There For You | Luke Hemmings

Chapter 6 | Age 14

listen to video games while reading this chapter bc it's the perfect vibe and im obsessed with it

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It was funny how everyone saw a boy and a girl who were best friends as being in a couple.

Kat didn't understand. Could there no longer be platonic friendships? She knew that Luke was attractive, she wasn't going to deny that if anyone asked her - but that didn't mean she liked him. And the immature people of her age didn't seem to understand that.

There didn't need to be romance between every relationship. 

Yet apparently, even Piper didn't understand that. "You lurvee him!" she sang.

"I don't love him," Kat said shortly, being used to this. "I'm not looking for a relationship, Piper, I'm fourteen."

"Yes you are," Piper dragged out. "A relationship with Luke."

Kat just nodded. "Okay. Sure."

"Speak of the devil." Piper winked and left.

Luke came over and put his arm around Kat's shoulder. "Hey, so what do you want for your birthday, Katerina?"

She shoved him lightly; he knew she hated the nick-name that he had given her over the summer before high school. "I don't want anything," she admitted.

He scoffed. "Come on, nothing? I know you - you always want something."

"But I don't need anything."

"No one needs anything on their birthday, Kat."

"You're telling me that you're willing to buy me One Direction tickets?"

"Okay, sounds good, I'm not getting you anything."

Kat laughed. "Okay, Luke."

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Luke didn't tell Kat that he was failing math. It was hard for him to keep it from her, since he never kept anything from her. But when his mom decided that she would pack him up and ship him to another school if he didn't get his grades up, Luke decided that it was time for him to tell Kat.

"I can't lose you, Luke." Kat paced, trying to figure out how she could sway Mrs. Hemmings.

"I can't lose you either, Kat. That's why I told you."

Kat stopped pacing. "I could try tutoring you - do you think that'll help?"

Mrs. Hemmings smiled from outside Luke's room, where she could hear the two talking. She knew that all it would take for Luke to get his grades up was to threaten taking Kat away from him.

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It was when the two teenagers were fourteen that Luke started dating.

And who else would he date but the school bitch?

"I want you to stop hanging out with Kat."

"What? I can't stop hanging out with her, she's my best friend," Luke said uncertainly.

"That's exactly why. I can't trust you if you're hanging out with other girls, Luke."

Luke sighed. "Fine."

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And that's when Kat found herself staring at herself in the mirror, doubting herself. She wondered why boys weren't attracted to her.

She named everything she hated about herself: her hair was flat, her eyes were dull, her body was too large, her face was too fat, her chest was way too big, she was too unapproachable. Anything else she could think of, she listed.

And eventually, it was too much. She screamed.

Luke had just entered her house to tell her that he was sorry but they couldn't hang out anymore, when he heard her scream. He ran upstairs and caught her before she fell to the ground in a sobbing eruption.

"Kat, what's wrong?" he asked frantically. She didn't answer, no matter how many times he asked.

Eventually, Luke gave up and just gently rocked her back and forth, waiting for her to finish.

"I'm so sorry, Kat."

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Luke's voice started squeaking soon afterwards. Kat teased him a bit about it in the beginning, but soon stopped as she noticed that it made him feel insecure.

It was completely different when said school bitch started making fun of him for it. Luke kept his head down, knowing that it would die down eventually, but Kat defended him as best she could.

This turned out to be a mistake, since it resulted in the entire school teasing them and saying they would make best couple of the year.

It only made Luke blush, but Kat found herself subconsciously drifting apart from him, as hard as she tried not to.

It was during Kat's birthday party that they finally made up.

Kat was in the kitchen, filling up cups of milk for dessert, when Luke came into the room with his hands behind his back.

"Guess what Luke got you," he sing-songed.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I told you I didn't need anything."

"I told you that no one needs anything on their birthday."

"Did you get me One Direction tickets?" she challenged.

"Almost." He winked.

He handed her the small box. While she gazed at it in anticipation, Luke surprised her with a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, Kat," he whispered.

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guys thank you for all of the support, i'd like to not only thank god, but also jesus and obama.

ashley x