The Player Next Door ✓

26 | Leave

A little while ago, omgthatisrandom asked me for longer chapters. I'm delivering on that now. So get settled, grab a hot coco and some snacks and keep giving me that feedback - I try to incorporate all as I go.

Chapter 26: Leave

I stared up at Luke. The boy I lived with this summer in a small cabin by the lake. 

He was sexy. I'd forgotten just how hot he made me.  His steamy blue eyes contrasted against his dark hair and tanned skin. I traced his chiseled bone structure with my eyes, going all the way down to his smooth, pink lips.

He licked his bottom lip and smiled.

I let my eyes travel further down. A white shirt covered his broad shoulders. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, revealing his toned and strong arms. His jeans hung around his waist, secured by a leather belt, and his white shoes were unscathed.

"You ok, Minnie?"

I struggled with the two versions of him: the Luke everyone idolizes and the Luke I knew this summer.

This was Luke. Just Luke.

"Maybe she's mute," a girl said behind me.

I held onto my plate of BBQ pizza like my life depended on it. I didn't belong here.

He radiated calm. His gaze was steady and peaceful. I used to relax in it, but now that serenity was impenetrable and intimidating.

"My record's clean. I haven't run over anything since your laptop," I reported.

Did I just say that? Giving him a status report like he's a traffic controller... What was I doing? 

He raised a dark eyebrow at me.

"Well done," he drawled. Sarcasm dripped off his perfect lips.

He didn't tolerate this. I could tell he was annoyed by my change in behavior. He liked it when I was myself around him. Now he could tell I was treating him differently.

He looked into my eyes and then stepped away from the doorway. That move was a clear sign:

Leave.

**

I wanted to bury my head in my locker like an ostrich. I groaned inwardly, pulling out a textbook for my AP Comparative Government class. I kept replaying my embarrassing encounter with Luke in my mind.

Julia and I had lockers near to each other. I glanced over at her now, chatting with Cearra and Lexi. They had spent lunch together and it seemed to be going well.

"Why are you still friends with her?" Lexi asked, pointing at me in a not-so-subtle way.

Julia answered awkwardly, lowering her voice so I couldn't hear.

"Isn't she the girl Kaden dumped?" Cearra asked loudly.

Yes, that's me.

Suddenly, Khloe came running towards them, "Luke's coming!"

Lexi reacted quickly. She took off her jacket to reveal more cleavage. The girls around us were getting excited. Apparently, last year he spotted a girl in the hallway and took her on a couple dates. She's graduated now but it was her 20 minutes of fame. Everyone wanted to be the next her.

The doors swung open and Luke stepped out. He barely noticed that all the attention was on him. He had his entourage with him and laughed at something one of them said. It was a deep, contagious sound.