Duplicity (Luke Hemmings AU)

One

I shuffled past the multitude of people in the small, crowded hallway. Damn these schools and their horrid floor plans. Lockers were slamming left and right, clipping the fly-away ends of my hair each time I passed by. My shoulder was weighed down by my over-sized handbag, which doubled as a backpack during the school year. I squinted down at the blue sheet of paper in my hand, trying to read the small print. It was two weeks into the school year, but the counselors had screwed up my schedule originally, so I had to request a change. So here I was two weeks later, trying desperately to get the third floor from the first in two minutes or less. I was probably going to be late.

The stairwell was even more crowded than the hallway I had just been in. We were packed together like sardines. With my luck, I was right next to a group of boys who smelt like they had just come from football practice. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of failed deodorant covered sweat. That was just another thing I could add to my ongoing list of pet peeves: bad deodorant. I craned my neck, trying to see how far I was from the top of the stairs from behind the person in front of me. It wasn't that he was insanely tall, he was just insanely large. I was almost there. My eyes widened as I noticed the time on the clock. I had thirty seconds to get the end of the hallway.

"Excuse me." I mumbled, squeezing inbetween the fat guy and three girls. I may or may not have knocked one of their bags over. I paid no mind to it and continued fast-walking. I could not be late to this class; the teacher had a reputation of no tolerance for tardiness. He was too old to be dealing with a teenager's crap by now.

I opened the door just as the bell rang. My eyes scanned the room quickly for an empty desk. There was a table toward the back of the classroom that was unoccupied. I made my way to my seat, dropping my bag on the floor and sitting my tired butt down in the chair. AP biology labs were my favorite labs in the entire school. The room was split in two, one half a lab and one half a classroom. I particularly liked the seating arrangement; I preferred the table separate from the chair, rather than connected.

"I don't believe I've seen you in here before?" A middle-aged man with a receding hairline said, raising his brow. I handed him my schedule.

"I requested a schedule change, my other classes weren't what I originally signed up for." I explained. I settled my hands on my thighs, playing with the hemline of my shorts.

"I see. Raelynn Littlefield, is it?"

"Yes sir."

'Mr. Noonan. I assume you purposely signed up for this class?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. AP biology isn't a class you want to be in if you aren't committed to it." He put the schedule back down on my desk and walked away. It was then when I realized the whole class was silent, and had been watching me converse with Mr. Noonan. A blush crept its way up into my cheeks. I looked down at my feet, feigning interest in my sandals.

"You're late, Mr. Hemmings."

I looked up, almost meeting eye contact with the boy walking into the classroom. I had known Luke since freshman year. Known was a term I used loosely. Heard of him was more accurate. He and I had the same geometry class in freshman year, but I hadn't seen him since then. He had always been a loner, never one to have many friends, never one to be in the spotlight. I had my fair share of friends, but I wasn't popular. Luke's popularity had skyrocketed in sophomore year, when he lost his virginity to the head cheerleader for the varsity squad. She was a senior. Ever since that night, girls were falling over him. Who would be next to belong to Luke Hemmings? The answer was no one. He hadn't done anything since then, and he rejected every girl who threw herself upon him.

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again." Luke said, making his way to his seat.

"You're forgetting something." Mr. Noonan said, holding out a yellow detention slip. Luke snatched it from his hand and plopped down by someone I didn't recognize. "It's only fifteen minutes this time, do not let it happen again."