the boxer // lrh au

thirty six ; go home

"you're draining," i tell luke, carrying him to the couch.

after having luke yell at me and coming upon the realization that luke hemmings liked me, i think we both decided that we were going to move on from this topic. luke didn't say anything to me after the whole fiasco and instead laid back down onto the counter, much to my dismay. 

i decided for the better of liz hemmings that i should at least get luke on the couch and hopefully asleep. 

"stay." luke mumbles, holding onto my hand as i get him to lay down. 

"i will," i say, even though i know i'm not going to stay. "i just need to talk to your mom."

letting go of luke's hand, i walk away from the six-foot boy and embark on my own journey. climbing up the stairs, i try to find what room liz could be in.

i notice out of all the rooms, there was one room with a door that was not open. coming upon the conclusion that liz was most likely in that room, i knock on the door. 

"come in." i hear a voice say. 

when i walk in, i see liz standing there with a frame in her hand. taking a look at my surroundings, it was evident that i was in luke's old room. 

posters, everywhere. green day, all time low, mayday parade, blink-182. it looked like the room didn't have someone in it in years yet it seemed thoroughly used. 

"hey honey." liz says, interrupting me from my look-through of luke's old room. 

"hey, i just came to say that i got him on the couch. he's not asleep though so i don't know what he'll do," i explain, walking over to liz. she was by his dresser and seemed to be lost in her thoughts. 

"you know i was going to ask you could just stay until jack's home or until he falls asleep," liz says, rubbing her thumb over the picture frame she was holding. 

"of course, no problem." this time i meant what i had said. earlier i wasn't too keen on staying but liz looked like she truly needed the help. 

it was silent for a few moments before liz started to talk again.

"i was, but i'm afraid i can't ask you to stay here. you know, he wasn't always like this." she starts, handing me the picture frame she was holding onto. 

i furrow my eyebrows at her statement. did she want me to leave? i look down at the picture frame she handed me and see a young luke with two brothers, liz, and what i was assuming was his father. 

"his dad left a while ago. they never really got along but luke didn't think it was bad enough for him to leave. even though he didn't like him all that much, i don't he ever wanted him to leave. he left when luke turned fourteen. ever since then, he's been aggressive. none of us ever thought that it would turn him into a world-known boxer, but it did. though it seems that he's able to get his anger out through his boxing, it doesn't stop him from getting angry here as well." 

"you don't have to explain liz. i understand," i say, frowning. 

"no, you don't sweetheart." liz smiles sadly and continues with her story. 

"you don't understand how many bills i've had to pay to fix the walls because of how hard he has punched them, or all the glass i've had to clean up because of broken picture frames or vases. i know he would never lay his hand on me, but that doesn't mean it's not scary. and i know i should not have dragged you into this mess but i've never seen luke act this angry before and he's never asked for anyone else, whether drunk or sober. i'm sorry bella but you seemed like a solution."

liz at this point has a few tears rolling down her cheeks and i couldn't help but feel like this was my fault. 

luke has never been this angry, luke has never called out for anyone else. my stomach was churning terribly and i felt terrible. the pain in my leg didn't match the ache in my heart for luke. i knew he wasn't a bad person from the beginning, but at the same time, how was it my fault that he fell for the most average and simple girl that has ever been put onto this planet. 

"i'm sorry liz. you should never have to deal with him in that state. i'm sorry that he's this way because of me. i tried to stay away from him but he somehow always finds his way to me." i frown and fiddle with my fingers. liz crying must have evoked something in me because now i began to tear up as well. 

"oh no honey, this isn't your fault. it's his. and that's why, for your own good. you should go home. stay away from luke. i've had some time to think it over and i think that's what's best. i know he's my son but i've seen him grow up and i don't know any way to fix him. trust me, sweety, i've tried. even if i call you, or calum, or tyler, don't show up here. i think luke needs to be on his own. he never really has mixed well with other kids. just ask calum or tyler to tell you the stories. i'm sure they remember the countless fights they've gotten into."

though all new information to me, i couldn't find myself to ask liz what she was talking about. if luke had gotten into numerous fights with calum and tyler, then why didn't either of them tell me about it when i told them that i was hanging out with luke? 

the more i learned about luke hemmings, the more attached i found myself getting to him. i wanted to learn more. i knew that this persona that luke always put on wasn't the real him. 

but what was the real luke?

i guess liz must have realized what i was thinking because as soon as i began to turn around, she added one more thing. 

"we've all wanted to fix people bella, but some people just can't be fixed. look at luke's dad for example."

a/n

happy 2019. hope to see 5sos on tour again uwu