Chapter 7 - Trying (and Failing) To Escape the Party

190K 8.4K 6.6K
                                    

Lucas ended up in one of the bedrooms. He felt a little uncomfortable invading somebody's private space like that, but it was quiet and empty and if he didn't disturb anything, he convinced himself it'd be fine. It seemed like a guest room: clean and empty and without much personality. There was a large window, overlooking the darkened street, and Lucas leant on the sill to feel the cool air on his face. It was burning.

Why had he even come? None of this mattered. It'd been a ridiculous bet, a promise Damien would never had followed through with, and yet here Lucas was. At a party, alone, and regretting ever coming. He was supposed to be smart, he reminded himself. He didn't do this sort of thing for good reason.

Resting his head in his hands, he pulled himself together. Made a plan. He'd get Alex and leave. One wasted night was a loss, but he'd make up the time later.

"Hey."

Lucas didn't have to turn around to know who it was. The last person he wanted to see right now.

"What do you want, Damien?" He asked, tone as curt as always.

"I can't believe you actually came. I thought you'd be too scared, or something."

Lucas could hear him walking closer. He kept his eyes firmly on the night sky. There was no stars, washed out by urban light. He'd done a report on it years ago, he remembered.

"There's nothing to be afraid of here. It's just boring."

This wasn't entirely true. Lucas hadn't been afraid, exactly, but he hadn't been able to shake that distinct feeling of otherness. At school, he was too focused to care that he didn't fit in, or didn't know many people, or never quite knew the right thing to say. Here, it was difficult to ignore.

"Boring?" Damien was beside him now. He could see him, out of the corner of his eye, leaning against the wall and watching Lucas watch the sky. He laughed. "You probably think studying is more fun."

"So?" Lucas wasn't in the mood for this.

"That's sad."

Lucas finally turned to face him, scowling. "No, it's not. It's practical."

"Where's the fun in practical?"

"It's not about fun, it's about...I don't know, getting out of here, doing something that matters, not ending up a deadbeat who peaked in high school." He looked pointedly at Damien. "I don't...oh, for god's sake. I'm not explaining this to you."

Lucas didn't know why he'd began in the first place. His short time at the party had drained him, and he was running out of reasons to care. Damien could do whatever he wanted. In under a year, Lucas would be gone, and none of this would matter. He'd never have to feel like an outsider again.

He waited for Damien to laugh at him, like Damien usually did. But there was only silence.

"Makes sense."

Lucas was surprised. "It does?"

Damien laughed. "Sure. I can get why you'd want to leave here."

Lucas doubted it. "Really? But you're-"

"Charming and hot and cooler than you in every way?" Damien cut in, smirk back in place. "Yeah, I know. It's pretty great."

Lucas groaned, resting his chin in his hand and casting his gaze back to the street. "That's not what I was going to say."

"Really?"

"Really." Lucas said firmly, squinting at someone stumbling out onto the lawn. "You're an asshole."

"Right, of course. I'm the worst, and you're really, really boring." He didn't sound too concerned about it. "Christ, how bad is your eyesight? You look like you can't even see."

Lucas immediately stopped squinting, blinking and pushing his glasses up his nose. He'd been trying to figure out who the figure on the lawn was. Nobody he recognised. "It's obviously bad, idiot. I wear glasses for a reason."

"Yeah?" Before Lucas could react, Damien had reached forward and with a quarterback's skill had snatched the frames off Lucas' face. "How bad is it now?"

Lucas whirled around, hands reaching out to try and snatch them back. But Damien was holding them high above his head and it was no use. "Jeez, you're a child. Give them back, it's not funny."

He was too tired for this. He jumped for his glasses, but Damien's superior height made it futile. Even though he couldn't see everything as clearly as he was used to, he could still tell that Damien was holding back a laugh.

"It's a little funny." He sounded amused. "How're you going to get them back? You can't even see me."

Lucas scowled. Deciding it would be embarrassing and ultimately futile to try and get them back by force, he held out his hand. "I can see you. Just not very clearly, because it's dark. Now give them back."

Damien stepped a little closer, glasses still in hand. "You sure? How about now?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Yes, Damien, I can see you now."

"You sure?" Damien asked, stepping even closer. They were nearly toe to toe, and Lucas had to tilt his head right up to meet his eyes. Instinctively, he took a step back. He felt the windowsill dig into his waist. Damien was right in front of him.

"Yes." It came out quieter than he'd meant it to be. Almost a whisper. He was barely breathing.

Something had shifted. Lucas could feel it in the air between them, in the way his breath came shallow and soft, in the way his heart was beating so hard he could feel it against his ribcage. Damien was closer now, arm braced against the windowsill. He was so close that even without his glasses Lucas could see his short, dark lashes. Could see the faint freckles dusted across the bridge of his nose. Could see his tongue flicker across his bottom lip.

Lucas' mind was scrambling for the right thing to do, but he came up short. He had no plan for whatever this was. He felt paralysed. He should've run. Pushed Damien off, told him to stop messing around, said something short and sharp. Why wasn't he doing any of that?

Their faces were only a foot apart. And then less than a foot. And then less again. Lucas tilted his head upwards. Damien's eyes were on his lips. Surely his heartbeat was loud enough for the other boy to hear, loud enough to shake the house right to its foundations? It was all Lucas could hear. Damien reached up, fingers just barely brushing his cheek, and Lucas-

In the doorway, someone cleared their throat. In a flash, Damien had whirled around, giving Lucas a full view of the doorway. Where Mallory Montgomery stood. And if looks could kill, Lucas would've been six feet under.

Don't Tell My BrotherWhere stories live. Discover now