clumsy | l.h.

two

"okay, yeah, how did you guess, i am a wreck, i set a record for being upset, truthfully, honestly, i am a mess" - Ups & Downs / KYLE

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-Luke-

On my way back to the apartment after dropping the trash in the dumpster, I finally let my embarrassment get the better of me. Going to the wrong apartment while wasted was one thing, but nearly puking on a stranger? That may have been my lowest moment.

Then again, I seemed to be having plenty of low moments lately. Ever since my parents kicked me out and forced me to turn to my high school friends for a place to live, I wasn't exactly taking the best care of myself.

I swung the door to our apartment open, receiving no greeting from Michael or Calum, both fully distracted by their video game. I dropped down into the open chair in the living room, "Well, our neighbor is just a peach, isn't she?"

Calum didn't take his eyes off the game, "Which one are we talking about, the blonde with the short hair or the brunette?"

I shook my head, "The brunette. Of course you don't know names, why would you?"

Michael interjected, "Well, we do, just not which one is which. Sydney and Violet, and then the other guy that lives with them."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the business card I found on the floor after she got in the elevator. Violet. Looks like she didn't need to tell me her name after all. I tucked it back in my pocket, just in case.

I stood back up and went into the kitchen, pouring myself a bowl of cereal. I opened the fridge to find our lack of milk and sighed, grabbing a spoon and returning to the living room. I looked between the screen and the boys, "Cal, don't you have a shift soon?"

"Yes, and 'soon' is the key word there. Besides, since when are you worried about punctuality?" Calum worked at a record store, the same place I currently worked after the last two jobs I had in the city didn't pan out. The first of which was actually with Michael at the hotel he worked at. Apparently falling asleep at the front desk was frowned upon in that industry.

Michael finally threw his controller on the table and gave up, "You were still going when we left the bar last night Luke, what time did you get back?"

"Ah, I don't know, maybe around two?" In all honesty, the nights were starting to blur together at this point, "I hope I didn't wake you up when I came in."

"No, you were fine. You've been out pretty late every night this week," Michael finally looked over at me, concern in his eyes, "Is this about Jack's birthday coming up?"

I dropped my spoon, caught off guard. I tried to recover quickly, "Nope, everything's fine, man. I'm just living my life to the fullest while I can."

I went back out to the kitchen, taking a deep breath when I was alone. I made a mental note to check in with my parents soon and make sure they were doing okay. I knew they were, though. They were recovering much easier than I was, somehow. Nearly four years since the accident, and for some reason I still felt like the subject was an open wound.

Michael followed behind me, "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up like that. I just want to make sure you're doing okay."