𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 [𝒍𝒓𝒉] 𝒂𝒖

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑

*✭ 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟑 ✭*

2020

He had bent his head slightly forward so that all his curls fell forward when he looked into my eyes.

"Get out of my way, Hemmings", I moaned annoyed and turned onto my stomach to avoid his gaze.

"I have no intention of staying anyway," his voice sounded even more aloof than usual, "I'm just here to tell you that I'll be in the library tomorrow at three o'clock in case you change your mind."

I then sat up in disgust: how could he dare, after I had told him clearly, not once but twice, that I was not in the slightest bit interested in being involved with him in any way, to show up here anyway and ruin my Saturday afternoon.

"You never give up, do you?" I laughed mockingly, "For the third time, no."

My position enabled me to look at his whole body, which now stood perfectly straight in front of me. He was no longer wearing the same one he wore this morning for detention, but a black swimming trunks with a dark red stripe running down the side. Apart from that he didn't have anything on, except the piercing, which, admittedly, looked really good on him.

The way he stood in front of me, he didn't look like he was the 'badboy' at school. He didn't have a six-pack, like I had seen in all the teen dramas, but there was a hint of definition in his stomach, but not more than my own stomach had. The only thing about him that could pass as muscular were his arms, from which his biceps stuck out especially, even without him tensing them.

If I had to rate him on his body alone, he would be at the top of my list. He looked healthy; neither comfortable nor overtrained.

However, there was so much more to a person's evaluation than just the external, and so every time he opened his mouth he sank one rank lower in the list, so that he had almost reached the bottom of the ranking.

He laughed briefly, his curls, still as untidy as they had been just a few hours before, bouncing up and down to his sound. "You don't quite understand that I'm offering you this as a favor, because let's face it, we both know you need my help more than I need yours."

With these words he winked at me for a moment before turning around and heading for a group of young people I recognized Michael from, the others just being strange faces to me.

Pouting, I looked after him and saw him sit in the sand next to one of the girls in the group and put his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer. Her too high-pitched laugh could be heard all the way to us before she ran her hand through his hair so she could grab his head, leading his lips to hers."What was that all about?" Lucy asked with widened eyes, "Why is Luke Hemmings talking to you?"

I sighed when I realized I hadn't told Lucy and Calum about my encounter with him in the cafeteria, so I brought them up to date and added to what happened this morning in detention. For the last part I turned a bit more to Ash, since he hadn't heard that story yet either.

"You seriously mean to tell me that Luke Hemmings, the boy for whose attention practically the whole school is fighting for, has now made you an offer of friendship for the third time and you still haven't accepted?" Lucy summarized with open mouth.

Her hair had already dried, but because of all the salt that was still on it, it was sticking together into thick strands that hung untidily on her head. "Why?"

"Why?", I laughed, "Because he's an arrogant pile of filth, who pushes around anyone who's not in his clique or who doesn't in the least bit arouse his interest, as if they were pawns. I've met lots of people like him, they're just not worth it."

"You may be right about everything," Calum said, frowning thoughtfully, "but you have to admit he had a few striking points, too."

"I agree with you," said the blonde, who dreamily glanced at her boyfriend. "With Luke's help, you might actually get somewhere. And better yet, the attention is no longer totally on you, but more on him. If something goes wrong, you can just pull yourself out of sight."

I raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't sound very ethical to just walk away from him."

"I didn't think you could stand him."

"I can't, but nobody deserves to take the punishment for my fight except me."

"A fight that will not even take place if you do not accept his offer," Calum interjected.

"I don't know."

I was interrupted by Ashton, who put one hand on my shoulder: "You don't have to feel guilty because of me," he said as if he could read my mind, "I know you won't forgive him for pushing me, but you can't keep this from him for all eternity."

I put my hand on his and pressed it gently, whereupon his eyes lit up briefly. He was just too kind of a person. I would shoot anybody in the blink of an eye who even thought of doing something bad to him or treated him in the slightest way differently than he deserved, and yet he was the one who encouraged me to forgive the same person and accept the help he offered me.

"I know how much you want to make a difference and I would love to help you, but I can't. But that doesn't mean that this one student can't become two students," a mischievous smile played around my lips as I noticed him referring to the conversation I had with him in geography class on the first day of school, "Luke can be this second student and with his help it will become more than you can imagine.

Admittedly, the idea was tempting. Without me being able to prevent it, a grin crept up on my face, reaching from one ear to the other, as I imagined how one day all of a sudden the whole school came to class without wearing a uniform. I could already see the raging faces of the teachers in front of me as they tried to find out who was behind it all.

My friends were right.

Even though Hemmings would never have been my first choice as an accomplice, I had to put aside my pride and anger for a moment to do what could be most effective in this situation.

He was exactly what was missing. 

***

It's been a while, I hope you are still with me on this jurney because I have so many things planned for this story and can't wait to write and share it with you guys. 

I will try to update every second day or at least as long as I have holidays, once I'm back at school I will probably not manage to do so :o

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you did so, leave a vote and always leave comments! Reading them is always the highlight of my day <3

-xoxo

Mori <3