Running From the Truth- Luke Hemmings

The First Part

(A/N): Before you go thinking I'm some fourth grader who doesn't know how to use a laptop, I feel like i should let you know my shift key sticks so if like 50% of this is incorrectly capitalized please do not crucify me. Have fun!

It's almost dark, with the last few beams of light making their way through my window and creating foreboding shadows on my floor over the piles of dirty laundry and books, mixed in with some old dishes and empty water bottles. Hannah isn't home yet and it's almost dark. that's not unusual since she isn't exactly the homey mature older sister, but it spooks me nonetheless. Lately I'm not sure what she's been up to out there. our parents are even getting worried about the sort of people she's been hanging around with, but today she told me she had someone she wanted me to meet. I listen for the creek of the door and the high, sharp sound of hannah's laughter. I wonder who it is she's bringing home this time.

I know it probably sounds epically lame that I, a sixteen year old fully functioning high school girl, still tag long with my older sister and her friends, but we've always been close and the two years between us don't stand in our way. Plus, I don't really get out so often unless Hannah drags me by the collar out into her beat up old car that probably shouldn't even be called a car anymore. so I don't mind. I let her take me out and get into all kinds of trouble with her friends, and most of the time they barely notice that I'm the younger sister. most of the time, though, i don't get noticed very much at all. I'm really just along for the ride. My ashy-blonde hair and dull grey-blue eyes are the type that get overlooked most of the time, and I generally like it that way. it's so much easier to not get noticed, no matter how lonely it can get.

I'm laying in bed rewatching an old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on my laptop when i hear Hannah's car scrape and cough to a stop in the driveway. the sounds of doors slamming, footsteps, and multiple voices travel up through the house to my ears when someone opens the front door. Soon enough i hear hannah's scratchy, bubbling laugh in the house and I'm out of beed before she even yells up the stairs, "Caaaaaariiiieeee! get down here! I've got some friends for you to meeeet!"

My footsteps are light on the stairs and completely inaudible in comparison to what now sounds like at least four people in my kitchen along with my sister, raiding the fridge and generally wreaking havoc in what is usually a quiet home. I look down at what i'm wearing when i get halfway down the stairs, just to check that I won't look entirely unpresentable in front of our rowdy houseguests. A green Kurt Cobain-esque sweater over a white t-shirt with a picture of snoopy sleeping on his house, some leggings with probably a half a pound of cat hair stuck to them, and bare feet because who the hell has time for socks. decent. i continue down the stairs as the conversations of what seems to be my sister and a lot of boys reach my ears in bits and pieces of sentences.

"Dude, don't touch that, it's probably expensive! It's expensive, right Hannah?"

"damn right it is, put that shit down, Michael!"

"Fuck off dude it's not like I'm gonna break it!"

"Give it here! I wanna see!"

"You'll have to catch me first, Luke!"

As I turn the corner to get from the staircase to the kitchen, I'm met with what feels like a stampede of Hannah's friends chasing each other through the house, yelling and slipping on the wood floor like declawed cats. And i am right in their path. i barely move out of the way in time for them to zoom past me and not take me down with them as the one with the curly caramel brown hair trips on the edge of the rug we keep in our front hall, and they all follow him crashing down like dominos at my feet.

in between groans of pain, they all start picking themselves up, and i survey the mess in front of me as hannah comes into the front call from the kitchen to laugh at the mess she's made, tossing her head of dark cherry-colored box-dyed hair back and laughing until she's on her knees clutching her stomach. The one at the front of the pack who fell first and started this tumble is laying on his back trying to get some air in his chest in between breathless laughs, seeming to have the wind knocked out of him. They all wear similar outfits, black jeans with either t-shirts or hoodies with their respective band names printed across the chest or back. Brown hair boy is fairly tall, but so are the rest of them, and he finally catches his breath to stand up, beaming like he's proud of the fall he's just taken. he looks around his feet, picks up a mildly chipped but pretty much intact statue of a fish jumping, brushes it off, and hands it to my sister. "See, i told you it wouldn't break." 

