Wonderwall (Luke Brooks)

Chapter 9

We raced back to Luke’s by train. The big woof of the strange, strong odour came at us as Luke swung the down open running upstairs. I thought I would’ve been allowed upstairs and started following him. Mostly because I was afraid of being alone at a time like this.

The door to Luke room was left ajar and I could hear a fairly loud ruckus from behind it. “Bella, stay downstairs” he barked from the enclosed space.

I slowly backed away making my way back downstairs where I sat on the bottom step  waiting for him. A billion questions crossed my mind during what seemed like forever. Why’s this a big fuss? What is he hiding? Who was he on the ph one to? What’s the deal with being so secretive? And the main question flowing through my head was, Why had he suddenly starting talking to me? I mean it’s nice that he’s being protective and all but it’s too much; I’m not his problem to deal with. He’s expecting me to be at his fingertips but didn’t he tell me to stay away. I wanted answers.

“Let’s go” Luke said while jogging down the stairs. I noticed he had his hands in the pockets of the same black coat he had on last night. Why is he even wearing it? It’s fairly warm outside. I guess everyone reacts to weather differently. I stood up letting him take the lead and closed the door behind me.

A mix of alcohol and garbage smothered the air around us. The street was empty but the houses say otherwise. These places were trashed; broken objects and beer bottles covered the front yards, the house were fibro and a fair few of them had punctures along the walls and windows possibly from violence and many burnout remainders marked the roads.

Luke was still leading the way and directed us both down an alley next a mechanics called ‘Tims Tyre and Mechanics’. A well- built man who looked like he was on steroids and drugs pushed himself of the fence with his right leg and started walking towards us. His facial features became clearer as he became closer. Stubble covered the area around his lower cheek and chin. Bags hung from under his deep, dark brown eyes. And his hair, his hair was a greasy looking brown slick back. The look of his made me want to bring up the hot chips from earlier. 

“What’s the girl doing here?” the low, croaky voice of the man in front of us said.

“She my uhhh, what are you?” he said turning his head towards me.

“I’m your um good friend from Sydney” I lied but reassured him that i could stand up for myself and have Luke’s back as well.

“Yeah that’s it. She won’t say anything. I give you my word for it” Luke said in a terrified tone.

The guy had put his hand in his back pocket and retrieved a pocket knife and a hundred dollar note. “You better not say anything girl” he said flicking it out and pointing it inches away from my face.

“I won’t” was all I managed to stutter out.

“Well then?” the guy motioned his hand as if he was expecting something. Luke finally pulled his hands out holding a grasp onto a zip lock bag containing a small amount of a grainy white substance. My mouth fell open and my eyes widen as he traded the bag for the hundred dollar note the other guy had in his hand.

As soon as they both had hold of what they wanted the muscular man turned around and started walking off still flicking his pocket knife in and out of its casing.

“Shitttt, Luke, what just happened?” I turned to him.

“Take a guess” he laughed while starting to walk back in the direction we came.

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A million thoughts ran through my mind during the way back to Luke’s, but I kept my mouth shut the entire trip. The silence wasn’t awkward either; it was comfortable and soothing actually. I liked the time to think. Luke was always a step ahead of me but every now and then he looked back, then I would smile, then he would smile back but then he would look away just to look back in a couple of minutes.

Nicer houses started coming into view and after a few more streets we were nearly back. The sound of our footsteps came to ease as we reached his front door. After a few moments of jiggling the key and opening the door I went straight to the living room to grab my stuff. I breathed in slowly letting the strange yet satisfying smell of the house flow through my nostrils.

“Well, I gotta go. I’ll see you later ay Luke” I smiled at him whilst picking up my bag

“Don’t go anywhere. Stay the night please” he rushed out not making eye contact

“Wha-aat?” I paused. “You know Mum is expecting me back by 4 and anyways I barely know you. Oh and let’s not forget how I ended up here in the first place” I replied back.

“Ay, that wasn’t entirely my fault” he tilted his head down in a smartass matter

It took a lot of convincing and persuading from him for me to finally give in. I texted Mum that I would be staying at Brittany’s tonight but really I was lying; like what is the worst that could happen? He has already made me do drugs.

I put my bag back down and sat on the lounge I was sleeping on earlier. The tapping of my feet echoed the room as I waited for Luke. He insisted I stay downstairs while he goes and gets a few things. I sighed blowing my hair out of my face as I grew impatient. A few photo frames were plastered against a shelf displaying many photos of Luke and his family. Almost all of them looked like they were taken from awhile back considering there weren’t any that looked recent on show. A pair of young, smiley twins was framed in one, a mother with three boys; two being the twins and another that wasn’t a twin was framed in another, the rest looked similar or had the same people in them.

“Guess whose back?” Luke danced in the walkway holding a bunch of pillows, a doona or two, a stack of DVDs ranging from scary to romance to comedy and a shit load of food.

“Lemme guess, the doona monster” I laughed back helping him set everything up so it would be comfortable and the food would be in reachable distance. “Um do you mind if I borrow some clothes? I don’t exactly want to watch a movie in a dress” I asked.

“Why not” he winked at me. “I’m joking I’ll be back” he said running back upstairs. Two minutes later he came running back downstairs with a white shirt and a pair of footy shorts. “Wear these” he said chucking the clothes at me. I asked where the bathroom was and excused myself to get changed. The white shirt hung tightly over my upper body and was showing my black bra underneath. That sneaky shit. The footy shorts on the other hand hung loosely around my waist.

“Looking great in my clothes” he winked at me.

I chucked a cushion at him and laughed. “Just choose a movie already” I sighed.

He got up off the lounge and scrabbled through the DVDs he brought down. He pulled Insidious out of its case and put it into the DVD player on the side of the TV. “FUCK YES I LOVE SCARY MOVIES” I exclaimed while he crawled back onto the lounge with the remote. He had left just enough room between us to sit a packet of Smith’s BBQ chips, a packet of snakes and some chocolate fingers. We both pulled our separate doonas over our lower half of our bodies and got comfortable in the mix of cushions and pillows whilst he pressed play.

“You’re like the first girl I’ve seen that loves scary movies rather than hate them” he shook his head in confusion but determination.

“I just don’t really scare easy I guess” I turned to him then re-focused my view back onto the TV.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if you scream and shit yourself during the movies though” he chuckled also looking back towards the TV.

“Bet ya $20 I won’t” I turned myself towards him putting my right hand out across the food.

“A kiss instead and you’ve got yourself a deal” he smirked then bit his lip.

I paused. A kiss? Why not just money? Ugh. I’m pretty calm when it comes to scary movies so really I have nothing to lose.

“Deal” I smirked back shaking hands with him sealing closed Luke’s 2nd deal of today.