✔ DRUNK words, SOBER thoughts ✖ hemmings au

Bonus Chapter: Regrets & Missed Clues

[a/n: this bonus chapter holds information a lot of you wondered about and would sit in between chapters 38 - 44 in the timeline]

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REESE.

It was just one of those fúcking days. You know, those days where time was ten times slower than normal and all you wanted to do was go home and relax but life wouldn't let you. After a full day of lectures, I had another eight hours of work serving pizza and beer to my peers. My boss seemed to ride my ass during my entire shift, Mia was officially ignoring me, and to top it all off, keeping tabs on Ari and Luke was getting difficult.

"Hey Reese! When you're done waiting for your balls to drop, can you take out the trash?!"

I grumbled under my breath, turning my head to face my oh-so wonderful boss. Sean Leone could be cool when he wanted to be, but give him a supervisor position that entitled him to some kind of power and bam, he was a grade-A douchepants from the douchiest village in all of doucheland.

"Yea, yea," I groaned, rolling my eyes. I stuffed my phone into my back pocket and pushed myself passed the pretentious, buff asswipe.

I made my rounds through the Lotus Cove Cafe, grabbing the filled up trash bags and setting them by the back door in the kitchens. It was nearing 2AM, and there were still customers hanging around. Finals week meant longer hours for several of the businesses in the area. Thank God we were only open till 3AM, as opposed to the coffee shoppe upstairs that was kept open for 24-hours.

With a dolly stacked with trash, I wheeled it out the back door and into a dim alleyway where the dumpsters were. In the distance, the sounds of drunk college students filled my ears and I immediately wondered about their study habits. It was a Monday night during finals week, damn it! Shouldn't they have their noses in a book instead of submerging their brain cells in hard liquor? But to each his own, I guessed.

I continued to wheel the cart out towards the dumpsters, excited to be off duty in thirty minutes. I was over today, and extremely anxious to jump into my bed. But unfortunately for me, life wasn't going to let me.

"I'm stupid. I'm stupid. I'm stupid,"

Furrowing my eyebrows, I ceased my movements. I slowly approached the dumpsters, keeping an alert eye as I investigated the situation before me. As I inched closer and closer, I soon discovered a familiar figure with a very familiar quiff.

"Luke!" I called out, dropping my hands from the metal wagon and running towards him.

He ignored me. Or at least didn't hear me, because my calls disappeared into the evening air as Luke continued to grumble angrily to himself. He pulled at his hair, slapped himself on the forehead, and even kicked the dumpster. He was obviously deep in emotion and I had a feeling that I knew why.

"Luke!" I yelled again, taking a few long strides before finally meeting him feet to feet.

"Get the fúck away from me!" His eyes caught mine, and with no hesitation, Luke darted a deadly glare in my direction, "I don't trust you!"

"Are you drunk?" I asked him, though I knew the answer already.

Luke was sweating, his eyes were bloodshot, he smelled like whiskey, and while he had a lot to say, his words were slurred. I was a college student and I could spot a drunk person from the very first sip.

"It's none of your business," Luke snarled, stomping off in the opposite direction.

I followed suit, "what are you doing out here? I'll take you home."