The Friday morning following the night of movies, lucky charms, and mumbled conversations at 2 am, is drowning in tension. Luke wakes up to the annoyed expression of Aries (who looks equally as tired as Luke feels) and Cheryl yelling at Calum about something Luke can’t quite make out. He’s tired after all, had stayed up till three in the morning with his arm bent in an awkward position beneath the weight of Aries’ back. She’s drifting back to sleep when Cheryl stomps angrily over towards them, her fingers curling against a black device Luke assumes is her phone.
Luke barely makes out the outlines of her figure: her hair is messily thrown together in a bun atop her head – she’s wearing her sweater, and she’s flaring out of anger, as well as commanding Luke to wake up. Her voice slick like venom, tone verging on hysterical and homicidal. Luke sits up quickly with a hushed groan, his arm tingling at the tips of each finger, and Aries is simply pulling the blankets over her head as if to block out whatever arguments has yet to come.
“Get out,” she states firmly. She has this urgency in her voice that frightens Luke a little, he’s not sure what went on between the hours of six and seven in the morning, but whatever it was has her riled up.
Luke is equal parts tired and confused but nonetheless answers, “What? But Calum –“ and he’s trying his best to enunciate each syllable, making sure he’s even talking in complete sentences but she cuts him off regardless.
“No Luke. Get out now.” By this point Cheryl has tears at the base of her eye line, and Calum is heaving a sigh from where he’s still standing. “Please,” she finishes, and Luke can’t find it in him to argue.
He stands up catching his balance as best he can in the current situation, his head is dizzy, and fog is still thick in the back of his thoughts. Calum retrieves his jacket, which is tossed absentmindedly against a reclining chair, he runs a hand through his hair lazily slow, dramatic even in each languid motion. Tired, and desperate to find whatever words are stuck in his throat – Luke can see it in the way he bites the inside of his cheek, even in the way he watches Cheryl’s every move.
Luke himself is ordering the turn of events in his mind, figuring out when the last time Cheryl and Calum had time to argue, he doesn’t recall much before Cheryl herself is glaring at Luke through weary eyes, her stare piercing and cold. (Luke tries to ignore the electric shock of pain that shoots through his arm when he reaches out to grab his bag. Also the rush of adrenaline that is desperately keeping him from falling over into a heap against pillows and blankets.)
There’s the awful silence that binds them in the moment, and Luke almost coughs just to break the eerily familiar silence that has befallen them. He doesn’t need to when Calum speaks up, his voice rough from the early hour, “Cher, please don’t be –“ but he doesn’t finish as Cheryl herself walks out of the room with one finger up in the air, explaining exactly what her words couldn’t.
The two boys gather their things, and Luke looks at Calum sympathetically but Calum doesn’t look back. Aries is still sleeping silently, her hair fanned out beneath her head. She doesn’t even seem to have an idea of what is happening. The door is opened for the two, and Luke sighs because even at whatever hour it is, it’s ridiculously humid – warm and sticky almost.
Calum’s truck is parked in the driveway, the red exterior fading into a dull brazen orange. There are a few birds chirping melodically back and forth, and even the sound of tree branches as they scrape the side a window somewhere are heard. It’s too early for talking so Luke only follows Calum as he unlocks the truck and sits inside, hands in his hair as he examines his keys – he’s all too interested in each one of them, they all look the same, but Calum acts like they’re the most fascinating things in the world.
After a moment of awkward silence in which Luke tries to steady his breathing (it feels like he’s breathing abnormally loud) Calum starts the engine. The truck sputters, and clanks a bit before roaring to life – the smell of crude oil thick, and stale cigarettes more noticeable within the cab.
“Sorry,” Luke manages to breathe out the moment the truck settles in. The air is chilled down to an artificial-like conditioning that manages to creep beneath Luke’s skin. He’s still drowsy, and wonders just how quickly everything had spiraled out of control.
Calum doesn’t respond as he backs the truck out of the driveway, his hands gripping the wheel tight enough that his knuckles are turning pale white, his lips taut in a line, eyebrows creased downwards. “Don’t worry about it,” he starts, “I’m the one who fucked up not you.”
There’s the little spaced out silence that lingers, the taste of grimy-breath and stale words still on the tip of his tongue. He’s not quite sure what to say to Calum, they just drive down the road, each bend seeming longer than the previous. Luke keeps his gaze fixed on the remnants of scrap paper burned at the edges that lie in a pile at the bottom of Calum’s truck. He didn’t figure Calum to be a pyromanic, but then again he hasn’t hung out with Calum long enough to know much about him.
Calum notices his sudden interest in the papers because he clears his throat a few times, and Luke’s suddenly hot from embarrassment. “Sorry,” Luke apologizes again.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m not gonna burn your house down mate,” Calum laughs lightheartedly. “They’re not mine anyways.” And that’s where he ends the sentence without a further explanation.
