Author's Note:
I'M BACK! I mean, not really. I'm still in bed and I won't be back at school for another, like, three weeks, but ehh. Here's LUCKY 13. Vote, comment, fan, share, etc...
xoxo,
Q.
“I talked to Lilith today.” Nate says as soon as he sets his tray down.
I choke on my water and Emery hits me on the back.
“I’m sorry, you what?” I manage. Alana and Jess both seem unable to speak, and Katy is just staring at him, dumbfounded. Emery seems to be the only one with a clear head.
“What did you say?” he asks.
Nate sighs. “I asked her how she was doing. I told her how sorry I was. She said I didn’t need to be. I told her I wanted her to know how much I had really loved her. She smiled and said she’d really loved me too and that she was thankful for all I’d done for her. We kissed. I said goodbye.”
“Um…you kissed?” Jess asks. Alana and I share a glance. Somebody’s jealous…
Nate shrugs, taking a sip from his milk carton. “Yeah. Kind of a goodbye kiss, you know? We’ve been through some shit, man, and it was good to get that closure.”
Jess nods, but doesn’t say anymore.
Alana and I raise our eyebrows at each other. Those two really are just avoiding the inevitable. Even their parents know they’re going to end up together. It’s really just a matter of time at this point, and all of us are sick and tired of waiting.
“You know, sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if our baby girl had made it.” Nate says, quietly.
The awkwardness of the table is palpable. None of us know what to say; or if we should say anything at all.
Nate looks up at him and smiles sheepishly. “Sorry for all the heavy unloading today.”
Emery instantly jumps in. “Hey, don’t apologize. It’s good that you shared. It’s more of that hippie thing Alana was talking about when we were at the hospital that night.”
“You know, peace and love and weed and all that.” Alana says, jokingly, and the mood of the table is suddenly brightened.
“So that’s my drama of the day.” Nate says with a grin. “How about you guys?”
“Nothing too terrible has happened so far.” I say, and immediately regret it because apparently, fate decided to be a bitch to me today.
“Luke.”
I look up to see Gabe standing there.
“Gabe, what’s up?” I ask.
He’s not smiling. “I need your help again.”
My smile disappears and immediately I know what happened. “Toby?” I ask.
He nods. “And Drew.”
I promptly jump up and follow Gabe as he starts running out of the cafeteria. I register vaguely that Emery is right behind me.
Gabe leads us down the hallway and outside, back behind the gym. I feel my heart drop down into my stomach when I see that we’re approaching the dumpster, which, for once, is closed tightly.
“I can’t open it by myself.” Gabe tells us, quietly, and Emery and I jump in to help him.
The three of us pull on the lid of the dumpster as hard as we can, grunting as we do so, and finally it opens.
I swallow loudly, trying to make sure my heart doesn’t accidentally come out of my mouth.
They’ve gone too far.
Don’t those guys know that there’s a line when it comes to this kind of thing? You can’t just do this to people.
Emery lifts Drew up out of the dumpster and Drew lets out a whimper through his dishrag of a gag. I heave Toby out and we both gently put the two of them on the ground and begin untying them out of their rope binds.
I actually feel sick in my stomach as I gently take out their gags and take off their blindfolds. Drew has tears streaming down his cheeks and I feel my heart wrench as Toby immediately pulls Drew into his arms as soon as he’s free of his own ropes.
I look at Emery with a disgusted expression on my face. “Where the fuck did they even get the rope?”
Emery takes the rope from my hands and tosses it into the dumpsters. He looks at me, his eyes sad, and again I want to kiss him, just to get that sad look off of his face, but Gabe is still here, so I don’t.
“We have to fix this.” Emery says, his voice breaking slightly and my stomach churns uncomfortably. I hate seeing him upset and I nod firmly at him, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder, the most affectionate gesture I can do with my brother so close by.
“Guys, come on, we’re taking you to the nurse.” I say to Toby and Drew, who are now on their feet, but Drew is still crying uncontrollably in Toby’s shoulder, and Toby himself is trembling slightly.
