The Book Thief 》Hemmings A.U

43.00

THE NIGHT BEFORE PROM, we put Lucy's plan into action.

When she had last walked in on my almost but not quite nudity a couple of weeks ago, she had quickly retreated downstairs. And, once both Luke and I had joined her, Luke went to go start the car, and Lucy's inquisition began.

She said that had this happened with anyone except for her brother, she would want a lot more details. But, because it was him, we skillfully avoided getting down to said details, or that it had happened a second time since then. She made sure that yes, we used protection and no, he didn't hurt me and no, he wasn't acting any different or being an asshole about any of it. Then, once her best friend duty was fulfilled, we didn't talk about it again, which I was really happy about.

What we had talked about was the master plan that Lucy had been working on for close to a month for my parents. She had finally finished in time, and on the very same day that we got everything in order, we decided that we would carry out the plan, and hope to God that it worked so that we could all enjoy prom and prom weekend as much as possible.

Lucy and Luke's dad had even gone back to Australia for an indefinite period of time at Liz's request, so, really, if my parents got together, everything would be relatively perfect. Save for the fact that Luke still had my story, of course, but, that was another problem in itself.

Lucy's plan seemed simple, but the three of us were just hoping that it would be effective, too. This was my last shot and if this didn't work, then I had to accept the fact that my parents would be divorced once the year of separation had passed. Needless to say, I wasn't really down for accepting that.

"Yes I made a power point, hello." She rolls her eyes, throwing a small packet onto Luke's lap. He laughs at her obvious tone and grabs it, pulling open the first page with minimal interest. "I know this might seem slightly overdone, but, I really need this to work so everything needs to be perfect. Plus, it helped me keep my mind off things." Lucy explains, pressing her lips together and shifting her gaze, icy blue eyes staring at a spot on the floor that seemed to be exceptionally interesting. Luke stops making fun of her and the fact that she created a presentation for my parents, and just listens.

"Thank you for doing this, Luce. I really hope it works." I tell her, smiling as I fold and unfold the corners of my own packet.

"Well, bombarding people with sentimental things sometimes does the trick. Let's just get started, Calum won't be coming. Luke, you'll drive like usual, and, I'll read the packet to you on the way." None of us mention that the reason Calum won't be coming is because he's testifying on John's obsessive, clingy, and harassment like behavior the night that he assaulted Lucy, because we all know that she wanted to pretend like it never happened. Her ignoring it was unhealthy and probably didn't do much to help, but, it was what she wanted, so we did it.

"Or I could just wing it and use my everlasting charm." He suggests, sitting up from Lucy's bed and folding the packet in half, shoving it into his back pocket.

"Or I could read the packet on the way." She repeats in a harder voice, perfectly threaded blonde brows furrowing together. Luke sighs heavily and then nods, compliance following soon after.

In a matter of minutes, we all pile into his car and then we are on our way to the diner by the beach that everyone in Wilmington seemed to have an affinity for, all while Lucy chatters away each word written upon the packets she handed out.

Luke and his everlasting charm had come in handy when he convinced Reba, head of the diner, to let us use the back room for our very special presentation. And, while I texted both of my parents to come meet me for dinner, Lucy and Luke were setting up.

By the time my parents walk in, I had just about gnawed my bottom lip off. They're standing together and for the first time in a while, they don't look mad. Not at me, not at each other, not at themselves. That mere fact alone was enough to put a smile on my face, albeit a small one.

I hadn't lied this time, but, instead I had truthfully told them that I needed to have a conversation with both of them together, and that it was a really important one.

The two of them see me from across the room and start walking over, and then silently, we head into the back room. When they see a projector and the twins in the room, I can see the confusion flooding into their faces. I, however, ignore it and ask them to sit down.

And then for the next two hours, I do exactly as planned and all the while hope that something good comes from this.

The presentation featured the pictures Lucy was able to gather from social media and old family albums, and, seeing them hurt me, so I could only imagine how the two of them felt.

What Lucy had managed to do was map their entire relationship, my birth included. And it wasn't only pictures that outlined their years together, but, saved sticky notes with small displays of affection scrawled onto them, too. Old voice mails and videos and the mementos that they had collected over the years.

I stand in front of them and explain to them that people have fall outs all the time, adultery included. That they get through them. And as Lucy retells the little things that made them love each other, I can see the pain flooding their features.

I ask my father why he did what he did, and when he says that it was a lack of understanding and a lack of feeling appreciated, and a lack of every possible thing a relationship needs -my mother's love included-, I see her look at him and in that look I see a fraction of the way she used to look at him before all of this happened.

And I realize now that we didn't even need a master plan with condoms or Vaseline or any other number of things we had purchased, but rather, just to get them into a room together and remind them why they loved each other.

Luke tells them that there are worse things to have happened than cheating in this life, and that even though it was a terrible, awful thing, it didn't have to be the end of a beautiful, magical thing. He says that both of them had faults, which doesn't excuse the cheating, but it might explain it. And how maybe my father was just trying to fill a void, and how he maybe probably should have talked to my mother about it instead of having meaningless, empty sex. And my father explains that yes, it was meaningless and empty and that he knew my mother still loved him and that he still loved her and if he could have it any other way, he didn't really want this divorce. That he was only doing it because he thought it was what she wanted, that she would never forgive him.

At that point, Luke, Lucy, and I leave the back room, and leave them to talk for themselves. They loved each other, and they both knew that, and despite what my mother said only a handful of months ago, I hoped that that would be enough.

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the first chapter of the michael fic has been up for a bit, check that out if you're interested :)

also i'm sorry this sucked this was kind of a filler but not really bc it needed to happen so yeah bUT THE PROM AND THE PROM THING THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA BE PISSED ABOUT IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER WOOOOO xx