We All Fall Down - A Criminal Minds AU

Thirty One

The next day you pushed everything that had happened in the last 24 hours to the back of your mind. You ate breakfast with Emily and Tara, thanked them for their company last night and assured them that yes, you were okay, that yes, you knew you could turn up at any time, day or night, and that again, yes, you were absolutely certain you were okay. You worked through your shift at the diner, being as cheerful as you could with your colleagues and customers, and doing your best to not think about how you were going to smash everything Spencer thought he knew about his family into tiny pieces. Luke provided a distraction although he could apparently tell your mind was elsewhere.

"You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah... Erm sure." You'd been staring off into space, not even realising that your burger had broken into two and Roxy was devouring the half that had fallen to the diner floor.

"You're not okay. Do you wanna talk about it?"

You did. You so badly did. And Luke was so easy to talk to, even easier than Tara and Emily. But you couldn't tell him until Spencer knew even if you knew that Luke would keep your secret.

"I can't. I need to figure some stuff out first. But thank you, I appreciate the offer."

Luke nodded, his darks eyes showing concern but he did not press the subject. Your friendship had grown to the point where he could tell when you were upset but knew when not to push. When the time was right you would open up and you knew you'd feel lighter for talking to Luke about it. But the time was not right tonight and he knew that.

"UGH!"

You both glanced over to where Hayley was perched at the counter. The diner was quiet, it was nearing closing time and just Luke and Roxy and a table of two regulars were in. H had settled down to do some school work and now looked ready to tear her hair out, throwing her pen across the counter in frustration.

"You okay?" You hauled yourself out of the booth you and Luke had been seated in, him following you.

"No! I hate creative writing assignments so much but I need to get a good grade to pass the class. I just... I can't do it. I can picture a scene in my head but I can't get the words down onto paper!"

The girl was close to tears and you remembered those days. Back when school work was so important to you, especially creative writing.

"Okay, so what's the assignment. What story are you try to tell?" You reached for the pages she'd been scribbling on, Luke reading over your shoulder as Hayley told you both the assignment and what she was trying to write.

"I just.... It's all coming out wrong! I can't do it and I'm going to fail and then I won't get into college and I'll never get out of this town." She threw her hands up in the air and then slumped over the table defeated.

"H, you're not going to fail. I took creative writing in college, I used to want to be a writer. The story that you're trying to tell is on the page, you just gotta work on your structure a little. Here, I'll help." You hopped into the stool next to her and started to point at different sections, explaining how they could be worded differently and where she was going wrong.

You didn't see the smile on Luke's face as he watched you helping her, him remembering how you'd told him how passionate you'd been about writing all those years ago. You also didn't see him clear his own table, or the one of the other regulars as they were getting ready to leave, just so you two weren't interrupted. Before you even realised it, he was tapping on your shoulder and telling you the diner was closed and that he was heading off.

"Ah crap, we gotta wipe down the tables and close up, H."

"No you don't, I've done it all for you. You just need to sort the cash register because I was not going near that. But I've done the tables and refills."