waitress // lrh

05 // staring

// luke //

"She's scared of you."

Luke scoffed. "I hadn't noticed."

Calum shook his head to wave his floppy bangs out of his eyes, biting back a grin. "Like, I'm glad to know she works around you because I know she's safe, but don't talk to her any more than you have to. She's...you're gonna freak her out."

Luke nodded, though he didn't quite agree, leaning forward into the desk chair he had straddled upon entering his friend's room. Calum was pretty neat for a twenty-three-year-old still living with his parents, but then again, he and the rest of his family were never ones to be messy.

"How's work going?"

Luke shrugged. "Same old stuff. I'm kind of sick of how low my wage is compared to some of the other workers who'd been there less, but whatever."

Calum raised his eyebrows. "You're not mad about that? I'd be pissed."

Truth be told, Luke was always relatively angry. He was short-tempered, and keeping from getting irritated was always extremely difficult for him most of his life. He had never been able to afford therapy for it, but normally he just took out his anger on random shit in his apartment. He used to punch the wall to release his rage, but the last time that happened, there was a gaping hole in the drywall, and Luke was not equipped to pay for that again.

So instead he just shrugged. "I've gotten used to the constant overlooking from the management." It wasn't a lie, but 'getting used' to it meant still getting fucking angry and even closer to his breaking point.

Calum looked troubled by this, but he chose to move past it, not wanting to get snapped at for pushing the issue.

"You have work tomorrow?"

"Just half shift, from three to seven," Luke replied. "Do you know what Cate's schedule is?"

Calum leaned back on his bed, thinking. "Uh, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I think, from one to like six or seven. I should probably know that, actually, considering I'm driving her." Luke rolled her eyes.

That was around half the time that he would be working the week. Hopefully, she wasn't always going to be terrified of him. It was nicer when they were having a coherent conversation, despite the only time that happened was for five minutes this morning.

"I am sorry I made you take her home. I know you don't live super close to us," Calum apologized.

"It's fine," Luke told his best mate. "I don't mind." He didn't.

"Do you need anything? I owe you, and I know...I know you don't have the best living...situation." The words were uncertain, and Luke knew Calum wasn't saying it to feel like he was being a good person. He actually cared. Luke didn't want to be anyone's charity case. He didn't want anyone to take pity on him. Including Calum.

But he did need medicine, or disinfectant, or something. He had taken a shower that morning, hoping that using cold water would numb the stabbing sensation of his newest injuries. 

All it did was make him shiver, so he settled with trying to wash out the likely infected cuts with soap and hot water, which didn't help much at all. He had nearly forgotten about them until now. Luke had been growing more and more accustomed to the pain after each new incident.

That wasn't something anyone should have to grow used to.

"I know you keep saying it's fine, but I really feel like I owe you something," Calum insisted, biting his cheek, with a glance back up at Luke.

"I... I'm alright," Luke said, avoiding eye contact. "I can handle my life right now." 

"Did you get jumped again?"