BRIAR.
Time skip
"Where are you taking me?" I asked Luke as he guided me through the poorer side of the city. This would be what you would call "the projects".
The houses were very congested and stuffy. There were dozens of small town houses on each side squeezed together. Each house was maculated, stained, from age. The windows and doors were boarded up with wood and in all, the neighbourhood looked dilapidated.
"You'll see," He replied mysteriously. Luke walked through an abandoned house's yard, stepping into the grass. He turned back at me expectantly and motioned for me to follow him.
I looked down at my white shoes, not prepared for this. I repeatedly looked back and forth from my shoes to Luke. Shoes. Luke. Shoes. Luke. He moaned impatiently, pulling me in the grass by force.
He had dressed casually, wearing a black T-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. The snapback that he was sporting kept his sandy blond hair tamed and under control. My apparel had more colour. A burgundy shirt with long sleeves and dark jeans. Not much colour, but more compared to his attire, all black.
He held onto my wrist, dragging me on the path. Not surprisingly, the trail was desolate. Luke let go of me then. "Just walk. " He directed, taking his hands and putting them in his jacket's pockets.
Beside his voice, there wasn't any noise. Pure silence as we walked. No birds chirping, or squirrels chattering. Quiet. I wanted to say it was peaceful, but it unsettled me rather than calmed me.
The short trail ended with trees. I'm serious, the path literally led to a bunch of trees. They weren't bulky, but rather thin and stick-like. "This is it?" I asked. Luke shook his head and stepped in between the trees. He climbed in the middle and jumped out on the other side. I knew I was supposed to follow, so I duplicated his actions.
My next sights amazed me. It was incredible. Before me was a city street, packed with 50's-esque shops, a small cinema, small apartments, and stores. Each building had a small little section, similar to books in a stack. It was intriguing because no stores like these had ever been around, at least since I've been alive.
"Luke," I nudged him. "What is this?"
"A street," He grinned at me.
"No shit," I said, walking up the steps of a store and touching the glass window. The sign on the door was for fruit, and it had a different monetary system than what I was used to.
"Ever heard of Charles L. Capone?" He came up behind me and rested his chin on my head, wrapping his arms around me. I shook my head. "He was a 3D artist. Charles' best work was his cities. He made spectacular city blocks in abandoned neighbourhoods, like the one back there. "
"Was he American?" I asked, referring to the sign and the overall style of the building.
"Nope," He replied, causing me to be puzzled. "But his wife was. " That made more sense. "He met her in America, where he fell in love with the city of New Orleans. She had lived there all her life until he came. "
"Did he ever move back?"
Luke nodded. "She was hesitant to leave her beloved city. He convinced her into doing so, telling her she would like it better there. That wasn't true, she hated moving. Never got used to it, never liked it. It wasn't New Orleans. "
"So he made the city for her?"
"Well, " He responded unsurely. "As they age, she fell ill mentally and was always yelling at him over the littlest things. Telling Charles she hated him, and wanted to move back. She kept threatening to divorce him. Charles didn't want her to leave him, so he built this in memory of 'Nawlins. " He stepped away from me and hopped down to sit on the top stair.
"Was she satisfied?" I marvelled at the beautiful scenery, at the remarkably clear glass and surprisingly spotless bricks. If I was her, I would love it. I got down and sat next to Luke on the step.
"With this," He held his hands out and gestured to the whole city block. "Yeah but she still wasn't happy. " He looked at me. "She actually came here to weep. " Luke stated, chuckling lightly. "She would sit on this step, and sob. And she died here. "
"Really?"
"She didn't kill herself, her body just gave up. " He explained. "It didn't want to live another day. "
"How do you know about this?"
"I learned about it years ago." A childlike toothy grin played on Luke's face. "I went looking for it afterwards and I found it. Wasn't hard to find. "
"Why did you bring me here?"
"I don't know," He gazed off into the distance. He was possibly staring at the building across from the store, a 2-apartments building. "I thought you would like it. Do you?"
"Yeah," I sighed deeply.
"That's good. "Luke leaned back and supported himself up with his hands behind him. It grew silent for a bit before he changed the subject. "You know how I told you my father left when I was ten?"
"Yeah?"
"That wasn't the first time. He left my mum soon after she had bared his child, and came back again when I was ten. " Luke told me.
