Rejects // Punk Luke Hemmings

>Chapter Forty-Three<

I couldn't get the song out of my head. No matter what I did it was there, on a constant loop of pure emotion and Luke's voice. I thought about him a lot before, but now that I had this part of him, he was more ingrained in my being than ever before.

Even as they played covers of a few other songs, I was only half listening. I was just floored. Taken aback that he did this for me. I was stuck in a daze that he had created with a simple song. It probably wasn't his intent, but he had me completely enamored.

That night, I just laid in bed, images playing on the backs of my eyelids. I didn't sleep at all. Sure, I was probably making a bigger deal about this than I needed to, but God dämmit I just didn't even know what to do with this boy anymore.

The next morning brought purple shadows beneath my eyes and a considerable amount of concealer to try to cover them up. I couldn't stop yawning, yet I was more anxious to see Luke than I had been in a while. I think the idea of talking to him about the meaning of the song intimidated me a bit. I mean, of course I knew it was about us and whatnot, but it seemed to be more than that.

I sighed and grabbed my things, checking my appearance in the full-length mirror hanging on my wall on the way out. A simple pair of fleece-lined, black leggings, gray Converse, and my favorite sweater that looked like it was three sizes too big and was warm enough that I didn't even need a coat in the chilly autumn weather. My hair was down and a bit drab looking, and I had to wear my glasses as I had forgotten to tell mom that I needed to get some new ones ordered. I shook my head and just decided my appearance was what it was before I kept walking.

"Oh sweetie, did you run out of contacts?" That's the first thing my mother said as I walked into the kitchen. Not, "Good morning sweetheart," or "What would you like for breakfast honey?"

"Yeah. I forgot to tell you. It's fine though. The glasses go with my look today," I replied a bit sarcastically as I gestured to my "I'd-much-rather-be-at-home-eating-and-watching-Netflix" outfit.

"If you say so," she chuckled before picking up her keys and purse. "Have a good day at school sweetie."

"I'll try." With that, she kissed my hair and was off to work. I put my bag on the kitchen table and paused for a moment. The space felt different today for some reason. Now, granted, the kitchen wasn't that big of a room to begin with. The pale yellow walls and rich brown cabinets gave it a homey feeling to start with. I wasn't sure what it was, but I just felt like I still wasn't alone.

Hesitantly, I made coffee and looked for appealing breakfast food before I decided I'd just get a protein bar or two. Padding over to the pantry, I pulled open the door.

I was instantly pulled into the somewhat small space as the door closed behind me. I would have screamed out but a hand covered my mouth instantly. I noticed that whomever was trapping me in the tight space was being pretty gentle with me.

"Before you talk, can I say something?" The man holding me, as it obviously wasn't a feminine figure, whispered in my ear. It sounded like Luke, but huskier. It couldn't have been him though because how would he be in my pantry?

Regardless, I nodded instantly. "Alright." He slowly lifted his hand from my mouth, only to wrap that arm around my shoulders. There was nothing dangerous about the way he held me, and it was when he started talking again that I realized who it actually was.

"I set this up with your mom because I wanted to make today really special. I know it doesn't seem like four months together is that long, but to me at least it's been the best four months of my life..." His lips pressed against my temple, giving me a moment to think.

Four months. That meant it had been almost five months since I'd moved from the U.S. and changed my life for the better. Almost five months since I met Luke and made actual friends. Since I'd learned to come out of my shell, how to give my heart and soul to another person to hold.

How had I forgotten this?

"Today, we aren't going to school. We're going to do whatever you want, other than the surprise I have planned for later. I'm not letting anything ruin today, not for you, and not for me either."

I felt my cheeks warm as he kissed my collarbones, though he obviously didn't see it due to the darkness. I was about to open my mouth to respond, but at that moment there was the low buzz of a cell phone and I knew it wasn't mine.

With a quiet sigh, Luke straightened a bit. "Hold that thought." He pulled out his phone, and upon seeing who it was, I felt him tense behind me.

"Who is it?"

"The last person I want to talk to at the moment. Actually, if I had a choice I'd never talk to her again..." he growled at his screen.

"And who would that be?"

".......my mum....."

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A/N

Hey lovely people!!! How are you?! Good? Alright then. Glad to hear it. Though it's not a very good time right now, but I'll get to that later..... :'(

So sorry about the lateness of this. I've gone longer times without updating, so you're probably all used to it by now, but I really didn't know what to do with this chapter for the longest time. It was really sudden and probably really confusing, but the idea intrigued me when I got it, so that's what I did. I actually got the ending idea while I was writing a different ending that would've just led to a Netflix and chill scene (essentially XD) for the next chapter. I like this one a lot more though. >;D

Now onto heavier topics..... As I'm sure you all know by now, there has been a lot going on lately around the world. In places including Paris, Japan, and several others, there have been horrible events. The reason I bring this up is not necessarily because of the "Pray for Paris" movement or anything like that, but rather to give you all my take on it. If you live in any of the countries being affected by ISIS, natural disasters, or anything of the like, I want you to know that I'm here for you and my heart goes out to you. I would never want anything to hurt any of you, but if you've been affected by any of the recent occurrences, I'm here for you. My comments and inbox are always open, among my other social media accounts. I will always listen to your situation and try to be there for you to the best of my ability. I love you all so much and you all have my best wishes.

On a brighter note, how has this story gotten over 48,000 reads????????? You all blow my mind with your support. Whether that's by commenting, voting, sharing, or just simply reading my hard work means the world. I want you all to know, as well, that in the spirit of NaNoWriMo, I would love to finish up 'Rejects' up this month. I just started diving practice so it might be difficult, but I'm determined to do it. If I don't now I will have to wait even longer to start 'Losers' which I really don't want to do. So thank you all to the moon and back for supporting and loving me and my writing because I hope you know I love you too.

~CC

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