Luke

Chapter 19

There wasn’t any school Thursday – thank God – so I hung out with Jay for most of the day and we watched movies and went through a couple pack of cigarettes. It was fun. She lit the fireplace and made some coffee, grabbed some warm blankets, and we just sat on the couch and watched stupid movies. I liked doing that. Being with her made me happy in general. But then I had to go home and sneak into the house, but obviously that plan failed because Sam had some sixth sense for when I come home and is just ready to pounce on me. So he gave me some shit and I flipped him off and went into my room, locking my door and not coming out until the morning.

It was Friday. I loved Fridays. Mostly because it was the end of the week and also because of the drive-in. But there weren’t any good movies playing tonight. Damn. Looks like that’s scheduled for next week. I hope next week is a good pick.

I got ready, the whole normal routine. I went to my laundry basket and picked out my ripped skinny jeans and an oversized Nirvana sweater, throwing them on the bed. I needed to do laundry. It looked as if there was a volcano of laundry piled in the corner, the lava of clothes spilling every once in a while. But hey, spray it with some Febreze and everything is a-okay.

The day went by slowly. I saw Brad in the hallway a few times while walking to class. He had his jersey on, indicating he had a game later in the afternoon. I desperately tried to keep my eyes off of him, making a tally-mark with a pen on the back of my hand whenever I caught myself staring. The faded lines were disappearing slowly from showers, but they were still there. My hand was covered in dark marks. Jay kept trying to put my attention on the project because it was due next class, which I appreciated. I would do anything to get Brad off my mind.

By the end of the day, I realized I had to make up a gym test. I know, lucky me right? It was some running shit of some kind, I don’t even know. I was convinced I would die.

“You’re not going to die,” Jay comforted. “You may pass out, though.”

“Thanks for the support.”

 “Pretend there’s a big black man chasing you.”

 “Racist much?”

 “It’s from an anime dub. I’m quoting it.”

 “How otaku are you?”

 “Shut up. Get to class.”

 “I’ll text you later.”

 “Bye-bye.”

 I walked to the gym lockers, headed down the stairs and entering the boys’ changing room. I dropped my bag onto the floor and spinned my combination on the locker, swinging it open and changing into some gym clothes. Why was the day I skipped gym a test day? I mean really?

I heard someone else enter the locker room. A couple people, actually. They were laughing and the voices approached closer, but didn’t quite pass me.

“Hey man, see you at the game tonight,”

“You too, man.”

“See ya, Brad.”

 Fuck.

The voices passed me and I kept my head down, seeing their feet go out of my vision. I looked up; someone was still in the locker room. I quietly slid on my shirt and snuck around the corner of a line of lockers. Nobody was in the next row. I went to the next row, putting my back to the row of lockers and peeking around the corner. It was Brad, opening up his locker and taking out items and placing it on the shelf.

I stayed hidden, too entranced to forget I was supposed to be avoiding him. He reached behind his back and pulled off his jersey, rolling it into a ball and tossing it aside. Damn. Damn. I peeked out from around the corner a little more, now unable to control my actions. He was toned. Like toned toned. I never knew someone could look that great. I mean, I did, but only in movies or something. I should really get into sports. Or the gym he went to. If he went to the gym. Maybe he didn’t need to. Oh wow.

He tossed his jeans to the side where his shirt was and unzipped his sports bag, pulling out some of his gear for football. He slid on the shorts, taking the jeans and tossing them into the bag. He rummaged through the duffle, pulling out a tee-shirt and a sweatshirt, pulling them on one by one. I let out a breath, thinking it was silent, but he quickly looked my way and I put my head to the back of the locker. I heard footsteps getting closer to me, so I sprinted down the hall and rounded the corner, catching myself from falling from the quick turn. I jogged up the stairs, shoving the door open and catching my breath at the top of the flight.

“Luke,” I heard someone call. I quickly looked up, relieved when it was just the gym teacher. “Here for you test?”

“Yeah,” I heaved a sigh, following the teacher into the gym room. I don’t think Brad saw me inside the locker room. Fuck, why was I so stupid? What the fuck was wrong with me? Watching a guy change? What the actual fuck?

I entered the gym and began my test, only focused on Brad and the fear I had if he saw me. But damn, was he toned. I still couldn’t get over that six pack. I didn’t know abs could look like that in real life. I managed a sit-up for the test, taking a breath every few seconds. He was really, really hot. Like, I couldn’t describe it. I didn’t know what it was – well, everything, including one specific thing – but Jesus Christ was he attractive. I took another sit-up, now on my 10th. I was already out of breath and my abdomen was burning. I really needed to exercise more.

The test was about an hour long. I was tired and out of breath when it ended and she sent me off, so I went downstairs to change. Brad wasn’t down there when I got to my locker. Good, because I was panicking now. I didn’t know what to do. Brad’s face and body filled my mind and it wouldn’t go away no matter how hard I thought. I quickly slid off my shirt and opened my locker, changing back into my normal clothing. I needed to stop thinking about him. I wouldn’t think about him that way. Ever. But what could I do?

I closed my locker and grabbed my bag, trudging up the stairs and heading home. No, I wouldn’t go home. I had an idea.

I took out my phone, taking a deep breath before dialing Brielle’s number. She picked up after a couple rings.

“Hi baby,” she chimed.

“Hey. Can I come over?”

“Of course! I could nev—“

“Great, see you in a little.” I hung up, putting my phone in my pocket. I knew exactly how to get my mind off of Brad. Sleeping with a girl, my girl, would convince me otherwise. I knew it would.