Finding My Normal

Ch 68: The First Family Meeting

Luke POV

We're waiting in Sang's living room and I haven't stopped thinking about Sang since North picked me up and filled me in on what's going on.

When Uncle told me to keep an eye out for the new girl in town I dreaded the responsibility. It felt like too much and I didn't understand why he was asking me to. He offered no explanation just told me she was a "pretty bird with green eyes".  I did my best, but knowing she was making friends and they seemed like good guys I thought she would be safe.  Boy was I wrong.

When I met up with Sang in the park that one day and she remembered the old church I knew she had to have lived here before. That was the connection with Uncle, I assumed he knew her when she was a kid. That same night I raced home and dug through our basement looking for my elementary school yearbooks. I flipped through page after page, book after book until I found it in my fifth grade yearbook. 

Sang Sorenson. Not Pictured.

I was staring at a grey box with a blank silhouette instead of those beautiful green eyes.  I wanted to see her when she was here back then.  I wanted to know if I would remember her.  I flipped through the pages of pictures with just the students participating in activities or posing with friends. In the entire yearbook--hundreds of photos and only one showed Sang. It was a photo of me and North on the playground. He hadn't been living with us very long, but I had my arm around his shoulder and I'm smiling-- he's of course glaring, but just off to the left side in the background is Sang. She's sitting at one of the picnic tables, her head down reading a book. I can't see her eyes, but I'd recognize that long chameleon blonde hair and petite frame anywhere. Even when she was just a child she was tiny.

Little by little this year I started liking her more and more.  I knew my brother liked her too and it made me mad.  Something I've never really felt before.  It got worse when I could tell she liked some of her other friends too.  It was confusing and I didn't know how to act around her.  These new feelings-- jealously, anger, confusion; I had never felt that before, but then again, I had never met a girl like Sang.  It made me act like a jerk towards her at Homecoming.  I was a jerk towards my friends too.  When she finally told me what was bothering her that night I was a little taken aback, but I realized yes I was jealous and I wanted to fix that by making Sang mine--by keeping her to myself, but more than anything I just wanted Sang to be happy.  If Sang was happy dancing with all her new friends then that's what she should do.  

Watching her dance with the other guys wasn't so bad, I didn't feel as jealous or mad as I thought I would.  I think it helped seeing how happy it made Sang.  The bright smile on her face as Gabriel twirled her around, the giggles that escaped her mouth as North dipped her a little too far, the blush that filled her cheeks as Victor whispered in her ear and the funny way she looked when Silas had her dance on his feet.  Kota and Nathan got their turns too and she was just as excited to dance with them.  By the end of the night she came back to me and asked for one last dance.  When I looked into her eyes I could see the brightness shining through, overpowering that haunted look she sometimes had.  That's when I decided.  I would do anything to make her this happy, I would split my time, hang out with her and any other friends she wanted, just as long as she came back to me.  Like she did that night.

I wanted to make it up to Sang.  To prove to her that I'm not some mean, jealous freak.  The past few weeks I've been learning how to cook.  I never had an interest in the Diner, but I wanted to do something romantic for Sang, to make up for my selfishness.  I asked Uncle to teach me how to cook and I learned that I'm actually pretty good at it.  I enjoy it too.  Today was the day I was going to ask Sang out for a picnic at the park.  I was getting the groceries with Uncle when North called.  I don't know why I was so short with him.  I think it's because I know he likes her and I haven't really spoken to him about my feelings towards Sang.  I didn't want him to hate me or worse-- stop talking to me.  So I gave him as few details as possible.  Told him I was running errands with Uncle for the diner.  Which was true, Uncle was picking up things for the diner while I got what I needed for Sang.