Paralyzed ▹ Luke Hemmings

11

And as soon as the words slipped out from her quivering bottom lip, Ashton lashed out and grabbed her by the forearm, shaking her back and fourth. "You're lying!"

"Ashton let go," Sam squeaked, staring at her arm in disbelief. "Please. It h-hurts."

"Then tell me who you were with," Ashton spat, bringing his face closer to hers. "Are you cheating on me?"

"What-? No!" Sam finally shook herself free from his grasp and scrambled off the couch, stumbling backwards. "You're fucking paranoid, dude! I'm not doing anything! I-"

Ashton tried to follow her, but stopped halfway through taking another step forward. "Wait," he said. "I think I know what's going on here."

Sam looked at him oddly from across the room, cautiously taking her hands away from her face. "What?" she exhaled.

"You were with Luke," Ashton stated, his voice dull. "Weren't you?"

Sam didn't know what to say; she knew either way she'd find some way to fuck it up. So she just stood there and looked away, gulping. She ever so slightly shook her head, but she wasn't sure if Ashton could see.

He stared her down with hatred in his eyes. The same eyes she seems to get lost in whenever she looks into them, they shot daggers through her heart and tore her apart inside.

"Well...well what's the shame in that?" Sam dared to speak, and once she did she knew she had to roll with it. "I don't get why you won't let me."

"So you were?" Ashton stepped up to her so their faces were just inches apart, trying to grab her arm again. But she drew it away and backed up. "Sam."

"Stop it, Ashton," she said, vigorously shaking her head. "You're...you're scaring me."

She didn't know what he was going to do. She didn't know how much longer she could hold up until she completely breaks down into tears due to her fear. Now that she's been caught red-handed, there was nowhere to run. So she decided to stand there, suck it up, and endure whatever the consequences of this conversation will be.

-

Luke was sitting at the desktop computer in his room, his tired eyes scanning over his work projected on the screen. He finally finished his first college application and it took him a good 3 hours to do so. He had no idea how he was going to do this for at least another five universities.

Letting out a sigh, Luke sat back in his chair and stretched his hands behind his head. He checked the time at the top of his screen and saw that it was already 10:30. "Damn," he said to himself, blinking his eyes over and over again. He was exhausted.

He submitted the application and decided he would inform his mom about it in the morning. He didn't really run anything by her, like she had said she wanted him to do, he just kind of sat down and completed the whole application himself. There was no time to waste, after all. Most of these are due within the next 2 weeks.

Luke was about to get up and walk to his bathroom to take a quick shower befofe heading to bed. That is, until he heard a knock on his front door.

He stopped halfway through pulling his shirt over his shoulders. Luke stood there in the middle of his bedroom, staring at the wall, his ears listening for the noise again. Although it was a Saturday night, it was still pretty late. Who could possibly be at his front door at this time?

But there it was again, and Luke knew he heard it for real this time. Somebody was knocking on his door, rather softly, he might add, and he had no idea who it was.

They kept knocking, whoever it was, and Luke knew he was going to have to be the one to get it because Liz was already asleep. So, Luke cautiously tiptoed down the hall, careful not to wake his mother when he walked by her bedroom, and jogged down the stairs as quickly as he could. He flicked on the lights in the foyer and skidded to halt with his fingers wrapping around the door handle.