Santa's Helper • Luke Hemmings

Two - Christmas Party

Ashton puts his hand on his chest and gasps, turning to Luke. "Woah, dude, that's deep."

Luke snarls at Ashton. "That's what your mom said to me, bro."

Everyone gasps at Luke's comment as Ashton begins to snap curse words at Luke. I watch as the two boys get into their own little argument, still not quite understanding how they knew Luke anyway. I'd never seen him in my life, other than in his ridiculous elf outfit as he crushed my sister's dreams and told me how he hates Christmas.

I turn to Michael, who is just stood chuckling at the argument. "How do you guys know Luke?"

"Remember when my mom made me go to counselling every Tuesday because apparently all I wanted to do with life was play FIFA and get ten cats?" Michael asks, both of us chuckling at the memory.

I nod, before Michael continues, "well, that's where I met Luke. He was the session after me and we used to talk about FIFA. Boom, instant friendship."

I chuckle at how boy's seemed to discuss a simple video game and suddenly be best friends. That was probably why I preferred talking to guys most of my life, sometimes I just find girls so difficult to be around. I couldn't help but also wonder why Luke was having counselling, although he seemed like the kind of guy who needs it with his anger issues. I mean, anyone who hates Christmas can't be normal.

-

I stand with my mom and her friends for a little while, since the people from school were driving me insane. Currently, all the kids my age were skinny dipping down by the lake and I couldn't really be bothered with that.

I listen to the Christmas songs playing in the background as all the younger children run around playing and the adults talking about the stresses of Christmas. I decide to stroll away from my mom once she started talking about her childbirth experience (ew) and find some people my own age, although they all seemed to be either drunk or getting naked.

I begin to make my way to toilets a little further into the woods, cutting my way through drunk parents on the dance floor with their Christmas hats on dancing to Last Christmas. I cringe at their ability to make a cringey song even more cringey, especially singing half of the lyrics wrong.

On my way to the toilets, I pause as I hear rustling in the bushes - slowly realizing a person's figure crouching behind a bush. I curiously walk over to the person, although soon realize that it's just the same dude I seem to keep running into, who hates Christmas.

Luke looks up at me as I hover over him, furrowing my eyebrows as I look at him - wondering what on earth he was hiding from. 

"What are you doing?" I hiss, crouching down on the mud beside him. "I thought you'd be with the others by the lake."

Luke shakes his head, a small smile appearing on his face. "I thought you would be too. I was looking forward to it, actually."

I roll my eyes and groan at his comment, still unsure towards why we were currently crouched behind a bush, seeming like we're hiding from something. "Skinny dipping isn't really my thing."

"Apparently joking isn't Ashton's think," Luke lets out a low chuckle, although I couldn't really see him since he was wearing all black in the darkness. "He got so pissed off, I thought he was about to kill me."

"So you're hiding from Ashton?" I ask, adjusting my scarf around my neck.

Luke shakes his head, laughing. "No. I'm playing hide and seek with the kids, so keep your voice down."

I frown at what Luke says, not really understanding this guy at all. How could someone who hates Christmas and seems to ruin it for kids all day during his job, actually be a sweet guy? Maybe I did just catch Luke at the wrong time, perhaps he's not so bad afterall. Not that it mattered though, it wasn't as if I was going to see him again.