They finally reach a main road, and it’s a Friday morning, and Luke almost forgets that there is still school going on, that the world hasn’t stopped just for their seven o’clock arguments, and dreaded confrontations inevitably waiting at the end of the sunrise for them.
“School.” Luke mumbles, and if this had been any other day – Calum’s music beating loudly in the background – he might not have heard him. Calum only laughs in response, his eyes crinkling by the corners, and tongue poking out between his teeth.
It's known widely, in the school corridors as well as the whispered back and forth secrets of the teachers' lounge, that Calum Hood – as non-menacing and kindhearted as he is – skips school more than an enthusiastic little kid skips rope. (Okay maybe Luke never was so great at metaphorical talk, but hey, he tries his best not to sound like a pretentious asshole.) Calum never came across as that guy to Luke, well he’s not known anything about Calum other than the fact he’s one of the better football players, and best friend with one Aries DiLaurentis.
Luke, as it just so happens, is the only one lacking in this knowledge.
“I kinda wasn’t planning on attending?” Calum smiles innocently before he continues with a: “And I was hoping you would hang out – you know? Bro to bro bonding time. I’m sure you’ve never ditched but come on it’ll be fun.” And he’s hopeful, the familiar crinkles by his eyes are more prominent now.
“Uh.”
Calum sighs turning his attention from the road to Luke, “Come on it’ll be the first – and last, if you’d like – just go on this one adventure yeah?”
And Luke probably shouldn’t do it (mainly because he’s already in huge trouble – he never once mentioned to his mum he was staying the night at a friend’s, and knew he had at least twenty-two texts from her since this morning) but at the same time he figures, to himself, that if there ever were a time to be in even more trouble – that time is now.
He hums in thought for a while, mulls the idea over in his head before shrugging with a: “Sure what’s the worst that could happen?”
Calum laughs at this. “Ahhh, but where’s the fun in that?”
✦ ✧ ✦ ✧
The park is packed, no doubt with children and parents who haven’t had a decent ounce of sleep in a few weeks. The sound of rusted swing chains causes Luke to cringe noticeably, and even Calum is squinting at the source of the noise. A few kids brush past them in fits of giggles, and obnoxious screaming – Luke can’t decide if this is a great idea or not.
There is a wave of heat rising from the pavement, and Luke can feel it stick to the heel of his shoe with each step he takes. It’s early-summer heat that’s seeping in, Luke doesn’t mind the extra warmth, but he doesn’t enjoy the sticky feeling it leaves on the back of his neck. He wonders if Calum is bothered by the heat too, he seems to cope with it better than Luke can. Luke figures if Calum can ignore it, so can he.
“Well this really isn’t what I expected,” Calum shrugs. “Thought it’d be more, you know – empty.”
Luke doesn’t answer right away, really he doesn’t feel like he needs to. Calum talks a lot, makes jokes here and there (his jokes are actually pretty funny, at least according to Aries) and even mocks Luke about his height from time-to-time. Calum is a few inches under Luke’s height though, so Luke can’t take it to heart – okay well Luke is still quite a bit taller, but he still doesn’t bother with it.
Luke picks up the conversation then, “It is a Friday.”
Calum’s nose pinches as he draws in a long breath. “Yeah well, they could be somewhere else.” He’s pausing, finally adding: “It’s not like the park is the only place to go – we just had bad timing.”
Luke shakes his head. “Whatever,” but he’s smiling as he says it.
✦ ✧ ✦ ✧
“So what about that Natalia girl then?” Calum prods, “Isn’t her name like Greenhill or Green-something-or-another?”
Luke is a bit stunned at first, trying to remember when exactly he’d told Calum about Natalia. Then again he realizes that, okay, Carver is dating Natalia, and Carver is on the football team with Calum. He’s sure Calum’s probably heard countless horror stories (horror for Luke really) about the kid that’s a loser through and through. Calum probably knows more about Luke then Luke would like him too.
Now he has two options he thinks: he can lie, or he can play dumb. There is no other option at this point.
“Natalia?” Luke plays off as cool as possible.
Calum sighs over dramatically (something Luke notices Calum tends to do when he’s talking) he leans forward so his face is in Luke’s, “You know exactly who I’m talking about.” And he’s right smug about it, a grin curling at the edges of his lips, eyes lighting up with the subject. “Heard you had a crush on her.”
Luke feels like he’s a deer caught in headlights. Calum and Luke chose a spot nearest to the base of a tree as they could, Luke now realizes it not only serves for shade, but also place of conversational secrets. There were shadows that danced around here and there, but for the most part it was cool, blocked from the excessive amounts of sun rays that entered – unwillingly – through the spaces in the leaves of the canopy. Luke keeps his attention carefully fixed on an ant that makes its way toward a crumb. At least ants don’t get asked about girls.