Toby shakes his head insistently. “No, if my parents find out about this, they’re gonna have me transferred.”
“Why don’t you just get transferred?” I ask. “You wouldn’t have to go through all this bullshit!”
Toby looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “And leave Drew here alone? No fucking way.”
It’s the first time I’ve heard Toby swear and it throws me off a little. Toby may be a little manlier—for lack of a better word—than Drew, but he’s still a slightly shy, small-built, fifteen-year-old kid, and the firmness with which he just spoke actually alarms me.
“You guys have to go home.” Emery says, gesturing to a still-sobbing Drew. Toby continues to shake his head, though he glances at Drew, worriedly.
“Come on, I’ll drive you. You can stay at my place till school’s over.” I say.
Toby’s eyes widen. “What? No, Luke, I couldn’t—”
I cut him off. “Shut up, Toby. Come on, let’s go.”
Emery immediately jumps in. “I’m coming. I’ll go get our stuff, Luke. Toby, do you know where you guys’ backpacks are?”
Toby nods. “They’re in 204, Mrs. Potts’ Algebra classroom.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you guys at the student parking lot.” Emery says and runs off.
“Thank you, Gabe.” Toby says, addressing Gabe for the first time. I widen my eyes; I nearly forgot he was there—he was being so quiet.
“Anytime.” Gabe says, quietly. He shoots me a look that I don’t quite understand and then runs off. I make a mental note to ask him about it later tonight.
“Okay, come on, you guys.” I say, and Toby follows me as I walk towards the student parking lot, his hand tightly and protectively wrapped around Drew’s waist.
Drew’s sobs have subsided to small whimpers and I want to ask what he’s crying so hard about, but I can’t find the right words to say so that it wouldn’t be incredibly insensitive.
Luckily, Toby seems to know what I want to ask and supplies me with a sigh and an answer. “He’s in shock.” He murmurs quietly, so that Drew can’t hear. “Bryce and the rest of them pounced on us. We didn’t even see it coming. We actually didn’t even know it was them at first because of the blindfolds. But then they were laughing and talking and yelling at us, so we could tell. They hit Drew a few times and held me back. They took off my blindfold for a while just so I could watch.” I hear the pain and bitterness in Toby’s voice and I feel my heart aching.
How much are these kids going to have to go through just because a bunch of judgmental pricks who think it’s fun to beat people up?
But you know what? This has gone too far. This is not just Bryce losing his temper and letting out a few punches. This required planning and preparation.
They had to get the ropes and the gags and the blindfolds. And Toby said it was ‘Bryce and the rest of them’. That doesn’t just mean Bryce took one guy with him as backup. This was a group attack.
As we reach the school parking lot, I pull my car keys out of my pocket and unlock the car. Toby and Drew slide into the backseat and Drew immediately lies down, his head in Toby’s lap and his puffy red eyes closed. Toby stroked Drew’s hair with his hand, softly.
I feel uncomfortable for invading on such a personal moment, but it’s kind of my car and I kind of have to drive, so I get into the driver’s seat and play with my mirrors as I wait.
Fortunately, I see a sprinting Emery coming our way, carrying four backpacks on him. Even in this miserable situation, I can’t help but smile when I see him.
He opens the trunk of my car when he reaches it and dumps the backpacks inside, before slamming it shut and making his way over to the passenger side.
He’s panting when he gets in.
“That’s what you get for running all the way across campus carrying four backpacks full of books.” I say, with a smirk, starting the engine.
He sticks his tongue out at me as he pulls on his seatbelt. “You’re welcome.”
I laugh. “Thanks.”
Toby and Drew are silent in the backseat for most of the drive home, and so are Emery and I, though occasionally we’ll make a few comments. He’ll insult my car and I’ll defend it and he’ll laugh at how protective I get about my car.
I glance in the rearview mirror when we’re almost home and see that Toby has fallen asleep as well.
“I’m really worried about them.” I murmur quietly to Emery.
He nods, seriously, turning around to look at the two of them, sleeping quietly in the back. “I’m scared something really bad is gonna happen.”
