"He smiled and all I could think was 'oh shit'"
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Lizzie
Following Luke up the stairs was a shit idea, and I'm only realising that now.
I keep on telling myself it's because he looked stressed and I wanted to check if he was okay, because we are friends even though I have no fucking clue what I am doing.
I walk up the polished floorboards - whoever lives here is rich as hell -, I excuse myself from a crowd of people making out.
I'm about to step down a hallway when someone grabs my wrist, I immediately turn around and slam into a chest.
"Lizzie?" A voice says from above me,
"Levi?" I say registering his face,
"What are you doing here?" I ask as I look behind him and spot a few people staring at us,
"I'm just here with friends, you?"
"Yeah same, I'm sorry but I have to go find someone. I'll see you around" I say before walking off in the direction of the hallway.
I knock on the first door and when no one answers I jiggle with the handle and to my surprise it's open, I push open the door and immediately freeze.
The room is dark and I can barely pinpoint the noises but as I squint I notice a brunette girl laying in the foot of the bed, naked.
"Luke? Luke is that you?" She purrs, I remain quiet and frozen not knowing what the fuck to do. She could be mentioning another Luke, there have to be many Luke's at this party.
"Luke Beckett do not play spooky with me right now" okay so apparently she is talking about my... friend.
"Come fuck me like you promised" she purrs and with that I slam the door shut, absolutely traumatised.
Luke promised her he would have sex with her I realise, I suck in a breath.
"Lizzie?" A voice says from in front of me, a very familiar voice.
I look up and immediately regret all my life choices.
Luke is standing a few feet away from me with one eyebrow raised.
Oh god he is probably here to keep his promise, I feel heat rush up to my cheeks as I slowly start backing away eyeing him and the door I just slammed in the process.
Unfortunately for me he catches on pretty quickly to what I am doing so just as he is about to open his mouth to say something I run, I literally run.
I hear him shouting my name behind me and a door opening so I assume he went into the room with the naked girl, I'm so stupid.
He's Luke Beckett he flirts with everyone and has slept with half the female population.
I don't have feelings for him, we're friends, and my friends would kill me.
I squeeze my way through the crowd ignoring all the death glares I get from people, someone catches my wrist forcing me to turn and look at them.
"Hey you good Liz?" Joey a d-man on our team asks, I nod my head trying to get words out he gives me one last pointed look before letting me go.
I quicken my pace as I get nearer to the front door, once I get outside to the lawn I slam the door shut and let out a sigh of relief when I look around and no one is around.
I walk further down the trashed lawn trying to calm my breathing down.
Once I feel more presentable I smooth the creases on my top and walk towards the front door.
I flinch in surprise when the door jolts open.
"Lizzie it's not what it looked like-" I cut him off before he goes any further,
"You don't owe me an explanation Luke, I was just surprised that's all." I say as I try to walk around him, he steps in front of me blocking my path.
"Lizzie-" he starts,
"No Luke seriously, we're friends you can fuck whoever you want" I cringe at the way the words come out, this whole situation just brought me back down to earth and reminded me of what blinded me.
Sure I might of had an attraction for Luke but it's not my fault, he's handsome and well flirty. But Luke does casual and I don't. Luke had girls on speed dial. Luke is the rival hockey team captain.
We don't fit.
Just as he steps closer, his eyes locked on mine a voice from across the lawn breaks us apart.
"You said you didn't do girlfriends Luke, so who the fuck is this!" A gorgeous brunette roars from the side of the lawn, she marches over to us and I make sure to take a lot of steps back.
Luke looks over at me but I can't tell what emotion he is expressing, his face is stone, my eyes go wide as the girl shoves his shoulder.
"You said I would be the first one you would call if you changed your mind, so why are you running all around the place for this slut?" It takes me a moment to realise what she just called me and I'm having none of it.
"Don't call her that Hannah." Luke says his body gone stiff as his eyes shift over to me,
"What the fuck" I say back at her, she turns on her heel and faces with me and for a moment I feel bad, her eyes are on the verge of tears and she has a somber look on her face. But that somber look is gone the minute she sees me and is replaced with a scowl.
