feels like I haven't updated in a year . . .
also this ain't edited
33 | "how it feels"
As soon as Luke and I get inside, I kick my shoes off by the door and head into the kitchen to get ice for my shoulder. I don't know what the hell Dr. Kingston was talking about when he said those pills were gonna make the pain go away, but judging by how much my shoulder was still hurting, he was wrong.
So wrong.
Yanking open the freezer door, I hold it in place with my hip and bend my head, before sifting through everything in search of an ice pack.
"Ugh," I groan. Among everything that's fucking in here, there's not one sight of an ice pack and annoyed, I grab an ice tray and head over to the counter. Flipping it over, I bang my fist on the back of the plastic tray in attempt to get the ice cubes to fall.
And they do. But of course, with my luck, all over the floor.
With a whimper of annoyance, I start to kneel down to gather them. Only, something cold nudges me in the elbow, and I pause. Glancing over, I realize that it's a bag of ... frozen peas?
"Here, this works," Luke mutters from behind me. "Well, at least I think so. I seen people do it in like movies and shit."
I turn to stare at him, bemused. Where the hell did he even get th-
"Zac Efron," Luke nods, reading my thoughts, once again. "That movie where he turned back to a kid and almost screwed his own daughter?" Furrowing his eyebrows, he gives me this half smile that says, "unbelievable, right?", and then he shrugs, "Yeah, well he got his balls kicked in and used these."
I stare down at the bag in his hand. I mean, I guess it is sort of like an ice pack. It's cold and flexible. So with a nod, I grab the bag from his grip and climb up onto the bar stool, sighing.
I never thought, I'd say this, but I seriously hate my mother right now. This is mostly, if not all, her fault. She was the one who made me clean that damn closet, which was the reason something fell on me. Then if my shoulder didn't already hurt enough from that, she practically pulled my arm out of its damn socket. Hence, why I'm sitting here, all caught up in a damn ugly blue sling with a bag of freaking vegetables on my shoulder!
Dropping my head down on the table, I let out an aggravated scream. Then another. And okay, another. Might as well let it all now.
"You done?" Luke questions from in front of me, laughing quietly.
When I lift my head, he's is crouched down on the floor, collecting the fallen ice cubes and I stare at him; a bit exasperated. I mean, I get that he's trying to help me, but I'm not a baby, I could have easily gotten those up by myself.
Plus, him being so nice to me, does nothing but ruin the fact that I want to be mad at him. Not to mention the fact that it defeats the whole purpose me giving him a silent treatment, because now it just seems like I'm the bitch.
"Hey, are you hungry?" He calls, "My dad said they were gonna be running a bit late, so I figured I could make us something."
I ignore him. I never even said I wanted to talk to him. Why is he talking to me? Jumping down from the bar stool, I grab the house phone off the table and hurry out of the kitchen.
Maybe if he doesn't see me, he won't think that it's a free invitation for us to be cool again. Because, without an apology that I've yet to get, it's not. Climbing the stairs to my room, I take a seat on my bed, and rub my makeshift ice pack around on my shoulder while I go through the call history on our landline until I recognizes Ashton's number.
I press call, and lay back on my bed, hoping that he answers.
Fortunately, he does, "You rang, Anastasia?" He says my name like it's pronounced 'ah-na-stah-see-uh', and I laugh.
"Let's stick with Annie, alright?"
"Why? I quite like your full name," he grumbles.
Rolling my eyes, I say, "Yeah, well you're saying it wrong. It's pronounced, 'ana-stay-zhuh'. Pretty much why my nickname is, Annie. Otherwise, it'd be like, Anna, or something."
There's a silent break, Ashton repeating it over quietly, and then he laughs, "Ooh! Well, I like the way I say it better."
"Whatever, do you know to drive?" I ask.
Ashton hesitates, "I don't have a car."
"Not what I asked," I squeeze ice pack down on my arm, shifting it into a more comfortable position, "Do you know how to drive?"
