:: 17 ::
Luke stood next to Michael with sweaty palms and fidgeting feet. In front of him were three of the thirteen people that Michael claimed to have been on the rugby team. Michael had a casual arm hooked around Luke's shoulders, a lazy but excited grin on his face as he stared at the fellow athletes.
"Luke, this is Ashton Irwin, Craig Owens, and Landon Tewers," Michael introduces, nodding toward the three. Luke smiled at them, still feeling a bit too down to have motivation to even be slightly polite to new people. "Luke here is part of my rugby operation."
At that, the blonde's eyes rolled. "You say 'operation,' like we're a secret agency."
"We are," Michael said blankly. "An agency of athletes." Craig laughed at him, but stopped when Landon rolled his eyes.
"I don't play sports," Luke informed with a shake of his head.
"You want to play baseball, right?"
"Well, yeah, but--"
"An agency of athletes."
Luke muttered to himself, ignoring Michael's obnoxious grin and turning to the three boys in front of him. "I'm Luke, you knew that already, but I wanted an excuse not to talk to him."
"You're the Hemmings' son, right?" Craig seemed to not be able to resist asking. Luke blinked.
"I'm Luke."
"And I'm Landon, please excuse him; he doesn't have much of a filter," the boy pushed Craig to the side, stepping forward.
Luke laughed while glancing over at Michael, "I don't even think Michael has a thought process."
"Look, Craig, we're watching our parents meet for the first time," Michael mumbled.
"But my dad is a police officer," Craig said dumbly. Luke began to wonder if he was the literal definition of the athletes stereotype; the really-cliché-movie-scene stereotype where they're dumb and clueless and say a lot of stupid things.
Landon turned toward the two and glared at Craig. "You know what the word hypothetical means, right?" Landon asked him, exasperated.
"Oh," Craig said.
"Anyway, time to talk about rugby," Michael piped. They all went to sit in two rows of the bleachers. "I already talked to Flan, she said she'd talk to the board."
"You call our principal Flan?"
Shaking his head to dismiss the comment, Michael asked, That was the only thing you got out of that?"
"Whatever, it doesn't matter," Landon interrupted. "Has she said anything yet?"
"No," the hockey player admitted, but seeing Landon huff, he was quick to reassure, "but I'll stop by the main office tomorrow to ask again." Landon was an intimidating guy, even if Michael would never admit it out loud. He was the biggest rugby player on the team and didn't hold back the dislike he had for anyone or anything. So, Michael intended to stay on his good side.
He's getting weak.
"You talk to coach?"
"The first person I talked to."
"What's next?"
"I don't know until I see Flan," Michael said. "I've kind of been winging this whole thing."
"Don't you think that's not the smartest way to do this?" Ashton wondered with furrowed eyebrows.
"Michael is cluttered and unorganized but somehow he's accomplished a lot, so," Luke defended, chuckling, "even if I agree with you, just trust him. For now."
Michael quickly corrected, "Trust me always."
The banter was interrupted by Coach Clifford's voice, shouting a, 'Michael, practice started five minutes ago!' to which the younger boy yelled back, "Three minutes ago!" but ran down the bleachers anyway.
"As much as I don't want to admit it, Michael scares me," Ashton said, watching Luke jump from having forgotten he was there, even with asking a question a few minutes ago. He didn't say a word aside from that and the brief hello that Luke got from all of these rugby players he was now left alone with. He had the height advantage but the muscle was completely not in his favor.
"Nah, he's a softie," Luke chuckled. He remembered when he thought something along those lines, though he never thought Michael himself was scary, rather his blind self-destruction that was seemingly invisible to the entire student body. That still scared him, if he had to admit. On a now much higher level than before.
Landon rolled his eyes--again--and said, "Of course you would think that." Ashton was quick to agree with him.
Luke started at the pair. "I don't understand."
"I never understand," Craig interrupts, making his two friends and former teammates groan.
"We know," they said together, looking at him with exhaust. Apparently Landon and Ashton dealt with this a lot.
Turning back to Luke, Landon explained to him, "But, of course you'd think he's a 'softie,' because you guys have a thing."
"We don't..." Luke replied, "I have a date tonight with a girl called Penny."
Ashton shook his head, "You're kidding."
