stepbrother ➼ luke hemmings (REWRITING)

34 - YET TO BE REWRITTEN

"Hey Ashley, wanna hear a pick-up line?"

"Sure."

"No, Michael." Ashton glares at him, and Luke shakes his head.

"Seriously, mate. Save yourself."

"You guys are just jealous," Michael smirks, before turning to a very skeptical looking Ashley. "You ready?"

"Kinda."

"Alright," he cracks a grin. "Let's play titanic-"

"Michael, please don't-" Ashton pleads, only to be ignored.

"You be ice-berg, and I'll go down."

"What do you-" Ashley starts, a look of confusion etched on her face, before her eyes widen and she slaps a hand over her mouth.

From next to me I can feel Luke sliding down the couch in what I can only guess as second-hand embarrassment, his hand raking down his face in frustration.

"You need church, dude." says the guy sat on the single armchair, absentmindedly flicking through a book.

It's Vick, looking his hardest not to burst out laughing.

"Forget church, he'll probably catch fire the second he walks in." grumbles Ashton, and Vick laughs.

We're in Michael's house for a change; his living room, to be exact. Luke and I are on the two-person loveseat next to the window, my short legs draped over his long ones.

It's been a couple of weeks since we first saw Vick, and a full week since him and Luke ran into each other at college orientation. Something must have clicked between them, or something, because Luke came home late that day sober for once, with only his new best friend to thank for that.

I didn't mind. I liked having Vick around, and apparently so did everyone else.

"It's a good pick-up line!" Michael argues, still not over the fact that the rest of us were horrified. "It worked before."

"Who exactly did you use it on?"

"Melanie."

"Melanie? That girl from Spanish class?" Luke furrows his eyebrows. "The real life Harley Quinn?"

"Don't be rude," I roll my eyes playfully, and he chuckles.

"What, baby? It's true."

"Yes, I told Melanie," Michael folds him arms. "And she loved it."

"She also loves washing her mouth out with soap instead of actual toothpaste, so I don't know what point you're trying to make, bro." Ashton chuckles.

Michael rolls his eyes. "She's a sweetheart."

"She's a freak." Luke says.

"You're a freak!"

"You're both freaks," Ashley says, waving them off. "I'm hungry."

"Same," Vick breathes, sitting up from his comfortable position. "Want me to order pizza?"

"Sure."

"Alright," he says, dialling a number on his phone and making his way out of the living room.

"Order two!" Ashton calls, just as Vick closes the door.

He then turns to us. "Wanna watch a film?"

"We always watch films," Luke says, and I nod as I sink further back into the couch. "Why don't we go out and do something?"

"We literally went bowling two weeks ago. It takes me a full month to recharge my social battery," says Ashley, who is now sitting upside down on the couch that used to be preoccupied by Vick.