"Yeah, I have a license." He admits, "Why?"
"Because we're going out."
"Where?" Ashton asks, dragging the word out like he's skeptical of me.
"I don't know," I huff, "Somewhere, anywhere. Everywhere. I just, I don't feel like being home."
"Can I ask why?"
"No!" I announce, playfully, "You've already asked too many questions, plus, I'm pretty sure only last week, I was promised slave services."
There's a chuckle on the other side of the speaker, and then he says, "I suppose you're right."
"I always am. Now, get your ass over here." Then with that, I hang up the phone, and set it down along with the ice pack on my nightstand. Sitting up, I glance down at my outfit. I'm wearing jeans, and a simple Gap t-shirt that I got back when I was a freshman.
It's a pale baby blue color with the Gap logo on it, and luckily it only shows just a tiny bit of my midriff this time. I decide to ditch the jeans, for a pair of mid-rise white shorts and I'm standing by my mirror trying to button them with just one hand when Luke knocks on the door; peeking his head in.
I make a mental note to lock my door the next time and then I go back to trying shove the metal button through its dammit hole.
"Can I come in?"
I ignore him, again. He's gonna come in whether I say yes or no, anyway. Might as well save my breath. Luke shrugs, and then he walks over to where I am, and pulls my desk chair from underneath my desk. From my mirror, I watch as he twists it round in his hand and in one swift movement he's sitting down; his long legs on either side of it, and his arms folded up on the top.
He's ditched his leather jacket, now sporting a plain black t-shirt. "Are you gonna talk to me anytime soon?"
I realize that Luke probably doesn't know what the hell the meaning of a silent treatment is, so pitying him, not really, I shake my head.
He lets out a deep breath and rest his head on his forearms, "It's been three days, I thought we were past this."
Why would you think that? I don't exactly remember getting an apology of any sort.
"Plus, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
Yeah? What's that? Matter of fact, I don't want to know. Because if it's anything like the last thing you wanted to tell, I'm probably not gonna be able to stop myself from hurting you.
Sighing, I glance behind me and contemplate on laying down on my bed; maybe then it'll be easier to button my shorts. Turning around, I start in the direction of my bed, but then Luke's finger hooks through my belt loop and he tugs me gently back over to him.
I grab his wrist, planning to pull him off of me, but then he motions towards my unbuttoned shorts, "I could fasten this for you in like two seconds."
I peer down at him and with a reluctant sigh, I let him go. He's right. Plus, the sooner these pants are buttoned, the sooner I can go.
A slight smile deepens the dimples in his cheeks, he with a tilt of his head he motions for me to come closer.
Don't try anything, Hemmings, I'm still mad at you. With a quiet sigh, I take a step closer; resting my hand on the chair while I wait, awkwardly, for him to go on.
"Alright," Careful, smooth knuckles softly graze the cotton hem of my bikini briefs, and then quietly Luke laughs, "Annie, you still wear underwear with the days of the week on them?"
"Ugh, Luke!" Slapping his hands away, I back up away from him and turn back to face my mirror, "You're such an annoying creep!"
He laughs, and then he stands up, "I just wanted to hear your voice, again. I knew you'd get mad if I said that."
"Well you're not funny," I mutter. "And I don't wear underwear with the days of the week on them."
"I know." From in the mirror, I watch as Luke steps behind me. Wrapping his arms around my waist, Luke leans his head slightly over my shoulder to help him see, and then in less than a minute he's fastened my pants for me.
"Thanks," I say, really meaning, 'you can back up now'. I really don't know how much more of being like this I can take.
But he doesn't. Instead, he rests his head on my shoulder, cheek against mine, and wraps his arms tighter around my waist. Blue eyes meet with my brown ones in the mirror, and he silently says, "I'm sorry, alright? For you know, saying what I said to you."
