ENJOYxx
Luke's POV
I was so pissed off last night, I went straight to bed. I can't keep getting caught up on that stupid fucking secret. Eventually, everyone, and I mean everyone will know, so why fucking bother? If Michael wants to pull that card, which I knew he would, then so be it. I'm not going to be a little girl just to feed into his obsession with Hope.
Today is a new day, and unlike Michael, I have a date with her. That's right Mike, suck a dick. I still don't have any idea what to do for it though. I'm thinking dinner and a movie, but if I do a movie, we can't talk. Maybe I can call up one of my other friends, see if anyone would want to double date.. I slide my phone so it's unlocked and go through my contacts. I don't have any friends, really. I know some sleezy pot dealers and other guys that I occasionally write music with. I don't smoke or anything, I just knew them before they did all the stuff they do now. I immediately disreguard the dealers as someone I would want Hope around.
I write with the guys that she's already met: Calum, Ashton, and Fenmore, but everyone calls him Fenny. I'm not sure if Fenny was at the fair that night, but I text them all. Calum is the first to text back and tells me that dating isn't really his thing, but he could have a girl in no time if the other boys didn't have a girl. I laugh at his text; cheeky little bastard.
Ashton texts me back next, says he's dating some Becky girl. Fenny texts me last and mentions that he and Ashton had already planned a double date with their girlfriends, but we are welcomed to join in if we want. I'm not sure if Hope will be down for it.
To Hope:
How do you feel about a double or maybe a triple date?
She doesn't text back right away, but as I'm typing my message to Ash and Fenny to forget it, she replies.
From Hope:
Sounds like fun. :) With who and what are the plans?
I realize I don't actually know Fenny's girlfriend's name. I quickly text him and ask him what they're going and her name. He replies and says her name is Abby , and they are going to laser tag and then out for ice cream at the mall afterwards. I relay the information to Hope and she's more than happy settling for a triple date.
The guys tell me they'll be heading down around four and that we can meet them outside the building. I do nothing to pass the long three hours. I let it drag and drag. I'm pretty geeked for tonight though. Laser tag is my thing and I know Fenny and Ashton are good at it too. The girls, on the other hand, probably suck. Last time I went, I got a free game for being in first place two times in a row. Champed it.
I've been hanging around watching TV all day, so I'm relieved when my mom get's home and three. Human interaction will be nice for a change. I watch as she sets her things down on the small kitchen table. It all falls from the pile, but she can't be bothered to stand it back up, it would fall back. She sets her usual coffee cup in the sink, rinsing it with water.
My mother is adorable, but shit, she's always talking. Always asking questions. My dad though, he's my guy. He's a top notch bloke. We're the best of friends, really. I'd never admit it to him, I couldn't bare the emotional moment he would create. He's such a sucker for a moment. It's funny.
"Hey sweetheart. How was your day?" my mom breaks me from my thoughts.
"I didn't really do anything. I've been bored all day," I say, rather annoyed with my lack of plans.
"Why didn't you ask one of your friends to do something?" she says, slipping off her shoes and heading up the stairs. I follow her.
"No one wanted to do anything.." I lie.
"I'm sure they were busy or something," she smiles as she shuts the door, but continues talking as I sit on the stairs behind me. "What about that new girlfriend of yours? Hayley?" I laugh.
"It's Hope. She's not my girlfriend, but I am seeing her tonight," I tell her, a small smile creeping onto my face.
"I have to meet her. It's a mothers law: no secret girl friends. I must meet and approve of them all," I hear her giggle behind the door.
"Is that really a real thing?"
"Absolutely," she opens the door, "in my world!" she smiles.
"You're such a loser," I joke. She's wearing her nightly slacks and an old college tee shirt. She walks into the bathroom and once again, I wait for her outside on the steps.
"It comes with being a mother," she says. "So, tell me about this girl." I'm somewhat caught off guard.
"Uh, what do you want to know?"
"Where's she go to school?"
"Private school up on the hill," I tell her. "Same place as Michael."
"How old is she?"
"She is seventeen, I believe," I guess.
"How did you meet her?" Shit. See what I mean about the questions?
"Michael. I met her when I went to his house one day," I tell her.
"Why was she there? Are they friends too?" she says.
"It's his neighbor. You could say they're friends," I shrug as she walks out. She scoots past me, down the stairs.
"What do you mean?" she eyes me suspiciously.
"What..?"
" 'You could say they're friends' ," she repeats my words. "Are they not that good of friends, or are they good friends?" she asks.
"Why does it even matter? They're friends? That's it."
