Yeses and Toes

The Tree and the Power Pole

I could smell Mrs Silkstone's perfume when she hurried out of the house, bawling her eyes out. It was the same one she wore when I was a kid. Fleur would always wrinkle her nose up at it but I had always secretly thought the spicy, floral scent was nice. Maybe because my own mother never wore any. She and my father weren't the fancy type like the Silkstones were so the little things they did always intrigued me. No matter how insufferable the two were.

Mr Silkstone was silent as he followed his wife out, shutting the door behind him without so much as a glance back.

Luke and I stood still, opposite ends of the room, listening to the sound of their car fade out into the distance.

He looked blank, staring into space. Like he couldn't believe what had just happened. I couldn't believe it either, so my expression was sure to have mirrored his.

We stayed like that for a couple minutes, me replaying the entire scenario in my mind, when he suddenly let out a loud breath of air.

"That went well."

I wasn't entirely sure what to say to that. The boy was clearly in shock. I didn't want to make it worse. So I stayed quiet.

And then he started laughing, falling into the couch. "I really screwed up big, didn't I?"

Cautiously, I made my way over to him. "Luke..." I said quietly. I so badly wanted to help him but I had no idea at all how. He had practically lost his parents and then he went into shock and now he was rolling around on the couch, hysterical.

"I never, never, in a million years," he said, "thought that would happen to me. Oh, Fleur, for sure but me, me, class-president, golden, ivy kid getting disowned by his parents? I... I..."

He snorted and collapsed into another fit of laughter, holding his ribs together and squeezing his eyes shut.

I had to do something, anything, so I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He abruptly shut up and tilted his head to look at me.

"Luke," I started tentatively. I had to say the right thing or this could go horribly wrong. "I think-"

I was cut off when he caught my arm and yanked me down onto the couch with him.

"Luke!" I yelled, scrambling to get up. It was no use. He had me trapped between his arms. Oh no, he had actually lost his mind. He was no longer sane. This was all too much for him. I had to stop him before he did something he'd regret. "Luke," I began in what I hoped was a firm voice. "Please let me go."

He ignored me and nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck, chuckling quietly. "Please say my name again," he murmured.

"Look," I said, "we can get through this together. Just let me go and we can-"

"Together." I could feel him smiling into my neck. "I like that."

The poor boy had lost his marbles. It was going to be a hell of a lot of work to get them back. I tried pushing him away but he still wouldn't budge. I was stuck between him and the back of the couch.

"I like that," Luke repeated and then he moved his head to meet my eyes. "I like that, because I love you."

I couldn't breathe.

I knew he had said it before but it was still kind of a surreal experience. My insides felt all funny. And not the kind of funny that was the sick kind of funny that I felt when Rick was into me. It was a different kind of funny. A new kind of funny. One I sort of liked. Even though I most definitely shouldn't have. The guy had just lost his parents and was currently off-the-walls insane. Yet I liked, loved, the feeling he was giving me all the same. I felt conflicted but I couldn't do anything about it because his eyes, stars in them, were boring right into my soul. It was creepy and wonderful and nice and terrifying all at the same time.