrong with this boyfriend with a “reputation”.
Also, ballsy move, Luc… Not *eyeroll*
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Hahaha another #Clarian shipper! 😛 And yeah… Luc is a total coward compared to Joce right now hahaha
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Eh, I’m mainly just a Florian shipper, to be honest. I’d happily see him date Clara, Joce or Luc as long as that means he gets to be in the story a lot 😀
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Okay that made me snort!
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LOL Sorry to disappoint! 😛 I don’t think Clara would keep florian a secret — her family loves him (though he is a bit too older for her anyway though XD)
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Oh no, Clara!! 😦 I think this brings me to back to that teen-innocence comment I made. She can be hard as nails, and still not know when she’s in a situation that isn’t safe/smart for her.
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Yeah Clara definitely likes to play tough, but in the end, she’s still a naive 16-year-old girl…
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oh no! Well I hope Clara doesn’t do the typical “I must rebel” reaction and get in too deep. I need to stop here for now. I’m enjoying cathting up though.
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You picked a nice place to stop haha. Thank you for reading 🙂 You’ll find out soon what Clara does!
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It’s a good thing we have a reasonable heir for once XD but do I speak too soon?
Clara, child, behind all of that anger and nonchalance is a lot of emotion. Pull down that brick wall, and don’t do dumb things that will hurt you in the long run!!!!
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That is great advice for Clara! Her toughness is definitely hiding some vulnerability under the surface…
And as for Joce being reasonable… for now she definitely is! But anything can happen 😉
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