"Are you going to tell me or not?" she scolds me with her eyes. Damn mothers, always reading into everything. We've reached the kitchen once again and I watch as she flips on the stove top and starts reaching for a pot.
"He likes her, she doesn't like him. Basically been that way for about his whole life," I say nonchalantly as she fills the pot with water and reaches for the noodles.
"Is Michael okay with it?" she looks under her bangs in my direction.
"Nope," I pop the 'P'. "She came to me. I wasn't going to even talk to her again until she text me," I inform my mother.
"How long did you know her before she asked you out?" she seems confused now.
"I'd only hung out with her once, at the pool. Then a couple days later, she text me and asked if we could hang out," I purposely leave out the party/kiss part; she'd have my neck.
"You should honestly consi-" my phone cuts her off. I tell her I'll be right back and leave the room to answer it. I check the ID and it flashes Hope's name.
"Hello?"
"Hiyaa!" she says happily from the other end.
"How are you?" I smile into the speaker of my phone.
"I'm doing just dandy," she giggles.
"So, is there a reason for this pleasant surprise?" I ask. I see my mom entering the room. I walk out on the porch so she can't eavesdrop.
"Yes!" she pauses for a moment. "I forget.." she says solemnly on the other line.
"Did it have to do with chickens?" I randomly ask. What the fuck? She probably thinks I'm an absolute idiot.
"Of course. Everything I say relates to chickens.." she makes fun of me.
"I don't know why I said that. My mouth spoke before my brain could catch up," I nervously laugh into the speaker.
"It's okay," she says in a cute tone.
"Save me from my chicken jokes and tell me you remembered?"
"I did, but I was looking forward to you making a fool out of yourself again," she laughs.
"Ha. Ha."
"Okay, for real. What time are you coming to pick me up?" she asks. I pull the phone from my ear and check the time. It's nearly three fifteen and I know that it'll take at least thirty minutes to get to laser tag.
"Are you ready now?" I ask. I know it takes ten minutes to get to Hope and Michael's houses.
"Yeah. Are you leaving now then?"
"I'm going to get changed real quick, then I'll leave," I tell her.
"So you'll be here in about fifteen minutes?"
"If that's okay!"
"Perfect for me. See you when you get here," she says. I tell her good bye and hang up.
Shit. I didn't realize it was this fucking late. I take off for my room, knowing exactly what I'm going to wear. I search my dresser for my black jeans and a black tank top. I change and search my room for my black beanie. After a couple minutes of not finding it, I give up and head out to my car, yelling a 'be back later' to my mom.
I have a dark blue beanie in the car and I slip in on, knowing it's still dark enough to not gleam under the black lights. Once again, I start my car and listen as it roars to life. Sweet Jaimee, how I love you.
I pull up in Hope's driveway fully intending on being a gentleman and knocking on the door, but as I step out of the car, I see her coming from the front door. You've got to be kidding me. She's wearing a cute shirt, but it's white. Her shorts are pale with white too. Has this child never played laser tag?
"Nope," I stop her in her tracks. "Turn around and go back to change," I point towards the door. Her face tells me she's confused.
"What..? Does it look back or something?" she asks, she looks like I've hurt her feelings.
"No, it's cute, trust me. Show me to your room?" I ask. When she nods, I take her by her hand so she can lead me properly. I'd be lying if I say the simple touch doesn't send electricity through my bones. She takes me in through the front door and up the stairs to a rather big room. The whole house, from what I saw, was much larger than my own.
Her room doesn't seem like her; granted, I don't know her all too well. The blue and tan striped walls look too fucking childish and girly for her. The hardwood floor is only covered by furniture and a big white rug under her bed. I look around for the closet. Shit, it's hard to miss. It's about the size of my room.
"Do you have those pants that all the girls have?" I ask when I step inside and look at all the pants hanging up.
"What are you doing, exactly?" she asks.
"I'm picking out the perfect outfit for laser quest," I smile at her.
She smiles back. "So, these pants.. Do they have a specific name, or is that all I get?"
I think long and hard about it, but all I know is that every guy loves walking up the stairs behind chicks when they wear these. "I don't know, but they're tight and black," I try to help somewhat.
"Yogas..?" she says, moving past me and into a drawer. She pulls out the pants I described.
"Yes! Wear those!" I tell her and redirect my attention to the line of shirts hanging up infront of me.
"Why can't I just wear black skinny jeans?" she raises her eyebrow.
"I just. I.. uh. I don't want to match." She laughs at me, but throws them over her shoulder and watches as I pick out a shirt. I stop when I get to a black tank top, probably from a super expensive store. I throw it at her face. She let's it drop to the ground as her hair falls in front of her face. She stares at me, trying to keep herself from laughing. It's quite comical.
