gay crisis luke x reggie (ruke) book 2

living

The principal led me to my first lesson. He walked me to the music room and spoke to the teacher.

"Maybe buddy him up, he's awfully quiet." He began. I looked around at the students around me, all ages and grades. One kid was around my age, fifteen-ish, with jet black hair and green eyes that stared at me in curiosity.

"Class, this is our new student, Luke Patterson. Reggie, can you show Luke around please?"

"Yes sir! I mean miss! Sorry." He stumbled. I walked over.

"Hey, I'm Reggie." He introduced.

"Luke." I replied.

"Soo...you play electric?" he added asked, pointing at my electric guitar.

"Yeah, and..." I looked at his instrument. "Bass?"

"Yep."

"What genre?"

"Rock." he replied.

"Me too!" I exclaimed. "Well, obviously, being an electric guitar." I sighed. "Sorry, just... overwhelmed."

"don't worry, being at a new school is hard, you'll be fine."

I paced back and forth, repeating what I was planning to say to her, and taking a deep breath, I called out to her.

"Mum!" my mother, Emily came in.

"Yes, Lukas?"

"Uhh, I need to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"I was wondering if you could drop me off at a bar tomorrow night."

"What, why?"

"Um because I have a gig there."

"What, like you joined a band?" she said sarcastically.

"Yeah, exactly like that."

"Uhh, since when."

"a few months ago, me and my friends decided we would make one." I explained. She sighed in disappointment.

"I told you those friends of yours were bad influences." I rolled my eyes, getting frustrated. "You are not being in a band." She ordered.

"Mum, I'm seventeen, you can't control my life anymore." I argued. "I wasn't asking if I could join, I was asking for a lift, maybe if you heard us play- "

"No, I'm not taking you there, and I can still control your life, you are still underaged, and my son, I am your legal guardian, so until you are legally an adult, I can stop you from being in a band."

"No, you can't!"

"Yes, I can, give me your guitar." She ordered.

"No!"

"While you are living under my roof, you will listen to what I tell you to do!"

"Then I'll run away!" my mum snickered.

"Sure, you will."

"I will!" I grabbed a bag and started stuffing clothes into my bag, then stormed past her to grab my jumper on the kitchen table.

"Luke, stop it!"

"No! all you ever do is tell me how disappointed you are in me, and how you regret buying me my first guitar! I'm sick of it!" I yelled, storming out of the house. I jumped on my bike, my mother chasing me down the driveway.

"Luke" she yelled.

"I hate you!" I screamed, pedalling off into the distance.

I dumped my bike behind Reggie's shed. I knocked on the door. Reggie opened it, shocked to see me.

"it's the middle of the night, what the hell are you doing here?" he asked. I didn't dare speak, adrenaline wearing off, leaving me upset and tired. I sprang at Reggie, hugging him tightly.

"Woah, are you okay?"

"My mum tried to kick me out of the band, can I stay at yours?"

He looked behind him, and I panicked. If he said no, I would have nowhere to go for the night. Alex's parents won't even let guys over anymore in general, ever since he came out to them, and bobby lived really far away. A recurring feeling crept up my throat. A feeling of happiness that I always got when I was with Reggie... I shoved the feelings down, as I had for the last two years.

"Please, I have nowhere else to go."

"Yeah, but quiet, okay, straight up to my room." We crept upstairs.

"we'll have to share my single bed, is that okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine wi- "I stopped, hearing yelling coming from a nearby room.

"what's going on?" I asked.

"it's nothing, just a little argument." Reggie mumbled. something crashed, and we both jumped. He looked at his feet.

"Reg, that's not a little argument, are you're parents-"

"Yes, they're having issues, but it's fi-"

"No, it's not! don't say that! I could tell something was up earlier this year, but I thought you were just tired or something. why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I don't know, I just... I was embarrassed." I walked over, hugging him.

"This isn't supposed to be about me! it's about you! you need me to be there for you, not the other way arou-" he cried.

"Reggie, don't say that you need the help too!" I scolded.

"But-"

"I don't wanna talk about it right now anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. talk to me. how long has this been going on? how bad is it? can I help?" I asked. He told me everything, and once he was done, I gave him another hug.

"I'm so sorry I didn't realise sooner." I apologised. He shook his head.

"Its fine, let's get some sleep." We laid down in his small bed, shoulder to shoulder.

"Fuck." I thought, "I still like him." I sighed. "I need to get over him, he's straight."

The four of us stood outside the Orpheum. It was completely nerve wracking

"What are we waiting for?" Reggie asked.

"You and bobby go; I need to talk to Alex." I told him.

"Okay, lovebirds." He teased, dragging bobby inside. I looked at Alex.

 "I have been needing to talk to you for a while now." I began.

"Me too." Alex added.

"You can go first." I told him.

"No, it's ok, you go." Alex replied.

"No, you." I repeated.
you!" he argued with a grin.

"Alex," I said, grabbing his shoulders. "Just go."

"Uhh, I think we should break up..." he muttered. I sighed in relief, but Alex took it as me being upset.

"No! no! its not you! It's just, I think we are better off as friends, and there was this guy..."

"I'm not upset, I'm relieved, like, not that I didn't value the relationship or something, but I was going to say the same thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think it is safe to say that I am over Reggie."

"that's good."

"Yeah." We stood outside in silence.

"We should probably head in and rehearse." I muttered.

"Yeah, let's go."