Landon gave him a thoughtful look, though, and then glanced toward the rink where Michael was now occupied with the directions yelled to the team by Coach. "Heart-Eyes Clifford and Insensible Hemmings--"
"--just adorable," Ashton finished, smirking.
Did more people think that he and Michael had a thing? Because, Luke could see why anyone would have the idea. It's not like he hung out with anyone else until two weeks ago, and they do suddenly have a friendship when a lot of people witnessed their not-exactly-friendly first encounter.
And it's not that Luke found it weird, he was just confused. Because it wasn't weird to think about.
+ + +
After practice, Landon, Ashton, and Craig were told by Michael that they'd know as soon as Mrs. Flanagan told him anything. That left him to go into the locker room and Luke soon after it was empty with only the two.
"I told my dad that I might be hanging out with you, so if we leave he knows," Michael told the blonde while pulling on his shirt and packing up his hockey gear. "We can just do stupid shit or we can figure out what to do after I talk to Flan again."
"Mike, I really have to go," Luke said, a sudden guilt settling in his stomach. "Penelope is waiting for me." He looked down at his phone and then back up at Michael, teeth lightly gnawing at his bottom lip.
Michael turned to him with a frown. "What? Why can't you just cancel?"
"I cancelled on her two days ago for you," he replied. It was rude to cancel twice in a row, and it's not like he wanted to. Michael was the one who called Luke clingy, but won't let him do his own thing.
"I don't understand why she's more important than me and this rugby team," the hockey player complained, his arms crossed.
"It's a date, Michael," Luke rolled his eyes, "I can get a girlfriend and help you at the same time."
"You've known her for two weeks."
"That's why we're getting to know each other," he pointed out.
Michael fell quiet, picking at a loose thread on his jeans. Thoughts ran through his mind about Luke and this Penelope girl and he didn't like it. "You like her?"
Luke grinned; it makes Michael's stomach churn and his shoulders slump, because he knew the answer just by looking at the gleam in the boy's eyes. "Yeah, I think I do," he said.
"Well, let's go, then." He watched as the hockey player grumbled to himself and packed his hockey gear back in his bag,
Luke, finally catching onto his plummeting mood, grabbed Michael's shoulder to stop him. "Why are you so bitter? You've never even met Penny."
Michael coldly shrugged off Luke's hand, still not looking up. "Bitter? I'm not bitter. It's not like I can't go bother Calum," he spat.
"You are," Luke argued. "My life doesn't revolve around sports; my life also doesn't revolve around you."
"Don't you have Penny to hang out with?" Michael mocked the boy, with a roll of his eyes and crossed arms. He was being childish and he knew it, but it's not like he's ever dealt with these kinds of feelings before. He hasn't since the tenth grade, anyway.
"I hate when you get like this," Luke admitted, scoffing. "I'll see you later."
Luke shouldn't feel guilty for having a life. He shouldn't have to watch what he does because Michael isn't okay with whatever, or whoever, Luke is occupying his time with. Michael had other friends; he didn't. That's why he wants to spend time with Penelope--it just helps that she's pretty cute. And that she has a farm.
Luke walked as quickly as possible and began to text the girl why he wasn't on time. They were going to get to know one other but didn't want any distractions from doing so. Luke suggested sitting in the swing set at the kids' park down the road from his neighborhood and, even though she laughed about stealing seven-year-olds' play time, Penny agreed.
A glance at the phone every five seconds only showed that there was no text back. Luke grew nervous after five minutes; if the girl was upset, it was basically Michael's fault, wasn't it? Because he wouldn't let Luke leave and tried to start an argument.
Sometimes Michael still got on Luke's nerves. It'll always be that way, most likely; it's the dynamic they started with and its the dynamic that their friendship is built off of, so most of the time he doesn't mind much. But, when he's starting to finally get himself a life and maybe a girlfriend, the attitude can get annoying.
It didn't take long for his worries to diminish though, because the speed walking he had done had him catch sight of Penelope's figure sitting on a swing within ten minutes. "Penny!" he yelled to her, a big, goofy smile on his face as he waved (being extremely obnoxious). Luckily he got a one back.
When he got close enough, Penelope said, Took you long enough," but Luke quickly figured out she was teasing by the grin he saw when he looked at her. It wasn't very sunny outside and was actually beginning to get rather cold, so the natural redness of her nose was intensified with drop of temperature.
