Oh my god -.- So I published this chapter last week, but it kinda got deleted and I had to rewrite a few parts. If you read this last week, you're all good :') Also I'm hoping I'll post chapter 18 today. So stay tuned!
Luke has pierced his lip. It's the first thing I notice when he slips into the seat next to me, Friday morning. He notices me staring, and raises his brow.
"What?" He asks, and I reach out to touch the ring questionably with my index finger.
"Oh, that." he grins against my hand, making me suddenly feel self-conscious. I slowly lift my hand off his mouth and shove it back in my pocket.
"Michael finally convinced me into getting one. Pretty cool, huh?" He bites his lip, in which now the ring is involved. He bites the metal so carefully; I'd imagine it still hurts.
"Nice look, Luke," a boy beside us says, swiveling around with a look of approval.
"Thanks," Luke beams.
Mr. Lowry walks in with a clear of his throat, marking the beginning of class. "I'll be handing back your paragraphs on home safety," he says. "Oh, and don't forget, part one of the baby assignment is due soon." I look at Luke, suddenly reminded that we still need to hand it in.
Mr. Lowry walks up and down the aisles between the chairs, placing the sheets of paper on each student's desk. For each time a student has gotten a good mark, he gives them a smile. For each bad paragraph, he tightens his lips in a firm line. He slaps a sheet on my desk, and this time I see a faint of a smile. (I hope.) It's an 89%. Not bad. But not good. I look beside me at Luke, whose sheet is still untouched, exactly at the place Mr. Lowry had placed it. He's already begun chatting with a few girls around us (who are probably squealing about the new lip ring). A big red 64% is scrawled on the top of his page. The Luke I know is a perfect A-student and overachiever. But I don't say anything.
For the rest of the period, we get some time to work on our assignment and do a few worksheets. Luke barely talks to me, but still finishes his work at a slow pace. Finally, the bell for the end of the period rings.
"Don't forget, tonight is parent-teacher interview night so bring in your moms and dads!" He yells as the students begin leaving the room.
Luke and I enter the hallway, and his hand automatically slips into mine. This time, it's me that feels uncomfortable. But by the looks of people in the hallway, they don't notice. They respect our relationship, they envy it. Luke walks me to my next class, stops and leans in to kiss my ear. "See you," he says affectionately. I hear a few jealous girls sigh with under their breath. Feeling everyone's eyes on us, Luke leans into my ear as if to 'seduce' me. But his voice suddenly turns emotionless and bland, "By the way, Hailey wants to see us during lunch," he whispers. Then without a goodbye, he walks away.
...
"Steps to destroying the biggest man whore in town, aka Ashton Irwin," Hailey announces during lunch, making the letters super bold on the white board. Luke and I sit in the empty classroom, waiting for her to continue. At least, I am. Luke's on his phone, texting non-stop since the moment we got here. These days, he texts more than Brooke, and that's saying something.
"Luke, off your phone," Hailey orders like a teacher, and Luke ignores her.
"Anyway," Hailey says. She begins to list dot jots in her red marker. "Ashton's strengths, things that he'd be useless without," she announces.
"Number one, the girls. Whoever Ashton is associated with in the sex trade, we need to know. We need to make them hate him, stay away from him."
She flips her hair over her shoulder like a glamour queen, making me smile.
"Number two, his good looks. He'd be nothing without his six-pack and shiny hair."
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Project Publicity || l.h
Fanfiction[BOOK ONE] Jade and Luke have known each other since childhood. But as they grew older, Jade became glamorous and beautiful, while Luke stayed a loser. With time, the two of them drifted apart, never to speak again. This year, everything changes. A...