"Thanks," she says monotone. I laugh again and walk up to her. I push her hair back to it's original place the best I could. I can't believe she let me considering I probably only made it worse. She holds up her phone and looks at her reflection on the blackscreen. "Don't quit your day job," she laughs.
"I won't," I wink and kiss her cheek. Bro! Stop doing this! It's a fake date. She probably only thinks you're hot, just like every other girls. I think to myself. Why did I do that? It seemed like a perfect chance. She looked so cute and playful with the pout on her face. Shit. I stop my mind from being fucking annoying like usual. Her cheeks are bright red and she can't quite seem to make eye contact. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that.."
"It's okay, really.."
"I know it's a fake date, and since Mikey's not here, we don't have to act all couple like. If you don't want to, I mean," I manage to tell her clearly, as I mentally stumble over my thoughts.
She just nods with a smiles. "Out," she says. "I need to look goth, so that means I have to change," she pushes at my shoulders weakly. I move as slow as I can, trying to annoy her. "Or you can stay and we can not go at all," she teases. I mean, I can stay..
I head out to the hall way after finally picking up the pace. I wait outside the door and hear her from the other side. Funny, I didn't know changing involved so many grunts.. I lean against the wooden frame and count the number of shapes I can find in the odd ceiling pattern. When I hear the door click open, I find Hope wearing the outfit I picked out and some comfy looking combat boots. When my eyes reach her head, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm such an idiot. I gave Hope my beanie, and she's currently wearing it. Her brown hair looks pretty in it's straight form from under the material.
"Ready?" she breaks my weird thoughts.
"Well shit.. Maybe fashion can be a college option," I smirk at my joke and take her hand as she leads me back down the stairs.
She leads me through her front door once again and out to my car. I open the door for her and watch her slide in. She's a nice contrast to the hunk of junk that I love so much. I don't mean it Jaimee. I love you. I don't want to test Karma..
We talk nearly the whole way there. I mainly beg her to be good because I have a reputation to uphold. She warned me that she isn't good, but I told her I'd take a beam for her any day. I haven't hung out with Ashton or Fenny for a while, so I can't tell by the cars if they're here already. When we get inside, they're sitting on the benches waiting for us.
"Sup, dude?" Ash says as gives me the typical bro hug.
"Nothing really, man." Fenmore comes over and does the same as Ashton. I look behind me and see Hope standing shyly, just as the boy's girlfriends are.
"Don't be shy," I hear Ashton tell his girlfriend, as he takes her hand and pulls her forward.
"I'm Becky," she smiles and waves. She's fucking pretty, but I'm glad I have Hope; she's the prettiest out of the three of them.
"I'm Luke," I smile.
"I'm Hope," she squeaks from beside me.
"And this is Abby," Fenny speaks up for his girlfriend who is on her phone.
"So: Ashton and Becky, Fenmore and Abby?" Hope says, just getting the names straight. When they all nod she turns to me. "Who the hell are you?" she says only loud enough for the six of us to hear. My mouth drops. Everyone laughs.
"Not your date, apparently," I scoff at her.
"Well...Technically," she starts, but I raise my fingers to her lips. I know she's about to call out the technicality that it's a fake date, but I still don't like calling it that.
"Don't finish that sentence. It's real this time," I wink. I'm trying to make myself feel fucking confident, but really, I'm nervous as shit and I don't like guessing whether she actually likes me or not. She doesn't say anything, only smiles, making me more confused about her feelings.
"Teams! Guys against girls? Couple against couple? How are we doing this?" Becky asks. All eyes divert to her and she slowly sinks behind Ash. She seems confident, but not with all eyes on her.
Becky's pretty, she's got brown hair that goes down her back, kind of like Hope's. Her skin is tan and she's skinny. She's definitely too pretty for Ashton's stupid ass. I laugh at my mental joke, gaining a few weird looks.
"Couples," I answer in their silence.
I take Hope's hand and lead her to the counter. I tell the desk worker that I'd like two players, one game. She asks us for our desired user name and took our tags.
"I can't believed you picked Daisy," I poke at her.
"Keep it up, Ace," she makes fun of my name.
We playfully banter back and fourth, but soon enough we're ushered into the dark room. There's a man in front of us who reads out the rules and punishment if we break any of them. He assists us to make sure our guns are attached correctly, then he raises the door. On the count three.
One..
I smile over to Hope.
Two..
I intertwine our fingers so she stays with me.
Three..
We're freed.
