hide // muke

8

| l u k e |

"Okay. Luke, Michael, and Courtney. Here are your keys." I heard someone say, but I didn't look up. I took the key when I was handed one. I saw our room number, and started walking in front of Michael and Courtney with my head down.

It was only 5 p.m., so were just gonna hang out in our rooms until tomorrow's show, which is at 9 p.m. So there's 28 hours in a room with Michael and Courtney.

I was the first one into the room, claiming the bed by the wall.

I had one half of my bed, and my stuffed penguin had the other. I went ahead and crawled under the blankets. I had nothing else to do, so why not sleep? It's better than watching Michael and Courtney swallow each others faces. I just laid there with my eyes open, holding the penguin on my chest.

I heard the door open, and I sighed.

"No no no. Get up." Courtney demanded, but I simply ignored her.

"Do you not hear me? I said get up. This is our bed." She said in a baby voice. I closed my eyes out of anger, and popped them back open. "Leave me, alone." I groaned. "Babe. It's fine. Just get this one." Michael said.

"No. Were already letting this kid stay in our room. He can at least have some respect, and do what I say." She said, and it turned to look at her.

"Actually Courtney, were letting you stay in our room. You can at least have some respect, and shut up!" I yelled. She gasped, and looked at Michael. "Are you gonna let him talk to me like that?!" She asked, and he sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"I'm gonna go get the rest of our bags. You two work this out." Michael said, frustrated. "How long will you be gone?" She asked. "I don't know. Could be five minutes. Could be twenty." He said, and walked out.

I watched as he left. Courtney closed the door behind him, and waited by it, looking through the peep hole. I looked at her confused when she purposely splashed her bottle of water on my shirt. "What was that about?" I asked as she glanced back out the peep hole. I threw my shirt off, and just crawled back under my blankets.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked quietly as I saw her quickly ripping her clothes off. Once she was down to her underwear, she ran over to my bed just as soon as I heard the door open. She jumped under the covers, and let out a whimper. I tried to get up, but she dug her fingernails deep into my side, making me fall on top of her. "Luke stop!" She whined, and I propped myself up on one elbow, my jaw dropping. "Don't touch me like that!" She squealed.

I looked back and saw Calum standing in front of our bed. His jaw dropped, and he looked at us in disbelief. "M-Michael gave me his key to bring bags here." He said quietly. "Calum please get me my robe from the pink one." Courtney said, and began fake crying. He quickly got her robe out, and I stood up off of the bed and she got up too, tying her robe.

"Calum this isn't what it looks like. You have to believe me." I pleaded. "Luke. I just heard Courtney say 'Don't touch me like that.' It honestly sounds like you were abusing her." He said, becoming angry.

"He did! After Michael left he took off his shirt, and then he forced me to take my clothes off and lay on the bed. He said if I didn't he would hurt me. Then he started touching me." She said, clinging onto Calum's arm.

"Luke! You're an idiot! This could put you on probation. This could actually get you kicked off of the tour!" Calum yelled. I shook my head, and looked down.

She was too good. She had it thought out. Nobody would believe me.

I watched as Calum pulled out his phone. He called Michael and told him to bring one of the tour managers, named Jason. I was so nervous. I was shaking, because I knew no matter how hard I tried, nobody would listen to me.

"Calum please listen to me." I said quietly, and felt my eyes well up. "Luke just be quiet." He mumbled, and waited out in the hall, but keeping the door open. I sat on Michael's bed, sitting criss cross, looking down at my knees while I heard Courtney tell Michael and Jason.

"Michael stop!" Calum yelled, and I looked up to see Michael above me. "How could you do something so stupid?! If you were trying to prove something to me, then this was the wrong way to do it!" He yelled at me, but Calum pulled him back.

"I didn't do it." I cried, and looked up at him. His expression never changed, he just looked angrier and angrier every second. "Get out." He mumbled, and I looked down. I stood up quickly, and threw on a shirt. I grabbed my stuffed penguin off of my bed, and threw my black duffel bag over my shoulder.

I left without looking back at them. We walked down to the lobby, and he talked to the lobby person about something. She handed him a key, and he gave it to me, and walked back to his room. 462.

Everybody was on the third level, but they put me on the fourth now. I finally found my room, and I was disappointed when I opened the door. It was a one-bed room, with a tiny bathroom. It was an over-flow room, and unfortunately, I guess I had to stay in it.

It was very small, but I guess I'll live.

I threw my stuff in the corner, and sat against the edge of my bed. I let my head fall to my knees as I sobbed hysterically. I just want to go home so bad. I pulled out my phone, and called my mum.

She thankfully picked up, and said hello. "Hi mum." I whispered. "Hi honey. How's it going, there?" She asked.

"I wanna come home." I cried. "Oh Luke. What happened?" She whispered, and I let out a shaky breath. "Michael's girlfriend has everyone convinced that I sexually abused her. I didn't do it mum." I cried. She stayed silent, so I went on. "They put me on probation, which means I can't leave the hotel or tour bus unless were performing. Then they isolated me from everyone and put me in an overflow room on a totally different floor." I said quietly.

"Well that hardly seems fair. Did you tell them you didn't do it?" She asked. "Nobody listens to me." I whispered, and she sighed. "Michael's really mad at me." I mumbled.

"Ashton is very understanding. Maybe you need to tell him your side of the story and he can tell everyone else. Okay?" she said. "Alright. I'll try. Bye mum." I said quietly.

"Bye. I Love you. Good luck." She said, and hung up.

I stood up, and grabbed my hotel key. I took the elevator to the floor everyone else was on, and found Ashton and Calum's room. I knocked on the door, and Calum opened it. He glared at me, and I bit my lip, and looked to the ground. "Can I talk to ash?" I asked. He shrugged, and let me in. I walked in, and saw Ashton laying on the bed, watching tv.

"Hey." He said quietly, and I could feel the awkwardness. "Will you listen to me?" I asked quietly, and he sat up. I moved over to sit beside him on the bed.

"Nobody else will." I whispered.