I giggle a bit, which gets the attention of everyone in the room (but my sister of course) who had seemingly not noticed me yet. four sets of eyes land on me, looking me up and down as if speculating how much damage they could do to my short, wide frame draped in comfy lounge clothes. Brown hair boy, the only one who is standing up as of now, steps over the bodies of his pals to take the initiative of holding out his hand for me to shake, which I do after a second or two of hesitation, and introducing himself. "Hi, I'm Ashton. You must be Carrie. Hannah's told us all about you." His polite yet warm smile and his bright eyes are a welcoming contrast to the dark clothes he wears and his slightly intimidating persona. I smile back at him, deciding that i like these friends of Hannah's, and reply, "yep, I'm Carrie. nice to meet you."

The other three boys at this point are pulling themselves up from the floor and they begin to greet me as well. they all seem friendly and one of them even tells  me he likes my shirt. They introduce themselves; Michael with the fiery red hair and eyebrow piercing, Calum with the interesting tattoos, dark hair, and chocolatey brown eyes, and lastly Luke, who's all shy smiles and soft laughter. His eyes look like lake superior on a cool windy day, his hair is the color of fresh honey, and he keeps biting at a lip ring I hadn't noticed when he was on the floor before.

"So," Hannah begins, "Carrie, these are the guys. Guys, my sister Carrie. she's cool. she can chill with us whenever 'cause she's sometimes not totally obnoxious."

I scoff. "thanks for the good word, pal. nice to know you've been talking me up to your friends." Hannah gives me a thumbs up and i respond with finger guns. i really don't get out much.

"Who's up for slushies?" My sister says all of a sudden, like it's the best idea in the entire world and it just came to her from the heavens to bless us with blue syrupy drinks. We all enthusiastically agree that slushies would be good, and soon we're piling into the back of Hannah's light blue, ancient car. Michael called shotgun and I'm the youngest anyways, so I'm stuck in the back with all the guys. the problem is, back seats of tiny bet up cars are not made for four people, let alone when three of those people are lanky teenage boys. Ashton gets in first, calum crams himself into the middle seat, and Luke is last, seating himself on the far left where i usually sit whenever i'm in the back. I look at him. he looks at me. i sigh, whining, "Hannaaaaaah, there's no room for me!" 

She's already starting the car, and she doesn't even turn around to face me when she yells back, "just sit on someone's lap!" calum and Ashton giggle, pushing luke closer to the edge of the seat, closer to me, where i stand at the door of the car. Luke just looks at me and shrugs. I mumble, "Oh sure, I'm always the one who doesn't get a seat," before rolling my eyes at hannah even though she's not looking at me and getting into the car. 

Luke is already buckled in, so I just cut my losses and sit down, trying not to think about how he can feel all of my weight right now and his legs are probably going to hurt after a while. at first i think it will be awkward, but luke acts like it's nothing, closing the car door just before Hannah pulls out of the driveway. she's probably the worst driver I know, and we take the turn from the driveway to the road far faster than we should. I try to brace myself against the car door, but Luke silently sneaks his arm around my waist like a human seat buckle. the boys don't even notice. i whisper a quiet, "thank you," and he just grins and holds me a little tighter. Michael is in the middle of telling us a story about a terrible customer he had at work today, so the car ride goes on and i sink back into Luke's warmth, listening to the chatter and laughter of my sister and her friends, joining in occasionally to make a snarky comment or laugh at something funny Ashton says. I keep thinking i feel Luke's breath on my neck, but whenever i turn to look at him he's looking out the window or at something else. I lean back into his broad shoulders and nestle my head in the crook between his neck and shoulder, letting him know that I don't mind feeling him on the back of my neck, and I'm almost sure i hear him chuckling softly.