I chew on the inside of my cheek nervously.
Emery smiles softly at me and reaches over to put a reassuring hand on my leg. I immediately tense up.
“What’s wrong?” he hesitates.
“Do you want me to have a fucking accident?” I crack my neck as I try to make my heart stop convulsing inside my chest.
Emery lets out a laugh and then claps his hand over his mouth, turning around again to see if he’s woken up either Toby or Drew, but the two of them are still fast asleep in the backseat of my car.
Eventually we have to wake them up, as we arrive at my house. I unlock the door and am relieved to find that we’re alone in the house, as my parents are still at work.
I tell them all to follow me and I show Toby and Drew the spare room with the queen-sized bed. My mom lives by the motto, “always be prepared”, and I guess in this particular instance, it worked in our favor. Drew nods and gives me an unexpected hug before walking over and crawling under the covers without a word.
Toby stays behind a second. “Thank you so much, Luke.” He whispers, his voice cracking.
“It’s no problem.” I say with a smile, though I feel like my soul is shattering with every pain-filled word he says.
“Thanks, Emery.” Toby says and Emery nods and squeezes his hand, comfortingly. Toby then goes into the spare room after Drew and crawls in right beside his boyfriend under the covers. I close the door quietly and lead Emery to my room.
“Shit, this blows.” Emery whistles, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“I know. It’s making me depressed. And I feel really, really guilty.” I say, beginning to pace the room slowly.
Emery furrows his eyebrows. “Guilty? Why are you guilty?”
I sigh and sit down on the floor in front of him. “Well, first of all, those are my teammates that tied them up and threw them in the dumpster. Second of all…” I pause, not sure if I’m able to say the rest of what I’m thinking. But then I look into Emery’s wide and expectant smoky eyes and I let it out with a sigh. “I feel guilty because we’re not getting the same treatment.”
Emery drops down to sit on the floor as well, across from me but so close that our knees are touching. He holds both my hands in his and stares into my eyes. I’m thrown by the sudden intensity in his frost-colored eyes.
“Listen to me.” He says, firmly. “There is no reason for you to feel guilty. You’ve never hurt Toby or Drew. Just because you’re on the basketball team doesn’t mean you’re anything like your teammates. Secondly, I know it’s not fair to Toby and Drew that you and I aren’t getting beaten up and thrown in dumpsters like them, but don’t go volunteering yourself for anything like that. We’re just lucky, okay?”
I feel myself overcome with emotions. I open my mouth to say something, but nothing comes out.
So I lean myself forward and my lips meet Emery’s in a fierce yet soft and emotional kiss. I can’t help a smile escaping onto my lips as I taste the unusual sweetness of Emery’s lips.
He sucks gently on my bottom lip and I move so that I’m kneeling instead of sitting, leaning over Emery as we kiss.
His hand snakes upwards and stays on my neck and he strokes my jaw with his thumb, softly. I tangle my hands into his hair, deepening the kiss and Emery whimpers faintly.
I don’t know why, but for some reason, it’s this whimper that just turns that switch on inside of me. I want him so badly.
I slowly start to stand and Emery stands with me, our lips never breaking apart. I’m terrified of pulling away; if we’re separated for one second, I think I might go into cardiac arrest.
My hands fall to rest on his chest, and I clutch fistfuls of his shirt in my hand, pressing my body closer to his.
I constantly want to be closer to him, as close as I can possibly be to this beautiful boy in front of me. I feel his eyelashes flutter against my eyelids and I moan softly against his lips.
I wrap my arms around his waist now, pulling him still closer to me. And we just keep managing to get closer and closer, and deeper and deeper.
“Wait.” Emery gasps, pushing me away gently and closing his eyes tightly. It takes a second for me to be able to speak again.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
Emery nods, opening his eyes and looking at me, apologetically. “Luke, I…” he trails off.
“It’s okay, Emery, you can say it.” I reassure him.
The familiar pink blush creeps up his neck and he bites his lip. My breath catches in my throat and I try to remain cool.
