jerk irl \ muke

chptr 23

on sunday night i met brandon's sons, ryan and timmy. to say the evening was uneventful would be a lie.

my mom and brandon explained the newfound pregnancy to them, timmy started having a tantrum about how my mom would never replace his mom, and ryan started to cry, saying that he only wanted to go home.

i didn't blame them, i had also been in shock and full of anger. i mean, how could my mom get pregnant and even be considering marriage with a man she feels the need to lie to? especially lying about me.

brandon left soon after that, apologizing for his sons' reactions to my sobbing mother.

monday passed and i skipped school. it was kind of pathetic really, just sitting in bed all day and not being productive simply because i didn't like my mom's new boyfriend. so instead of only laying in bed and thinking about how much i didn't like the situation i was in, i also thought about how pathetic i was being along with it.

i got to school on tuesday after a long self-debate about whether i should go or not. i didn't feel like walking, it was too late to get a ride from my friends, and i wasn't in the mood for asking my mom to drive me.

i sighed and eventually decided on the first option.

after 15 minutes of cold air whipping at me and my hair being tortured as it was rapidly blown back and forth, i walked into my english classroom in the middle of a lecture.

heads snapped up to look at me, i probably resembled a homeless person right about now and arriving late just made the stares even worse.

"michael, nice of you to join us," mr. warner commented casually and marked something on his attendance sheet that was sitting on the desk in front of him.

i mumbled a quick apology and he nodded.

my eyes found luke's as i began moving to my seat, ignoring mr. warner trying to explain to me that being late has consequences. luke's eyes were filled with confusion and worry and i couldn't help but feel extreme fondness when he placed his right hand on my right knee as soon as i sat down.

i pulled my notebook and pencil out from my backpack while the teacher continued lecturing about thesis statements.

when he turned around to write something on the board, luke took the time to lean closer to me and whisper, "is everything okay?"

i scrunched my nose up as i thought about the events that occurred over the weekend, obviously too much explaining to do to be able to describe to luke everything that was bugging me.

so i just whispered back, "i'll tell you about it later."

~

as i stepped out of luke's car in my driveway after school, i couldn't help but gasp as the chilliness of the winter air took the air right out of my lungs. letting out a shiver, i burrowed myself deeper into the depths of my jacket.

i quickly jammed my key into my front door and hopped from foot to foot, absolutely freezing.

my cold fingers wrapped around the handle and i ran inside as fast as i could, turning on the heater with luke - who looked a lot less affected by the cold air than i did - trudging behind me.

"babe," he said, not taking his eyes off me as i began to search for a blanket in my living room, "it's later."

i sighed, knowing what he was talking about and that i would have to explain myself since i completely avoided the situation at lunch today.

"oh, um. i-i just...it's that...like, uh, my mom...she, uh, she's sorta.... pregnant..." i mumbled slowly and watched luke's expression turn from a neutral expression to a concerned one, "with brandon's child."

tears started to well up in my eyes a little.

don't do this, i thought to myself, don't act pathetic and seem selfish in front of him.

luke just walked over to me, his hands grabbed my hips to hold me close to him. his chilly fingertips barely skimmed across the bare skin that was exposed just above the waistline of my jeans.

"hey," he whispered softly, pulling me into his chest, and i buried my face into the crook of his neck, "it's okay, everything will be okay."

"she's leaving me alone on christmas too, all christmas break actually. she's going out of town to meet brandon's stupid parents or something," i mumbled as tears slowly made their way out of my eyes.

he gripped my body even tighter against his own and gave me a loving squeeze before pulling me away from him to force me to look him in the eyes.

embarrassed and ashamed for crying in front of him in the first place, i wiped my tears and looked down at the ground. luke brought his hand up to grip my chin gently so i would actually meet his gaze.

"then i guess we'll just have to make this christmas break the best christmas break ever," a small smile appeared on his face and he moved his hand down from my chin to grab my hand, "just you and me, together, the entire break."

"you'll get sick of me," i muttered, sniffling as i looked up at him through my teary eyes.

luke's smile disappeared from his face and his expression turned into one of sympathy, looking as though he had just heard the saddest thing ever.

"i could never get sick of you, it's impossible," he said quietly and started to bring his face closer to mine when he said, "you'll make a great older brother too, michael."

i could feel his warm breath heating my still-frozen face as he looked me deep in the eyes. i started to feel a little weak in the knees, grateful that i was holding onto him. this affect he had on me made me suddenly anxious for christmas break and spending it with the boy that i cared about the most.

ever-so-slowly, he pressed his lips against mine and gave me the most tender kiss i've ever had in my life.

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this story only has a few chapters left i'm sad