“Uh.”
“So you do then?”
“What, I didn’t, I didn’t even say anything.”
Calum nods, his bottom lip protruding in a pout, “Okay fine, but really do you?”
Luke honestly could tell Calum by this point, he thinks he can trust him enough. But at the same time, he’s not too sure. Calum might just use the information to tell Carver, and then Luke would have a million more problems than a crush on a girl, and the occasional punches thrown his way.
“Nah,” he states.
Calum frowns, “you’re stubborn.” He sluggishly lays back down against the tree trunk, closing his eyes to block the sun. “I mean, I could find out you know – been hearing Carver and Natalia fighting lately.”
Luke freezes. “What?”
“Oh nothing.” Calum is grinning wildly, teeth on display – damn eyebrows lifted mockingly at Luke. Calum knows what he’s doing, and Luke, Luke really hates him right now.
“Calum.”
“Luke.”
“Calum you can’t –“
Luke is abruptly interrupted when Calum changes the topic. “So Aries huh? What do you think of her?”
Luke wishes he could say he wasn’t caught off guard, but truth be told: he was completely caught off guard.
“What do you mean?”
“Aries, you know – she’s kinda short, okay really short, and has a knack for Lucky Charms.” Calum babbles on, his arms slung around Luke’s shoulders by this point. “Come on we’ve already been over this mate.”
“She’s uh,” he can feel himself blushing again, he curses his stupid weird blushing problem. “You know, she at least kinda sorta laughed at a joke I made? I guess I could take that as a good thing right?” Luke bites the outside of his bottom lip, feels the cold metallic of the small beaded ring.
(Luke can almost accurately remember when his mum had yelled at him over the damned thing. How she told Luke he was being, ‘irresponsible’ and that his actions would get him in trouble. Luke thought it was cool, he felt it made him look punk rock.)
Calum juts out his bottom lip again, pouting slightly with his eyebrows downturned. He’s got a sour look on his face, and Luke’s not sure how to read it – he almost wants to say he looks disappointed. Then in the next instant his expression is twisting into a snort. Calum laughs, laughs – has the nerve to chuckle despite the awkward situation that Luke (as always) is placed in. He feels stupid, like maybe Calum wasn’t being so serious, maybe he was messing with him.
Suddenly he feels anxious, self-conscious to the point he wraps his arms around his waist. Runs a hand through his unruly hair (he didn’t bother messing with it anymore since they were kicked out) chewing slightly on the inside of his cheek.
“No, no I’m not – I’m not mocking you dude, it’s just you don’t have to feel embarrassed. I’m your friend I’m not gonna bite.” Calum’s tone completely changes as he shifts again. His arm still heavy against Luke’s shoulders.
There’s a short drawn out silence between them. Luke figures that since they’re bring up such subjects he should ask about the wadded up paper at the front of Calum’s truck. The pieces that were burned, but not seared to a heap of ashes. The paper was merely tattered with coffee-like stains webbing across each section, whatever held inside lost – marred into unreadable symbols that Luke figured Calum didn’t bother to check for.
“Hey,” he starts. He’s not quite sure how Calum will answer – if he answers. “Those papers in your car.”
The moment Luke utters the words Calum is freezing up. His back stiffens out against where he’s been relaxing the past couple of minutes. Even his arm that was dangling freely from Luke’s shoulder is now snaking its way back into his body. He doesn’t respond. Luke doesn’t drag it out.
“I’m sorry, I thought –“ Luke doesn’t finish. He doesn’t need to.
“Ever thought about dying your hair lilac?” Calum inserts himself into the topic, his fists clenched at his side. He’s insouciant, tries to ignore whatever it is that floats in the back of his mind. Luke regrets bringing up the topic.
He chooses not to answer. Calum will only try to convince him otherwise, even if he doesn’t utter a word.
As if almost on cue Calum blurts out, “We should try it.”
Luke sighs, rolling his eyes: “What do you mean we? I’m the one that would have to live with it.”
“Suit yourself. Might not be such a great idea, you’re meeting Ashton tomorrow anyways.” Calum says. “Plus Saturday would work better, you know.”
Luke’s nodding along, humming to himself in thought. Calum is leaning on him again, and Luke can’t help but to close his eyes slightly. It’s been a long day for him, plus it’s hot. Luke’s comfortable and Calum’s talking along about whichever’s and whatnots when suddenly it hits him:
“Wait Ashton?”
✦ ✧ ✦ ✧
i just really like the picture on the right - like cake man (whyy)
dedicated to the lovely WHATswag - also thank you to everyone who have been keeping up with this story and commenting and voting and reading and whatnot: you're all amazing c: