A girl's lips were on Luke's. They weren't mine.
But once I saw her tainted angel wings, I knew exactly who it was.
My mouth went dry as I shut my numbing lips. Eyes blurry, as if I had cataracts in my eyes, or my contacts had rolled up. It was neither of those things, I just couldn't bring myself to let the tears welling in my eyes fall, even though they were threatening to.
"Yeah, you guys should ha-- oh." Ashton stopped beside me.
The thing that got me the most about this situation was that it wasn't at all Luke's fault.
His eyes were wide open.
She had him locked against the wall, and he was trying desperately to push her off. He hadn't seen me yet either, he just honestly didn't want her to kiss him.
"Katherine?" Ashton's bottom lip trembled, his voice cracking. Every ounce of emotion he was feeling poured into her name. The cracking of his voice -- the hurt, the pain, the shattering of his heart -- I felt it all too, but for a different reason. I didn't lose a mate, I just lost my best friend.
Katherine turned around, stumbling slightly. Even from a distance, I could tell she was wasted beyond belief. When someone was drunk, they did something they always wanted to do, but wouldn't do when they were sober. A drunk man's actions were a sober man's thoughts. I thought she had my back, but I was wrong. She abused my trust. She pushed me too far; she just dragged me along this entire time. She held all my secrets, all my feelings, and had crumpled them up into a paper ball. Her throw didn't even make the wastebasket; she was too chicken to hurt me sober. Even so, I honestly thought she supported my liking of Luke. I was the naive one. I was the fool.
I thought she liked Ashton.
"What are you doing?" I asked monotonously. I could feel my real best friend beside me, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He looked broken. I probably did, too.
"He's not your boyfriend, don't act like it's a big deal." She snorted, tugging at the wings on her back. I opened my mouth, but closed it again. I couldn't formulate words, I couldn't make a sound.
"But I was your boyfriend." Ashton snapped. They were dating, and she still had the audacity to do this. She wasn't the girl I once trusted with my life: she was a monster. The Katherine I once knew was gone. Or maybe I hadn't really known her at all, maybe her real self had been lurking in the shadows. I didn't know anymore. Everything around me was crumbling. Even Ashton was crumbling. Ashton: a person I considered to be strong. He was breaking apart.
"Can't you see, you're not good for him! You can't give him what he wants: He's too far out of your league." Katherine hissed, ignoring Ashton completely. She was speaking to me.
It was like we were the only two people in the room.
When I had to cry, but I was holding it in, my collar bones always hurt. Right now, they were on fire. The voice inside my head told me she was right. It told me I wasn't good enough for Luke, and I'd never be. I was naïve to believe that I would be enough for him. I wasn't. That didn't change what she did, and it certainly didn't make it any better.
"See, I did this for you. So you could see the truth. Consider it a favor, Raelynn." She continued, stalking over to me. "That's what best friends are for."
"That's not what best friends do, Katherine." I seethed, anger searing through my veins. My blood was boiling. My body didn't just hurt anymore, my body wanted to react.
"If you weren't so self absorbed you would see what I did was right. You aren't all that, Raelynn. You aren't anything special. No one wants you. I took you in when you had no one else, but it's time to put you in your place. You're a washed up, worthless, narcissistic bįtch." She panted, pointing a finger at me, nearing me with every jab she took. "You think you are so god damn smart and cool, but let me tell you something: you aren't. You owe everything to me. You would be all alone if it wasn't for me. You aren't even that smart anyway, you're not even in the top ten people in our class."
I did what any other washed up, worthless, narcissistic bįtch would do.
I slapped her.
"Fuçk you!" I screamed, the tears openly running down my face. They weren't sad tears anymore, they were tears of anger. A red handprint replaced the bronzer on her cheek. She stumbled, before quickly regaining her balance.
"You snitch!" Katherine yelled, standing up and preparing to strike. As her hand came crashing down toward my cheek, I prepped myself for the force of the blow.
It never came.
"You've hurt her enough. Leave. You're no longer welcome anywhere near Raelynn, or Ashton." Luke had a hand wrapped around her wrist. Every word he spoke was articulated. His eyes were no longer blue and full of lightness and air, they were gray and filled with anger, but between the shades of gray, there was something else. I couldn't quite make it out.
We all stood in silence for a minute, staring openly at one another. Just breathing. In and out, in and out.
"You dick!" Ashton spat, breaking the moment of quietness.
Before I could react, a punch was landed on Luke's jaw, sending him staggering backwards. My own jaw dropped. I began crying harder. I hated seeing him hurt at the hands of my only friend. Luke was just a bystander. Katherine used him -- he didn't even want her.
"Luke!" I yelled, lunging toward him. Ashton's arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back.
"How could you do that to Raelynn?" Ashton sneered. "I warned you, if you ever hurt her, I would kill you. You played with her heart; I'm going to fuçking kill you!"
The next few events happened so quickly, I thought I was dreaming.
I thought Ashton was going to land another punch on Luke. His fist was about to become well acquainted with Luke's gut. I couldn't watch it happen. With sobs racking my body, I gripped Ashton's shoulder, turning him around.
"Ashton, stop! He didn't do anything! He's a victim too, he didn't kiss her!" I panted, keeping my hands on Ashton's chest. I was between him and Luke. He wouldn't hurt Luke without hurting me.
"And how do you know that? Do you know his track record? He's a Grade A asshole! All he does is break hearts!" He yelled. "I'm trying to protect you, Raelynn. I warned him! I told him this would happen if he hurt you. He hurt you!"
"He didn't do it! I saw it. He didn't kiss back, he was trying to push her off. Please don't hurt him please!" I wailed, trying to hold my sobs back so I could speak clearly. "Please."
He stared back and forth between Luke, Katherine, and I. I could see it in his eyes. He was really, really gone. He stared down at me for a few seconds; he just stared. Before I could say anything, Ashton's lips captured mine.
I panicked.
As if he realized what he did, he jumped back, breathing heavily. He stared at me for two seconds, before he turned on his heel and ran. He was too late to hide, I saw a tear roll down his cheek.
"Look what you did!" Katherine accused me. I ignored her.
I looked at Luke, and then I looked back at the door. I could stay here and talk to him, and tell him that it was okay, or I could run after the person who I loved.
I chose wisely.
With my heels in my hand, I bolted out of the kitchen. I was running. Sprinting, even. I had to find Ashton, and I had to find him fast. He was the only person I had left, and he needed me just as much as I needed him. I burst out of the front door, racing through the grass. The stickers pinching the soles of my feet were hard to ignore, but I somehow did it anyway. There was only one thing I kept on my mind. Ashton.
"Ashton!" I yelled, stopping my frantic run to look where I was. I was on the sidewalk, a few yards away from the house I had just been in. "Ashton, please!"
Brushing away the dried tear streaks on my face, I began walking. I wanted to run to find him, but I wouldn't be able to see as clearly. It was really dark outside, and the only things I had going for me right now were the street lights and various Halloween decorations. After a few minutes of pacing, I saw him.
He was sitting on the curb by a storm drain, head in his hands. I ran over to him, stopping behind him. He was crying, but his shoulders weren't shaking.
"Ashton, talk to me." I murmured, squatting down behind him.
He said nothing.
I placed my hands on his shoulders, rubbing them lightly. I hoped he knew it was me, and me only. He didn't even flinch. I let my head fall down onto his spine, crying softly. I couldn't lose Ashton. Katherine was making me lose him, though. This was all her fault; she could have just ruined my life, she didn't have to take him down with me.
"I fuçked up." He croaked.
"You didn't." I said quietly, removing myself from his back to sit beside him.
"I punched Luke for hurting you, and then I turned around and kissed you. That's really messed up." He chuckled darkly. I could hear the sadness in his voice. I could see the life draining from his face.
"You panicked, and had just been blindsided by your former best friend and girlfriend. She screwed up, you didn't." I tried to smile, but failed.
"Yeah? And in the process I probably just lost my best friend too." He huffed, wiping his eyes with his arm.
"No, you're best friend is right here, and loves you." I grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "I understand, Ashton, I understand you're hurt. I know, because I'm hurt too."
"It hurts so bad!" He cried. "She was our best friend! Why would she do that?"
"I don't know. She never really loved us after all." I shook my head.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, suddenly. "I'm sorry I kissed you, and I'm sorry I punched your boyfriend."
"Ashton, I already told you it's okay. And Luke isn't my boyfriend." I smiled sadly. He squeezed my hand harder.
"Did he break up with you? I swear to god I will murder his-"
"We weren't ever dating." I mumbled. "It doesn't matter."
"It did matter, to you. I know you really like him. Why didn't you stay with him at the party?" He asked quietly, leaning his head on mine.
"You are more important." I shrugged. "He and I just -- had a little fling of sorts. You're my brother."
We sat there, thinking and trying to pick up the pieces within ourselves. It was impossible to wrap my head around.
I thought of Katherine's duplicity, I thought of the times I spent with her, laughing, smiling, crying. Why did she spend so much time with me, just to tear me down? Best friends didn't give up on each other. Best friends didn't use each other. I felt used up. I felt emotionally drained. I went from the night of my life to losing her. We had been inseperable, two peas in a pod. Obviously, she didn't ever really feel that way.
I thought of Luke. I thought of what I felt for him. I liked Luke, a lot. But I didn't think he liked me enough to move past this. We were never even dating. It was funny that we had admitted our feelings, yet neither of us had asked the other to be in a relationship. We just sat around, hooking up in the hallways, in his car, at the pier, without thinking.
I really was a mess.
A/N:
This chapter is awfully short and I apologize for that, but I feel like everyone needed some closure on what happened. Yes, this is what gives the story the name "Duplicity." Katherine was the one that partook in the deceit. Luke has real feelings for Raelynn, and he did not kiss Katherine. Luke is not a cheater. Everything that happened was Katherine's fault and only her fault, no one elses. The next chapter will further give insight as to what happens with Raelynn and Luke next. Hope you've enjoyed this story so far :-)