Mend Me? ➸ hemmings a.u

13. Weightless Again?

I slipped on my shoes and opened my bedroom door quietly. There was no possible way I could sneak out my window without any help, so I decided to lie.

"Michael just asked me to come over and help him with something, that cool?" I asked casually as I walked to the front door. My mum sighed, "call us when you get there," she said and I groaned. "It's down the road," I argued but thought it best to comply considering I wasn't going to Michael's house at all.

The fantastic pixels on my phone told me that none other than Luke Hemmings had texted me. It read, 'Ava, I'm so sorry about what happened. Meet me at the park in 10, I need to tell you how I feel.'

I had to read over it a few times before I fully understood it. The same feeling of adrenaline surged through my veins as I stepped out into the cooling air. The sun was beginning to set as I made my way down the road and across the street to where the park was. This was the same park Luke took me before that weightless experience, and I was hoping we'd have yet another magical night.

The insecure demon in my head told me he was going to say we couldn't speak anymore, and it laughed in my face. The nicer part of my head told me it was time for him to confess his love to me. Whatever the events that were about to occur were, it didn't change the fact that I was nervous either way. Even though there was a huge part of me scared to death, I couldn't stop the huge smile on my face. I jogged across the road once more and with the same feeling of lead in my feet and liquid electricity streaming through my veins, I entered the park.

Just before I turned the corner to where Luke would be sitting, my phone rang. I pulled it out immediately and answered it, thinking it would be Luke. "Hey," I whispered quietly as I continued to walk slowly across the gravel and leaves. "Ava," I heard Michael say and I stopped to lean against a tree. "Michael? What's up?" I asked. "Don't go," he said sternly and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. "Really, Michael? After all this you're-" "Its urgent Ava, please don't go," he pleaded. I sighed, "I'm already- wait. How did you know where I was going?" I asked, thinking he must've seen me from his window and guessed. "You're already there?" He asked in shock. "Yes I-" "Shit," he hung up and I put my phone back in my pocket.

There were definitely more nerves now, and this feeling of the unknown was the most unsettling I've experienced. I peeked around the corner from the tree and found Luke sitting on a park bench with his face in his hands. He was bent down so I could only see his hair, which was still bright in this dark lighting. I was seconds from calling out his name before I saw his shoulders shake, and I realised he was crying. His chest was heaving and my heart dropped, I didn't want to see him like this. Perhaps he felt guilty for not standing up for me with Rose, or try to tell her the truth. But how could've he? I wouldn't have been able to...

I stepped towards him quietly and his head swung up quickly. "No," he whispered, and I stopped a few metres from him. "I'm so sorry," he cried into his hands and I took another step towards him. "No, it's okay. It's okay Luke, I understand," I said and he looked up with red eyes and pink cheeks. "You don't understand, I'm so sorry," he repeated. "Why are you-" and that's when I heard movement coming from the tree beside the bench. My entire world crashed around me when designer clothes and blonde curls strutted out to meet me.

"Ava, Ava, Ava.. How many times do I have to warn you?" She asked and my throat closed in on itself. I looked quickly to Luke, who was now standing up and fiddling with his fingers. He was staring at me with wide eyes and quivering lips. "I-I... I thought he just wanted to talk," I choked out and she laughed coldly. "And you don't remember me telling you not to?" She asked sweetly. I gulped and looked down. "Maybe after tonight you'll finally get the message," she whispered and I felt my whole body shaking beneath Luke's shirt and my tight jeans. "Jarrod?" She called casually, and I looked around me frantically. A guy I recognise from school ran up behind me and took my hands. "What are you doing?" I shouted and he told me to shut up. He held my hands tightly behind my back like handcuffs, I felt his fingernails digging into my wrists.

"I bet you think Luke's in love with you," she said, staring at her pink fingernails. "I bet you think he asked you here to confess his love to you," she giggled. "That was me, sweetheart," she pulled out Luke's phone from her pocket to show me. And although I was trying to seem calm and strong, there was no stopping the ridiculously embarrassing sobs that burst out of my mouth. She smiled. "I bet you daydream about Luke all the time," she whispered, stepping closer to me. "Come out guys, you're going to wanna see this," she said and dozens of people from school walked out and formed a circle around the three of us. I recognised these people, but I knew none of their names. "Look up, darling," she placed a thin, cold finger under my chin and forced me to look up into her eyes. "I bet you wish Luke did this to you," she growled and in one swift movement, her hands reached up to the neckline of Luke's shirt and ripped it down the middle. The freezing cold air hit my skin and my sobs were then uncontrollable. "Rose," I heard Luke whimper from behind her. She simply glared at him and he took a small step back. "Let her go, Jarrod," she ordered and his grip on my wrists loosened.

I broke free and rubbed them quickly before using my arms to cover myself. I noticed a few people around the circle recording me, a few people had their phone torches shone on me too. The entire school would soon be seeing scenes of me standing helplessly in my crop top with child-like sobs escaping my lips.

I wanted nothing more than to run away, but Rose wasn't going to let that happen, I knew that.