polarize :: [hood]

[iii.v. desperado]

Calum pulls Royce, now. "Fuck Kennedy," he teases but he's mostly serious. "We'll be back. She can wait like, ten minutes. Let's go."

This is blowing Luke's mind.

Calum is like, really into Royce. Like, at first, Luke'd chalked it all up to the alcohol. But, Calum was sober tonight, and he was staring at Royce like she was the beginning and end of everything.

Ashton really was right.

He's like, evolving and shit. 

Becoming a real boy after all. 

And Luke stares at the interaction between the two of them and feels a weird mixture of pride and humor but also jealousy, because Royce is smiling back at Calum like she might like him, too.

"Hey. There you are."

And Luke turns from Calum and Royce and stares at the one girl who has kind of fucked him over in his feelings.

"Hey."

Kennedy folds her arms, perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "You okay, Hemmings?"

He nods, swirling the drink in his hands. He hasn't touched it. "Fine."

"Luke."

"What?" And he takes a giant swig of his drink before setting it down. "I said I was fine."

She side-steps him. "Luke, you've been acting weird all night. What's up?"

And he stares into her eyes and frowns. His blue eyes are hard and angry, just like he's been that whole night since he'd seen her.

"Move, Kenn."

She folds her arms and he groans, rolling his eyes.

"God, can you stop being so stubborn? Fuck--"

"No. I can't." She states blankly. "What's wrong?"

He'd been acting strange all night.

"I'm not about to do this, Kenn. Move."

"No. Talk to me, Luke."

And so Luke stares back at her. They're literally standing in Jesse Fisher's kitchen, having a stare-off as people are talking and laughing and drinking around them.

This isn't how Luke does parties.

He frowns. "You don't like me."

"What?" Kennedy can barely hear over the noise. "Huh?"

"You don't like me," he says, a bit louder, so only she can catch these words. And he scowls, sounding like such a fucking wimp as the words ring in his ears. "Forget it. I don't know why I came, anyway--"

But Kennedy's reached out and grabbed his arm. "Why would you say that?"

"'Cause you don't, Kenn," he laughs. "You obviously don't, so why am I wasting my time? I tell you how I feel about you like, every fucking day and you still don't..." His jaw clenches. "Look, I feel like a fucking idiot. Let's just drop it."

"Luke," she whines, sighing loudly. "You know what people say..."

He scowls, now. "What the fuck are you talking about."

"C'mon, Luke!" She laughs bitterly. "It's not like the whole school doesn't talk about you."

"About what? About me?"