Another Broken Girl

Chapter 8

Ali's POV

 I wake up gasping for air. It wasn't just a nightmare, it was a memory.

I grab some pj's from my luggage and go into the bathroom since it was still night. I take off my shirt and I see all my scars and bruises. I outline the scars with my fingertips. Once I touch one of my bruises I wince back in pain.

----

It's been a couple months since I moved into this school. I made three girlfriends. Andy, Jessie, and Skylar. I only have them plus the boys, but I haven't been talking to one of them. Luke. Over these past months Luke and I discovered that we hate each other. I don't know what I did, or if he's just been on a man period all this time, but if he doesn't want to talk to me so be it. I won't beg him to talk to me. In a result of us not talking I been catching rides with Skylar.

"Hey." I say sitting at the lunch room table. I haven't been sitting with the boys lately because when I do there would be awkward silences obviously because of me. And when we didn't have awkward silences Luke would kick me out of the conversation so I just decided that I would just sit by Skylar, Jessie, and Andy.

"Are we still going over to your apartment?" Andy asks me.

"Yeah." I say taking a bite out of my sandwich. Andy has dyed red hair with black highlights and she likes to wear black crop tops with skirts of any color with stockings.

"Do you have furniture yet? I hate sitting on the floor." Skylar asks. Skylar had blonde hair and she is the most talkative person I ever met.

"No, but I put some blankets on the floor." I answer.

"Like that's any help!" Jessie complained. Jessie had light brown hair and she's the quiet one, but she is really hilarious.

"Hey, do you still talk to them?" Andy asks nodding her head toward a table. I don't even have to turn around to know who she's talking about.

"No." I say shrugging one of my shoulders.

"Well he's been staring at you every time you sit here." She says.

"Yeah, it's cute.” Skylar agrees.

I turn around and I see the one and only Luke Hemmings staring at me. He shifts he's eyes away to play it like he wasn't staring. I don't really care so I turn back around biting my sandwich again.

"It doesn't matter." I shrug.

"It doesn't matter? It does matter! He totally likes you!" Skylar exclaims. She was always the one for gossip.

"No he doesn't." I roll my eyes.

"Yeah he does!" she argues.

"If ignoring, leaving me out in conversation, and argues with everything I say is signals that he likes me then yes. He 'totally likes me'" I say using air quotes with my fingers.

"Whatever you say, but I know the truth." she sighs.

----

I'm walking down the street to go to work. I feel someone tap my shoulder so I turn around to see the blacked haired boy that I’ve come to be fond of.

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Going to the store. The other boys are there too." Calum says.

"Oh, I feel like I haven't talked to you guys in ages." I say as we both start walking. We catch up on the way there talking about what we been up to. It’s weird really, how we’re “catching up.”

"Hey guys!" I say entering the store.

"Hey!" Michael, and Ashton says and runs toward me to get a hug.

"You haven't been talking to us Ali! What happened?" Ashton asks. Once he said that I caught eye contact with Luke.

"Oh, I don't know. I found some other friends." I say not paying attention to Luke anymore.

"You're replacing us?" Michael asks letting go of me. He then puts his hand over his chest pretending to be hurt.

"Shut up." I say rolling my eyes.

I've been here for about four hours and I disappear to the back of the store. Once they all started talking to each other I almost instantly went away from habit. It's closing time so I tell my boss that I'm leaving. Luke and the other boys aren't here because he got off early.

I walk into the apartment looking over at James. He's in his usual seat and I nod at him as usual. He looks upset mixed with some other emotion. Guilt? He doesn't nod back, but I don't push on it. 

I'm walking in the hallway getting my keys out of my pocket, but before I unlock my door I see paper taped onto it. I look down to see my luggage and big bag waiting outside. 

Eviction Notice.

"This can't be happening." I whisper to myself. "No, no, no."

I run down to the elevator and once I get out James stands up quickly. I stomp over to him angrily.

"What the fuck, man! Why do I have an eviction notice on my door?" I yell at him.

"You haven't been paying your bills." he says calmly.

"Yes I have!" I yell back.

"Five months ago." he says looking over to the side. "You have to get your stuff and leave. I also need your key." 

"Hey, look I'm just short on money. I can pay all of my rent, I swear. Just give me some more time." I try to reason with him. He doesn't answer back so I assume is a no. I throw my key at him which hits him in the chest. I then storm into the elevator.

The ride upstairs seemed so long. 

I walk over to my door and see my stuff still sitting there. I sit in between them and just sigh. Honestly, I have no god damn clue what I'm going to do. I look up to the ceiling and let my mind wonder. What did I ever do to deserve this? To deserve this life?

"Ali?" I turn my head toward the voice to see the one and only.

"Hey." I whisper and give him a faint smile.

"What are you doing?" he asks. He seems so confused and concerned. 

"I got kicked out." I say burying my face in my knees. There's a silence that comes over us and it feels like hours. My mind is in a whole different place. 

"C'mon." he said. I look over to him to see that he's opening his door wider to let me in.

"Luke-"

"C'mon Ali. You have nowhere to go. Come in." he says smoothly. I nod and stand up. He takes my luggage and I take my bag into his apartment. He leads me into a spare bedroom and puts my luggage beside the foot of the bed. 

The room is painted dark red and it looks like someone use to live here.

"How the hell do you keep up with rent with a part-time job?" I ask. "If you don't mind answering. I could use a tip or two." 

He chuckles nervously not knowing if he should laugh at this moment. "Um, my parents pay some of my rent to help me out." he says.

"Oh, well that's no help to me." I say sitting on the bed.

"Why? They aren't willing to pay some of your rent?" he asks.

"So, did someone live here before me?” I ask not answering his question.

“Um, kind of.” He says. "Well I'll leave now so you can rest now." he says putting his hands in his pockets walking toward the door. 

"Luke?" I say. He turns on the heel of his feet to turn towards me.

"Yeah?" 

"Thanks." he smiles at me with bright eyes. Why would he let me stay here? We haven't been talking for months. And when we did we argued. 

"No problem."