"Who are you?!" She shouts at me,
"Lizzie, nice to meet you. And Luke isn't-" she cuts me off by turning back to Luke,
"Lizzie Myers are you fucking kidding me?! Seriously you could have any girl in the state and you choose the one for your RIVAL campus." She rages, Luke doesn't move, he doesn't move a muscle so I take it upon myself to deny her assumptions.
"Me and Luke aren't together" I say trying to remain calm, luckily people haven't noticed the little seen Hannah is making the only people who can see are the neighbour's.
"Oh save it" she says her voice clipped just when I think she is going to ignore me she turns back on her heel and slaps me. slaps me.
My body doesn't process it at first all I can feel is the sting on my cheek, the next thing I see is Wyatt, Wyatt is standing there holding back Hannah and dragging her away from me.
Cold hands cup my cheek and I turn to face where they are coming from, Luke is looking at me with wide eyes rambling about something although I figure out what he is saying.
"Lizzie! Lizzie are you okay?" His voice, his beautiful voice anchors me.
"Lizzie-" his breathing becomes faster and I can feel his heartbeat as he presses me against his chest, cradling me.
"Are you okay?"
"Lizzie"
"She slapped you god"
"I'm so sorry"
"I'm so fucking sorry"
He keeps on asking me questions, he keeps on cupping my face and apologising. He takes a sharp inhale.
He is having a panic attack.
I realise, I bring him down to the grass, his breathing uneven and his gaze wobbly.
"Luke! Luke look at me." I shout completely ignoring the sting on my cheek,
"Focus on me, on my voice. Breathe in, breathe out" I say mimicking what I've seen on my mums mediation videos she used to watch, when I realise that his eyes are still darting around I bring myself closer by straddling him.
I would find this position embarrassing and intimate but it's the only way I can get him to focus on me and by the way he darts his gaze to me I can tell it's working.
I cup his face in my hands again caressing his cheek, I bring his hand to my heart letting him feel the thumping.
His breaths slow down as his eyes close.
"I'm okay, and you're okay" I lean my forehead against his and after a while his breathing evens out.
"You saw it." His question comes out more as a statement, his tone is flushed and embarrassed.
"Yeah" I say,
"Usually I have my inhaler" he says so quietly, a breath gets caught in my throat. This is his normal he just hides it.
"How often does it happen?" I ask as he stays completely unfazed that I am still straddling his lap.
"Once in a while, I don't want the NHL to think I'm a weakness so I keep it a secret. Its just Wyatt and my family who know about it and I guess now you."
My heart melts, he kept this a secret because he thinks they will find him weak?! Luke is the strongest person I know.
I stop breathing when Luke leans closer to me and I instinctively move back,
"We can't" my voice comes out hoarse and I can't bear looking him in his eyes.
"Lizzie-"
"You're the captain of the hockey team my friends hate the most, your school hates my school, you have a million girls waiting for you to look at them, you want to leave this town and never come back. We can't do that Luke. Friends and that's it" I surprise myself with how tough I sound but every word feels like I am forcing myself to say.
He nods slowly and my gaze catches his again.
"I didn't know Hannah was there-"
"Luke-" I start but he cuts me off,
"No let me explain Lizzie. I wanted the bathroom and then when I came out you were there and the next thing I know is you ran. I checked the room you were in saw Hannah but nothing happened"
"Something has happened" I say quietly, regret fills his eyes but before he or I can say anything else a loud cough comes from behind me startling me.
I scramble off of Luke's lap and straighten my shoulders as I come face to face with Wyatt.
My face grows hot as I realise he probably saw everything that just happened.
"Um-Lizzie I heard Wests girl shouting for you inside just now" he says with wide eyes as he looks between both of us.
"Oh yeah Gracie" I say suddenly remembering I came with my friends,
"I should probably check in with her, um goodnight" I say nodding to Wyatt, my gaze switches to Luke's as I watch him stand and stare at me with no expression.
I clear my throat before waving goodbye to both of them awkwardly.
On my way back to the party I mentally swear at the stupid gods for putting me on this earth.
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Lowkey hate the start of this chapter
Get ready for some tension in the next chapters between "friends"