The Game Show Affect [†] Luke Hemmings

~9~

Forgot to publish this bit... Oops?

After getting dressed in some more laid back clothes, I shoved some sharpies in my pockets before making my way down to Luke. After shutting my door I came face to face with one of the girls, Tia. She was probably one of the girls I disliked the most. Her attitude was awful and she was a spoiled daddy's little princess, who has a hell of a lot of growing up to do. Her dyed blonde hair was tide into a perfect preppy ponytail, while her makeup caked face was set in a scowl. Maybe her face was permenantly set in a grimace? Or she strives to be an angry Miranda Sings? Yeah... I like the second reason better.

"Hello, Tia." I said politely. "Excuse me."

She stood still, glaring harder, "I don't need you to ruin this for me. I'm going to win, you little bitch."

Ruin this for her? I'm not doing anything besides making the best of being trapped in this stupid house. I could be making everyone her miserable, but instead I continue to be my usual, wonderful, sweet, bubbly, beautiful, perfect, self.

"Takes one to know one, right?" I shot back, "Listen, Honey, I wanted to come here, as much as you want to do your own cleaning. But I'm here now. I got over it, so now its your turn." A look of fury crossed Tia's face, while I dodged her and darted outside.

Luke was laying in the grass, staring at the lake behind the house. I fell next to him, my head next to him with my feet going the opposite direction. You know... Like Gus and Hazle on the the Fault in Our Stars poster? Yeah, like that.

"Hello, Lukas." I greeted.

"Hello, Blakeley." He returned, a smirk evident in his voice.

"I'm only letting that one slip because I called you Lukas." I giggled. "How was your day?"

"Weird." He answered. "Quinn tried to seduce me while we watched Maleficent."

I grimaced, "Ew." I never understood people who think public sex is thrilling and fun. Cause in all honesty? Its gross, unsanitary and plain disrespectful towards your love and self.

"What about you?" He asked and my throat went dry. I didn't want to talk about it, but I am almost incapable of lying.

"Not much." I shrugged and a small, almost inaudible, sigh left his lips. Which confused me, but I shrugged it off. "I mean we went to the Flea Market and I saw some breath taking art work. Told Tia off... That's about it."

He chuckled, "If only I could tell people off."

"You can't tell people off? Aren't you supposed to be punk rock, Mr. Lip-Ring and Ripped Jeans?" I rolled over onto my stomach, soon after Luke copied my actions.

He avoided eye contact for a brief moment, "Bileve it or not, I'm not the most confident person."

My brow furrowed as thoughts of confusion flooded my mind, "Why would you be shy? I mean, almost any girl would marry you, you've got money, friends, food. Oh, and me. I mean what else could you need?" I asked sarcastically, earning a small giggle before I continued, "If you've got what you need in life, you shouldn't be scared to prove to people that you deserve to be where you are."

Luke sighed, "I don't like people mad at me, in fact it gives me anxiety." He sat up and crossed his legs. "When I was younger I was bullied, didn't really have friends. I wasn't charismatic. When I was in year six, my dad was killed by a drunk driver. My mum became stressed out, my oldest brother was always getting into trouble, and the other one became depressed and started cutting. I didn't want to stress anyone out more, so I kept to myself. The guys have started to pull me out of my shell, but I'm still not the one to speak my mind, or start the conversation. You know?" He asked as what he thought was a rhetorical question, assuming that I didn't actually know.

I pursed my lips and nodded, "I get it."

"You do?" He asked. I sat up and pulled my sharpies, bound together by a silly band because I got spunk, and pushed up his sleeve. I needed to move, I suck at sitting still.

"More or less," I took a quick glance up at him before continuing my work, "yeah. One of my friends, Parker, well he didn't come from the best home. He was a foster kid, I mean, that already gets a kid bullied, but then to add on to that, he had gay foster parents. Mike and Anthony. They are both amazing men, but you know... Not everyone accepts some peoples realities." I paused to take a breath, "Anyway, that's when my hang formed. At first it was just me and Parker, mostly because my mom used to go to school with Anthony, and saw on Facebook a little rant he had posted about his baby. I told my mom that I wanted to help. So she stopped homeschooling me, and I guess you get the picture. Then, slowly but surely, our little posse formed. I was the demanding bitch who protected my brothers."

Luke sighed, "I wish I had a person like that through high school."

"Well," I met his eyes, "You've got it now."

I stroked the pen along his arm a while longer, as we sat in silence. With the last stroke, I spoke, "There."

It was a skull with a little quote, being you never hurt anyone, so fuck the haters.

-Blake Walker Mellet Xx