(Luke found out that Penelope hated how large and freckled her nose was but he didn't think a nose was something to define yourself by.)
"How long have you been waiting?" he wondered shyly. He took a seat on the swing next to Penny and began swinging at the slow pace that she was; their feet never leaving the wood chips below them.
"I got here, like, five minutes after we were supposed to meet, so I guess we're both late." This is why Luke likes Penny; she never makes him feel guilty and is always really nice. Luke likes nice. Luke likes Penny.
If he hasn't already made it obvious.
"Sorry, though. Michael was holding me back," he explained.
"He's your best friend. I'm not going to take you away from that." So nice.
But, he frowned, thinking back to just a handful of minutes earlier. "He tried to get me to cancel. That would've made me feel bad."
"You feel bad about everything."
"I do not!" He does. Luke knows he does, but it's not his fault. If he has a very apologetic personality, that's a good thing--in some aspects. A lot of people take advantage and try to get him to feel sorry for what they did, and it works every time.
"Okay, okay. I'll stop making fun of you. Instead..." she went to her phone laying on the ground a few feet in front of them and say back down with it, scrolling through what seemed to be a lot, "what music do you like?"
"I don't listen to music that often," Luke admitted. He suddenly felt like a loser; who doesn't listen to music? So, he added, "unless video game soundtracks count," but that just made him seem like a geek and a loser.
"Such a stereotypical boy thing to do."
"I just never get the chance to listen to anything else other than the Ratchet & Clank soundtrack."
"Why not?"
"I'm...not entirely sure?" His eyebrows furrowed and he looked down to his feet moving back and forth against the dirt. "Like, I could do it on my own time but my dad always seems to be talking or doing something important."
"So? Headphones exist."
"He doesn't like when people aren't listening to him. And I go to all those important thing with him," Luke told her with a quiet voice. Was he lame? Yes. He's incredibly lame.
"Oh," Penelope frowned, "well now is the perfect opportunity to start the beginning of your beautiful music library!"
"How do I know it'll be that great?"
"Because my taste in music is the best thing you'll ever see."
He raised an eyebrow, pulling his swing over to her side to push it into her gently. "Who knew Penelope Edwards could be so cocky?"
"Oh, did it come off that way? I'm not, I swear," she blushed.
Luke shook his head and pointed to her phone. "Show me this amazing taste of yours."
"How do feel about people who sound like they can barely sing but also sound awesome anyway? Because that's my main thing," she asked, not looking up from her phone, but still holding a smile so that was okay with Luke. "The Front Bottoms, Joyce Manor, Modern Baseball..."
"The Front Bottoms sounds like a name for boobs."
"Because that's what it is," she said, shrugging. A second later she jumped up, scaring Luke. "Wait! You look like you'd be into heavier stuff; I have that."
After a few seconds of looking through her music, she tapped something and closed her eyes upon hearing the opening notes.
Can you hear your heartbeat racing? Can you taste the fear in her sweat?
Luke couldn't help but laugh at how excited she got over a simple arrangement of instruments and words. The volume was up and Penelope wasn't yelling the lyrics, but she wasn't singing either.
You've done this wrong, it's too far gone; these sheets tell of regret. I admit that I'm, I am just a fool for you.
It was short lived, since Penelope turned the music down when she saw the look on Luke's face. "Sorry, am I embarrassing? I can quiet down."
"No, keep going. It was kind of cute."
That's how they spent their day. It was a good way to end a Saturday and made the whole Clingy Michael situation disappear. It washed away the daily annoyance that Michael seems to bring him lately. He was Luke's best friend, but lately it's been nice to be around someone completely different.
Yeah, Penelope isn't anything like Michael at all.
• • •
ur fave canadian got the rest of her braces off yesterday + got new glasses after 3 years and feels so alive for 2k16
BEFORE THE NEW YEAR: thank you for how much you guys have helped me make this book grow, which couldn't have made me happier. i love seeing your comments and i love getting messages about it/anything in general. literally this book had just hit 4k last month and now almost 18k the end of december. idk you make me happy and writing makes me happy and i am a ball of fluff bye
(also things r happening sooner than u think hold on tight my frieNds. and that song is important lmao)