All six of us bust through the door and take off in different directions. I see Fenny and Abbi heading towards the left-upper layer and I see Ash and Becky taking off in the same direction. I pull Hope in the opposite direction.
"Come on! This way," I yell back to her. The music is bumping. It. Is. Loud.
A laser flashes in front of my eyes and I stop, causing Hope to run into my back. I hear her faintly apologize in my ear. We take off again for my original destination. We get to the stairs and take cover against the wall. I look across and can see Becky's shirt under the black lights. I aim for her targets, I hit it on the second try.
"There's Ashton! Shoot him!" I tell Hope, who's perched up on the side of the wall, looking down. She picks up the gun, which is much to big for her tiny body, and point it in his direction. She pulls the trigger and hits his center bulls-eye in one try.
Hope's POV
I can't believe I hit Ashton's bullseye in one shot. Last time I played, I sucked. I look over to Luke who has a proud smile on his face. I laugh when his teeth look like a flashlight. Whoever thought of laser tag, better be rich. I hear someone coming up the steps the same time Luke does. He puts his finger to his lips, telling me to stay quiet. I nod. He motions for me to follow him. We go on either side of the doorway and wait for the two intruders to grace us with their presence. As they walk through, Luke and I open fire. We shoot, wait for them to come back on, then shoot it again. We do it a solid five times, ensuring that they aren't ahead of us on the leader board.
We are so lost in the game that we don't realize it's ending until our guns stop shooting. I'm covered in more sweat than I would like to admit, but so is Luke and he wears it well. I could get used to seeing that. We hang our guns back up on the shelf and head towards our cars. On the way out, we are handed the results. From the other side of the parking lot, I hear Fenny scream.
"YESSS! WINNERS! FENMORE AND BECKY ARE THE CHAMPS!" he celebrates. Shit. We lost then. I look at our paper and see that Fenmore came in first, I came in second, and Luke came in third.
"This has to be wrong.." Luke studies the paper from in front of me.
"Someone a sore loser?" I tease.
"I never loser," he corrects me.
"You just did. To me. To Fenmore. Bam."
"Do you want ice cream or not?" he says. Oh. He never mentioned ice cream..
"You'll always be a winner in my book," I smile and shut the door.
He starts the car and we follow the boys to the mall. When we get out, Luke places a hand on the small of my back. He's been grabbing my hand all night, he picked out my clothes, and not to mention, he told me not to call hit a fake date. I'm so confused. At this point, I'm certain I like him as more than a fake date. He's sweet and sickens my stomach with butterflies at the smallest touch.
He holds the door open for everyone and I wait for him on the other side. Once again, his arm is on my back. I decide to be brave and put mine around his waist. He can't control his surprised reaction as he stares with wide eyes at my little gesture. The more I'm around him, the more I think the feeling are reciprocated.
I see a tiny photo-booth just ahead of the ice cream shop. I drag Luke to it.
"Do it with me!" I pull out my puppy lip.
"Of course, babe," the name clouds my thoughts. He pulls the curtain back and I insist on paying the measly three dollars for two sets of pictures. He puts in the dollar bills and selects the options.
"Luke, did you mean it?" my mouth says before I can think enough to retract it.
"Mean what?" he looks at me with sincere eyes.
"That this wasn't a fake date any more.." I nearly choke on my words, I'm so nervous. He looks from me to the ground.
"Yes," he says with a nervous smile. I smile in return. The flash of the booth goes off. He looks down to my lips, then to my eyes, but his eyes can't stay off my lips. My breath can't quite catch up. The butterflies are stealing all the air from my lungs.
He leans in. His hand slowly and insecurely moves a piece of my messy hair behind my ear, his touch making me shiver. He leans in and when I think he's going to pull back, like before, he plants it. His soft lips cause earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, you name it and that's what this kiss feels like. Fire works. His lips move with mine. His hand rests on my jaw as the other one is snaked around my waist. I feel like the simplicity yet perfect feeling of that kiss, is enough to let me die a happy girl.
"Wow," he says as he pulls back.
"I know," I say, so quietly, I barely heard myself.
"That was no fake kiss," he smiles at me. It sure as hell wasn't..
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Okay! SO I hope you guys like this chapter. Next chapter will have more of this ending type of stuff.
It's long. I'm sorry if you don't want it this long. If it's too long, comment and tell me. If it sucks, comment and tell me.
No goals this week because I missed two updating days in a row, but please vote and comment anyways.
Remember, I always tweet spoilers on the update days on my update account: @FiveSOSUpdates. I use the tag #brocodeff!!
It's not edited at all. it's late, I'm sick, i'm tired. I'll do it in study hall tomorrow.
-Maddy