“I don’t wanna be that guy you experiment with.” He murmurs.
“What?” I ask, not really understanding what he means.
He blushes again. “I really like you, Luke, and I just don’t want it to mean something else for you when it means—”
I cut him off. “Emery. Look at me.” I put a finger under his chin and tilt his head up so his eyes meet mine. “It doesn’t mean anything less to me than what it means to you. For fuck’s sake, every time you bite on your fucking lip, I feel like I’m going to explode out of my fucking skin.”
He smiles. “Are you sure?”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up and kiss me.” I growl and he eagerly pushes his lips onto mine, wrapping his arms around my neck.
I smile into the kiss, unable to get over the way my entire body tingles when I kiss Emery. It’s like a bolt of lightning zaps through my blood as soon as his lips make contact with mine.
*
Emery and I lie beside each other, our hands intertwined, for what seems like forever.
Occasionally we’ll say something to each other, but for the most part we’re silent. I stroke Emery’s hand with my thumb softly and he smiles.
I lean over and kiss him on the cheek, right on his dimple.
His skin is soft and smooth under my lips.
“Hey, Luke?” Emery says, softly.
“Yeah?” I respond, my voice just as low and quiet as his.
“Do you remember when we were playing Truth or Dare at Nate’s house?” he asks.
“Yeah…” I confirm, almost making it a question as I wait for him to continue. He bites his lip nervously and I feel my heart do its usual jolt whenever he sinks his teeth into his bottom lip.
“I really wanted to kiss you.” He mumbles.
“What?” I ask, pretending like I didn’t hear him, just so I can hear him say it again.
“When Jess dared me to kiss the most attractive person in the room…” he pauses and then finishes with a sigh. “I really wanted to kiss you.”
I grin at him cheekily and nip at his lips. “Well, I’m flattered.”
He rolls his eyes, but lets a goofy smile cross his face as I plant small kisses on his cheeks.
A knock on the door interrupts me.
Both us immediately sit up straight. “Who is it?” I call, nervously.
“It’s Toby.” Comes a quiet response, and both Emery and I relax.
“Come in, Toby.” I say, grabbing Emery’s hand back in mine. Toby opens the door and edges his way into the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
He looks a little better, though he’s still white as a sheet and bruises dot his face and neck.
“Hey, Toby.” I say, gently. “You need anything? You wanna eat something?”
Toby shakes his head and wrings his hands anxiously.
“Sit down if you want to, Toby.” Emery says, smiling kindly at him. Toby perches on the edge of the desk chair.
“Guys, I’m really worried about Drew.” He says, obviously trying to hold back tears.
“What happened? Did he wake up?” Emery asks, immediately worried.
“He woke up at once point, but fell asleep again soon after. He hasn’t spoken a word since it happened. I think he’s in shock.” Toby says, miserably.
“Do you think we should take him home?” I ask.
Toby shakes his head. “His mom’s at work till five and I really don’t think Drew should be alone right now.”
“He doesn’t have any other family at home?” Emery asks, purely out of curiosity. Toby looks down at the floor.
“His dad left the family when Drew came out.”
My eyes widen. “Are you serious?”
Toby nods. “Apparently, he said to Mrs. Haynes, you know, ‘he goes or I go’. And Mrs. Haynes said she wasn’t throwing her son out of the house because of his sexuality so…he left. Drew hasn’t seen him since.”
Emery’s hand covers his mouth and I stare at Toby in surprise.
I’m starting to feel angry.
These kids already have enough shit to deal with without fucking Bryce Phillips adding any more. This has to stop.
“I don’t really know what to do.” I say. “I think we should let him sleep though. He’s probably not getting a lot of that at night. And as soon as he wakes up, come and tell me. He should probably eat something. Also, if you look in the drawers of the bedside tables, there are bottles of water. Make him drink some of it, okay?”
Toby nods and is about to leave the room when he turns around and pulls me into a hug, startling me.
I hug him back.
“Thank you, Luke.” He says, sincerely, and I smile softly at him.
“Anytime, Toby. I mean it.”
And I do.