Mentally, I know that already I accept his apology, mainly because I have to admit, you can't stay mad at Luke Hemmings for long. It's impossible. But, I decide that I'll make him sweat it out a little longer. He deserves it. So, with that I continue on with ignoring him. Breaking our gaze in the mirror, I place my hand on top of his, attempting to peel his hands off of me.
"I'm not letting you go until you accept my apology," he says, his lips moving against my cheek, and then as if to confirm that statement, he locks his arm tighter around me and pulls me back against his body.
Almost unbelievably, I manage to keep my cool. Rolling my eyes, I deadpan in the mirror.
"Your attitude doesn't faze me. I could stand here all night with you, Annie." Luke brings his arms up so that they're almost wrapped entirely underneath my chest, and he chants quietly in my ear, "Talk to me, talk to me, talk to me, talk to me."
And I can't take it anymore. He smells too good, he feels too good, he looks to good. "Alright, apology accepted. Let me go," I whisper, hoarsely.
"Not yet," he mumbles, "I haven't hugged you for three days."
"You never hug me, Luke. No need to start now."
He mutters for me to shut up, and then carefully he twists me around, wrapping his long arms around my shoulders, gently nuzzling his face into my collarbone. The tip of his nose softly brushes itself over my skin, and I flush.
"Luke you're huge, I feel like I'm being suffocated," I lie.
"You'll be alright," he laughs.
And because Luke really doesn't hug me often, I reach up and hug him around the waist. Well, I mean, as best I can with one arm. He's warm, his shirt soft, and he hums quietly in the back of his throat, making me smile.
After another minute, I go to step back and this time Luke lets me, "Are you happy?"
He nods, biting the inside of his lip, "I'd be even more happier if I could k-,"
The sound of the house phone ringing cuts him off and we both look in the direction of it. Oh yeah, Ashton. Walking over, I grab it and press the answer button, mocking him, "You rang?"
"For someone who was so demanding about me coming to their house, I would expect them to be outside, reading and waiting," Ashton laughs.
Rolling my eyes, I say, "Be down in a sec, relax."
Hanging up the phone, I grab my satchel, tossing my still frozen bag of vegetables in, before draping it over my shoulder. I can feel Luke watching me as I quickly drag a hairbrush through my hair, before applying a little bit of lip gloss and perfume. I half expect him to say something to me, maybe ask me where I'm going, but he doesn't.
Opening my bedroom door, I look back at him, "Um, I'll be back later."
"You're leaving?"
"Yeah, for a little bit." He trails me downstairs and over to the door, impassively staring at me as I slip my feet into my sandals. Grabbing my car keys off the vanity desk, I go to open the door.
"Whoa, what do you think you're doing?" Luke exclaims, pushing the door back closed with his hand.
"What?"
"You can't drive, Annie. You don't even have a license yet, let alone a permit!"
Narrowing my eyes, I huff, "I'm not driving anywhere, Luke!" He pointedly turns his blue eyes to my keys and I sigh, "I'm letting Ashton drive my car, he's old enough."
Luke laughs, then stops, then laughs again, "No you're not. Put the keys down, now."
"What?" I repeat, incredulous, "You're out of your mind, move."
"The idiot can't even ride his own fucking bike, I'm not letting you get into a car with him!"
I don't even bother saying anything back, instead hitting him with a 'try me', look. Stepping around him again, I yank the door open and step outside into the summer air.
I don't see Ashton on the steps or in the driveway, and I almost think that I have to go back in to call him, but then I notice him sitting on our porch swing, looking down at his phone.
His wearing glasses, like really cute large rimmed glasses, that makes him look adorable. But, that's not what makes me gasp. It's the fact that his hair is noticeably shorter, ending just below his ears; blond-brown curls hanging over his forehead.
"Whoa," I laugh, "Ashton you cut your hair!"
He looks up, locking his phone, and he smiles. "Yeah, I did. Well, actually I got Michael to cut it. It wasn't gonna be this short, but the asshole cut too much off one side and you know ...," he trails off.
"No, no," I shake my head, "It looks nice!"
