holy ground [j.h]

Chapter 4

First day of senior year meant one thing: Ellen was going to cry in the kitchen. My theory was proven correct when I walked downstairs and as soon as she saw me, tears rolled down my mom's cheeks.

"Mother, simmer."  I said, rolling my eyes slightly at her.

"My baby is starting his senior year. I'm allowed to be emotional." She replied, wiping at her eyes. Luke happened to be sitting in the kitchen as well, and her words definitely caught his attention.

"Oh I forgot, I'm just a fucking hallucination?!" Luke added dramatically.

"Luke! Language!" She scolded, shaking a finger at him. "And of course you're not a hallucination, it's just-"

"Jack. Precious precious Jack, who can never do anything wrong. Even when he does ALL OF THE THINGS WRONG!" He vented, slamming his hands on the counter. He took a deep breath, collecting himself as Alex walked into the kitchen. "I'm done. I'm calm. Good morning Alexander."

"Good morning... Lucas?" Alex said, unsure of how to greet Luke in this moment. After a quick breakfast and a few forced photos on the porch and a FaceTime call to Alex's parents, the three of us loaded into our separate cars.

"Why won't you just ride with us?" Luke asked as Alex unlocked his own car.

"Because Jack is a douchebag driver and I don't intend on meeting an untimely death in the state of Michigan." He explained in a deadpan voice, opening his door. I flipped him off as I did the same, and Luke slid into the passenger seat. He reached for aux and I immediately snatched it out of his hands.

"Fuck no." I said bluntly, scrolling through my playlist for a specific song. I clicked "Fireproof" by One Direction with my thumb, causing Luke to turn to face me with raised eyebrows.

"One Direction? Not that I'm hating, because I fuck with One Direction heavy, but it's not your usual vibe." He questioned, staring at me for a moment before recollection flashed in his eyes. "Ah, but we do know who fucks with One Direction heavy." 

"Don't." I said, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Elena!! And if you're listening to her music, you know what that means. You're down bad." He cheered, and I reached across the front seat to smack him. He winced, rubbing his arm. "Dude? Relax. Getting defensive just proves my point.

"Leave it alone Dukes. I'm serious." I said, trying desperately to change the topic. 

"Whatever. Once again, just proving my point here." He turned to look out the window, letting the music take over the car.

He was right. I listened to her music to find more things in common with her because I wanted to find things to talk about. And it's stupid as fuck and I would never admit it to a single person, not even her, but listening to songs I know she likes makes me feel closer to her. And that's all I want to be: close to Elena Cameron. 

We pulled into the familiar parking lot of our high school and I found my usual spot, hopping out of the car to see the Beecher twins. However, Caroline only acknowledged my brother, leaving me standing there alone and off to the side awkwardly. As they chitchatted, a blonde girl I knew too well walked by and offered me a fake smile.

"Hi Jack!" It was Chelsea Comar, my sort of girlfriend from the year before. We were never really anything, and it was a period of my life I never really wanted to revisit. 

"Hi Chelsea." I offered a weak wave, turning to the twins and Luke to get her to go away. 

"Hi guys, remember me? Jack?" I said, crossing my arms. 

"Hi Rowdy." Johnny saluted. "Ready to get in there and see how your pranks are doing?"

"Thank you. Yes, I am." I said proudly, nodding my head before scanning the parking lot. A few of our other friends had pulled into the lot: Alex, Cole, Case, Dom, Boldy and Trevor. They were all heading over towards our cars, laughing and being absolutely obnoxious per usual. "Wait, where's Elena?" I asked, realizing I had parked next to her empty spot. Luke laughed under his breath and I thrust my elbow into his ribs. I shot him a knowing look that said "Shut your fucking mouth." He seemed to get the hint and closed his mouth, tugging on his backpack straps.