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One Hour Before Caleb's Party
Writer
The discordant sound of Carlos's guitar filled the room, each off-key chord grating on Luke's nerves. With a frustrated groan, he tossed the instrument onto the bed. His heart pounded, echoing the chaotic silence around him, driving him mad.
He knew Julie well. She wasn't one to back down easily. Her stubbornness both infuriated and fascinated him. He was certain she'd go to that party tonight, all in the name of protecting them, as if he wasn't capable of doing that himself.
A string of curses left his mouth as he rummaged through his closet, trying to find something suitable to wear. In truth, he didn't know what to do. They were tangled in a web of lies and deceit, and no matter what, someone was bound to get hurt.
The door creaked open softly, and Reggie's head popped into the room. The clothes strewn across Luke's bed caught his attention, a look of curiosity on his face. Luke stopped his frantic movements, locking eyes with his brother.
"What's all this?" Reggie asked, closing the door quietly behind him to avoid their mother's attention. Luke's mind raced, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.
"I'm just organizing my closet," he said finally. Reggie chuckled sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You're going to the party," Reggie stated, realization dawning on him. They had been begging Julie to stay away from the event, yet here was Luke, preparing to go.
"What? No," Luke tried to act nonchalant, but he knew he was a terrible liar. Reggie's piercing gaze made him sigh in defeat. "Fine, yes. I have to make sure Julie doesn't attend."
He expected Reggie's anger to dissipate at the mention of Julie, but his brother didn't budge. Instead, Reggie rolled his eyes and looked away.
"Right," Reggie muttered, his eyes fixed on the floor. Luke's brows furrowed in confusion.
"What?" Luke finally asked, not understanding his brother's reaction." You didn't bother to tell me?", the boy raised his eyebrow, an odd combination of feelings pumping in his chest.
"I thought it was for the best," kLuke quickly paced towards his brother who put a rough stop on his words.
"You don't get it, do you?" He said, a mocking tone in his voice that Luke found deeply offensive.
"Get what? " Luke started, but Reggie cut him off, his voice rising.
"Here you are thinking you're the hero of the day, like you're on your own in this." Reggie snapped, annoyance dripping from his words. It was the first time Luke had seen this side of his brother.
Reggie's chest was moving up and down at the high speed of his heart's pounding. He had spent hours helping his father, in the meantime trying to come up with a plan to avoid any slips. He was compromising with everything. He gave up his dreams for his family, he gave up his music and stayed in the firm so look could have a future, and now he gave up Julie. He never saw her in a romantic way, he respected her and his brother's feelings for each other despite them refusing them.