"Oh. "
"You want me to forgive him, " Luke took off his hat and ruffled his hair. He ran his fingers through the front. "When I hardly know that guy. He stuck around for Melissa and Alexis much longer than he did for my mom and me. And the new baby. "
"How did you know about that?"
Luke eyed me strangely out of the corner of his eye. "Uh, I'm not blind. I see the bump. They were acting suspiciously anyways. And if I didn't know," He turned his him and smiled slyly. "You just told me. "
"You're not mad that I knew and didn't tell you?"
"You ask a lot of questions," He laughed dryly. Luke was still looking at me, his blue eyes staring straight into my own.
"Sorry," I became flustered and felt my face growing hotter. I did not mean to annoy or pester him. That's a habit of mine, asking questions when I don't understand somethings. Inside of school, that's a good thing, but outside of school it's frowned upon. Luke flicked a miniature grey rock off of the steps with his fingers, thumb and index finger, and the rock flew over onto the pavement below.
He smiled at me with his mouth closed, not initially replying to me. Whenever Luke became quiet, I knew he was going to redirect the conversation, change the subject. "Remember when we dated the first time, and you said something to me that I didn't reply to." He spoke off into the distance, dreamily.
"I said a lot of things you didn't reply to. " My laugh came out forced. Pieces of my hair flew into my face, the wind forcing it forward. I moved the strands closest to my profile behind my ear.
"And you were mad about it, " He tried to emphasise his point, his frustration over my lack of understanding was very evident in his tone. He chewed on his lip, bringing the piercing into his mouth.
"You have to be specific there." I can recall many times where I had gotten mad at Luke for not answering me when I was trying to ask him a question, but only when the question was a urgent matter.
Being the suspenseful Luke Hemmings he was, it took him a while to say what he meant. "A week before we broke up, you told me that you loved me and I didn't say anything back. " His remorse was expressed by his face, eyes filled with guilt and regret.
That was not a good time to want to reminded of, as I recalled being rather upset and distraught over his silence. You tell someone you loved them, and you expect a response. Not for them to stare blankly at you and say goodbye, Luke's reaction to my announcement of love over a year ago.
I nodded yes, reminding myself never to be the first one to say it ever again. Embarrassing, yeah it was.
"I couldn't say it then," There he goes speaking lightly again. Luke's voice was nearly inaudible. It could barely qualify as a whisper.
"Why not?" He brought up the subject, I might as well get some questions off of my mind. That one has been haunting me since the traumatising event occurred. I made it out to be really horrible I know, but picture telling a guy you loved him and him not saying it back. Horrid.
"Because, I wasn't sure I even did," He answered. "Why say something I don't mean? Besides, it wouldn't be fair to say it then when I was sleeping with Talia, " I cringed.
The subject was beginning to make me feel uncomfortable, I fidgeted with my hands. "What made you bring this up now?" I asked nonchalantly, looking down at them.
"I'm sorry," Luke said abruptly. He broke his calm speak pattern by talking more rapidly. "It goes along with what I'm about to say. I wasn't going to but if I didn't now, I don't think I ever will." He took a pause and said more assuredly, "I love you. "
"What?" I wanted him to repeat it, so I could be sure I wasn't hallucinating or just imagining Luke saying it.
"I love you, Briar Rose Henderson. " He repeated, just as confidently as he did before, maybe a little bit more so.
I wanted to be happy. I really did. My beating heart was euphoric, bursting with joy and happiness. The emotional side of me wanted to enjoy this moment, the moment he finally confesses his love for me. My brain however, was a completely different story. My brain was the side that was trying to bring me down, all rational and reminding. The thinking side of me just had to re-inform myself of "the plan", the thing I may or may not regret.
My lips were pressed into a fine line, unable to form a response, verbal or nonverbal. Nothing worked, nothing came out. No smile, no words. Just an exchange of glances between the two of us.
My mind was drawn to the beginning of the revenge plan, when Stella had written up a "outline" of it. It had four phases. I nearly went into shock after I realised something,
PHASE THREE: Make him fall. has been completed
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I don't even know what happened. I'm conflicted on whether I like this chapter or not.
Hope you like it. Took me days. (I kept getting distracted ok?)
THANKS A BUNCH FOR 8K READS WOW
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~D