Running From the Truth- Luke Hemmings

Ricky and the Goons

The car is cold since the heating stopped working years ago and it's the dead of winter, but Luke keeps me warm. It's strange to think that I'm sitting in the lap of a boy I only met a couple of hours ago, but I'm oddly calm around Luke, like it just makes sense for me to be so close to him. i don't even know anything about him. I don't know how old he is (probably a year or two older now that I think about it) or where he's from or even much about his personality. he could be a criminal, for all I know. 

The car has fallen relatively silent and i haven't spoken much the whole drive, so hannah tries to coax me out of me shell a little. she does this when I meet her friends. it's like she's trying to advertise my friendship. Look! this one's funny and compatible! talk to her! like her! it gets pretty annoying sometimes because i am not one to talk about myself too much, but i know she's trying her best to get me to make friends and I guess I appreciate it. She begins with "So Carrie's only two years younger than me but you guys can be normal around her 'cause she's cool. She's actually really into art and she does some pretty badass stuff! i figured you'd be interested since art and music and all that stuff is sort of your thing."

Calum pipes up this time, "cool, what kind of art are you into?"

i blush.  All eyes are on me and I like to avoid talking about my art at all costs. it's really personal to me and sharing it, even just talking about it, with people i don't know very well feels weird. "Well i really like to paint, but I draw and stuff too. i do acrylic usually, but i really like to do watercolor over cheap pen so it bleeds and creates a cool sort of underwater effect."

Hannah grins, "We're in the presence of a regular old Picasso here! she paints jackets and stuff for me all the time. she was the one who did that green day one I have."

Luke takes interest at this point, "The one with the cover of 21st century breakdown on it? that one was so cool! That's such a cool album and it's got my favorite music video of all time!"

I smile, "I know, right! I love the style of the whole thing and how they mix art and reality to go with the song. I feel like that music video gets really overlooked sometimes."

luke is pretty excited so i guess I said something right. "Exactly! What other music do you like?"

"Oh gosh, the list goes on and on." and then we're off, chatting about how The Killers' Mr. Brightside changed music forever and how David Bowie is everybody's dream man no matter what. minutes fly by and all of a sudden we're pulling into the gas station. Luke opens the car door for me (Or for him? I guess for both of us. We are in the same seat after all) I hop off of his lap and we all crowd into the 7-eleven, much to the dismay of the cranky looking man working at the counter.

"race you to the slushy machine!" michael yells, and we're off, rampaging through the store towards out sugary goal. the man at the counter tells us to slow down, but there's no way we're stopping now. Ashton wins, followed by luke and calum, with michael and i panting at the back of the herd. hannah is taking her time walking primly in our wake and laughing at how foolish we must look. Then, something gets her attention, tearing her eyes from the scene in front of her. Something serious. her laughter stops as she turns to look at the door. the little bell rings to signal that it opens, and a group of rough looking guys enters. they appear to be a few years older than even the oldest of our ragtag group, and they mean business. I try to make myself as small as possible backed up against the slushy machine, but the boys all straighten up, seeming to put on a tough persona. the biggest of the group focuses on luke, walking forward to meet him next to a fact full of potato chips.

The guy looks about seven feet tall, with tattoos from head to toe and a plain black sweatshirt bearing a logo that I don't recognize. "Hey Luke, we know about what you did to Chris. Sent him to the fucking hospital, didn't you?"

Luke shakes his head and takes another step towards the big guy, saying in a voice i never imagined could come from his soft lips, "You know i didn't do that, ricky. I've got nothing against chris and you know it. Now how about you stop trying to make trouble and get the hell out of here, alright?"