"Thanks," he grins. "What the hell happened to your arm?"
I hold up my sling, muttering sarcastically, "Oh, this? Nothing too serious."
He laughs, and just as he starts to say something Luke claps once and steps out onto the porch with us, "Well, now that you two are all caught up with each other personal lives, come on Annie. Back inside."
Ashton looks at me, narrowing his eyebrows in confusion, and I shake my head, "Ignore him. Let's go."
He glances at Luke, then hesitates before nodding his head towards the stairs, motioning for me to come on. I start to follow him.
"Listen to her if you want to, mate. But, I promise you won't leave this driveway without a broken nose," Luke states, calmly.
Ashton stops, turning around, and my eyes widen angrily, "Luke, what the hell is wrong with you?"
Behind me, Ashton laughs, a bit too nonchalant for my liking, "Are you threatening me?"
Luke shrugs, "Call it what you want."
"Well, from where I'm from, that would be called a threat. And you know, the people I hang with, they don't really take those kinds of things lightly."
Luke blinks, unfazed, "Do I look like I give a fuck about where your from or who you hang with?''
Rolling my eyes at Luke's attempt to be a hard ass, I gently take a hold of Ashton's hand and focus pulling him back towards the stairs, "He's not gonna do anything. Let's just leave."
"Nah, he's got me intrigued now," Ashton admits.
Turning my gaze to Luke, I stare at him and say, "Luke's not gonna do anything to you, Ashton. Let's just go."
Blue eyes harden and I watch as Luke sets his jaw, slowly breathing in and out, before lifting both his palms up and nodding, "You know what, she's right. Just go."
Ashton laughs, rolling his eyes, "Fucking weirdo."
Everything after that sort of happens in slow motion. From Luke barreling out the door towards Ashton, to him throwing his body weight behind his fist, and hitting the hazel haired boy in square in the jaw; blood instantly pooling in his mouth from the force.
"Luke!" I scream, jumping back, "What the fuck!"
Ashton spits in the grass, a grin on his face, and he wipes his mouth with the bottom of his shirt, "Alright, I gotta admit, kid. You've got quite a right hook." Then he's tackling Luke down on the porch, and straddling him before punching himbin the face.
There's a heavy knot sitting in my stomach from the sight, and I think I'm crying, but I can't tell because I'm too busy screaming at them to stop.
"Ashton! Get off of him!" I cry, stumbling up the stairs I catch his arm, and drag him the best I can off of Luke and back onto his feet, "Stop!"
Holding up both hands, he backs up, "Alright, I'm done, I'm done."
Luke scrambles to his feet, seething, his chest rising heavily up and down and his blue eyes dark and brooding. His lip is busted and there's a bruise forming under his eye, and I cry, "Look at you, Luke! Why would you do this?"
He doesn't say anything, and Ashton pants from beside me, "Fuck this, I'm out of here."
"Wait, wait for me," Shaking my head, I furiously wipe underneath my eyes and grab his wrist, tugging him down the stairs.
"You're seriously still gonna leave?" Luke says so quietly, it's a wonder I even hear him.
Biting my lip, I glance over my shoulder at him, trying not to cry anymore, "Now you see how it feels."
---
AN- tbh i can't see either one of them fighting anyone
i just wanna take a moment to thank noelle for introducing me to the god like human being that is andy biersack. lmao i will forever be indebted to you
also go check out hoodisfire's story, "demons". it's calum and girly!micheal fanfiction and it's literally the best boyxboy that i've ever read. seriously, you'd be doing yourself a favor by checking it out.
+ if you're like a loyal reader of mine lol and have an undiscovered fanfic or any other genre, that you want people to read just message me and i'll give you a shout out. might as well share the fame, you guys are the reason my book got this far :D
i feel like these announcements just get longer and longer, gee someone shUT ME UP ALREADY. thanks for reading, vote and comment what you thought of this update :D THANK YOU GUYS ILY