Ricky does not seem to like Luke's response. His guys start to crowd in around Luke. There's about seven of them. More than there are of us. plus I don't count very much in a fight aside from screaming and biting. Meanwhile, Ashton, Calum, and Michael have stepped in front of me, approaching luke and the gang that he's facing. My head begins to hurt from the tension and the bright artificial light of the store. Hannah approaches the guys so that there's all five of them facing the seven scary dudes, with me in the background trying not to be noticed as usual. I don't think they've even noticed me, and if i play my cards right they won't at all. Then one of Ricky's little buddies moves just a tiny bit forward. It's a microscopic movement, not enough for anyone else to catch, but I see it. and I see something else too. the bright flash of a silver blade at his side, hidden most of the way in his jacket sleeve catches my eye. I can't help myself. I gasp. Just a quick, short, intake of breath. almost nothing. But in the silent 7-eleven, it means everything. All eyes are on me, and my mind races. What have I gotten myself into? What has Hannah gotten herself into? How are we going to get out of this? I should have stayed home tonight.

I scan the room and meet Luke's terrified gaze. He looks scared, but more than anything he looks angry. He turns to Ricky, flames of rage licking up the edges of his deep voice, "Don't even think about it. She didn't do anything. she's got nothing to do with this. Now get. out. this is your last chance, dude. We don't need any trouble here, okay?"

No. not okay. Ricky and his buddies lunge forward, immediately meeting the fists of my sister and the guys. But they're outnumbered and one of them is on me in seconds. I hear Hannah shriek, then somebody falls to the floor. A hand goes over my mouth and I'm pressed against a refrigerator full of Snapple, met with the face of one of Ricky's goons. The guy's hair is dark brown, but doesn't look like it's been washed in weeks. he smells of sweat and alcohol, and he's got his hands around my neck. Fear courses through my body like an electric shock. I can't even fight back. I'm useless.

The room around me pulsates with sound and movement. i feel like I'm in the middle of a television show being fast forwarded and i can't quite catch up. i wish someone would just hit pause. grunting, screaming, crashes of racks and shelves hitting the ground. someone is whimpering on the floor. In between trying to push the guy off me, I can see glimpses of the fight  going down; the store clerk with a phone in his hand, hannah, off the floor now, knocking some guy to the floor with her hand full of rings, the guys all grappling with their respective opponents, and Luke, in the center of it all, staring at me. he pushes Ricky off of him just as the guy on my starts to tighten his grip, laughing maniacally and saying something to Luke that I don't quite catch. I've been so caught up in how fast this all happened that i almost forgot that luke was the start of all of this. Ricky came in to start shit with Luke, to get back at Luke, to beat on Luke. What did he do? He seemed so nice and normal before - maybe a little out there or a little bit of a trouble maker, but I never imagined him getting into this kind of stuff, whatever it is. And Hannah! Hannah and the guys are all throwing punches like it's nothing! Are they used to this? Is this my sister's life? Why haven't i noticed?

I'm starting to give up hope, to stop fighting, to go limp in the arms of my captor, when everything stops. The goon holding me tight drops like a stone, taking me with him. i feel something sharp scrape at my side, lighting up a sharp dash of pain on my skin, but i don't think much of it. I roll over off of my guy and look up to see what made him fall. I'm met with a pair of ocean blue eyes, wide and watery, but hard like cement in a rainstorm. "shit," is all he says.

I look over at the smelly dude who had been previously holding me down, wondering why he hasn't gotten up to fight back yet. I guess Luke knocked him out.  but when my blurry confused vision focuses, everything seems to fall into place. Luke has done a lot more than knock him out. I see with horror that there is a bloody knife handle sticking out of his stomach. Upon looking down, I notice sticky red all over me and the floor. This is much, much worse than i thought it would be. This isn't just a fight anymore. this is murder. sirens wail in the distance, and Luke is gone in a flash. I know that i've done nothing wrong. I know that i have no reason to run too. I know that i'm the victim here and Luke was obviously defending me, but something worse than fear takes over my body. The visceral fight or flight response deep within me awakens, and I get up and run. I don't stop when I catch up with Luke, when he yells at me to stop and go back, when we get a block away, even when we get to my house. I run past. I keep running. it's just me, the ground pounding against my feet, and the wind against my face. And Luke.