Never Truly Lost |L.H.|

8: "You shouldn't be here."

Luke

- Saturday after punching out of work-

I knock on the door of the house John was currently at. Booming music was almost busting the windows, and I heard screams. What the hell was going on? It's not even 9pm. The door suddenly opens and John bolts for my car with his backpack swinging back and forth. He plays football, so he's a freaking ninja. Like, he's so fast you wouldn't believe it.

"Get me out of here!" John yells.

I see a handful of girls chase after him. As they make it down the lawn, he's already in the back of my car with the doors locked. "John, John wait! You didn't kiss any of us goodbye!" They yell hitting the car windows with their palms.

As I start to walk to the car to detatch the girls from it, I hear a garden pot break behind me. My eyes land on a drunk Nicole climbing atop of a random guy, also drunk, snogging the shit out of him. I can tell he doesn't really want her to do what she was doing.

She notices that I'm standing there, ungratefully watching her give the guy a tongue bath, and she pulls away from him. He looks at me, and it turns out to be Calum, practically my brother since we were toddlers.

"Luke, babe, it's not what it looks like." She tries to explain, getting up and walking towards me.

"Wait, you have a boyfriend? You told me you were single!" Calum yells drunkily, crawling away disgusted, wiping his mouth. "Wait, it's Luke? Oh my God, no..." He says, noticing that he made a mistake.

"I dumped her yesterday, mate!" I yell, picking him up by his shirt. "Why are you trying to get in her pants?" I ask, infuriated.

"S-She's trying to get into mine!" Calum replies, frightened by my stare and shaking.

"Luke, don't hurt him." Nicole begs, pulling on my arm.

"I wouldn't dream of it." I say, putting him down. "Is there anyone else here I need to worry about, Calum?"

"No, just me and John."

"Get in the car, Cal. You shouldn't be here." He nods and drunkily jogs to the car.

I turn to Nicole, with fire in my eyes.

"What?" She asks annoyed.

"What are you doing to my friend? Why are you taking adavantage of him like that? He's very gullibe and falls for so many things!" I yell in her face.

"I know he's gullible. He's a good target." She giggles. The nerve of that girl!

"How dare you! Is this to get back at me for dumping you?" I ask, very upset.

"No no no! It's-" She starts.

"I don't care what it is! First you cheat on me several times in our previous relationship, then you get back at me by assaulting my best friend! You disgust me!" I let out. "I could say so many things, call you dozens of names, but I'm not doing it. Don't touch Cal, or any of my friends!" I yell, shoving past her.

I jog back to my car at the curb, with Cal and John in the back. "Get away from my car!" I yell. The girls get scared and go back inside. I get in the car and start it. I look back at the house and see Nicole sitting on the porch steps with her hands covering her face and crying. Again, I hate yelling at her, but she needs a reality check.

I drive off, taking the two to my house for some sobering up. It was only 9:00pm and they were drunk as hell.

"You guys alright?" I ask them. I can hear Calum lightly sobbing.

"I can't believe that she would do that to me." Calum says through tears. "What if you never showed up, Luke? What if we had..." He finally broke down into heavy sobs. John reached over to him to give him a reassuring back rub.

"It's alright, Cal. I gave her a good yelling at." I said. "She won't come near you again. What about you, John, you okay?"

"Just shooken up, I guess. I didn't know that one little act could get so many girls to follow you like you're in a boyband."

"What did you do?"

He hesitates. "I just showed off my abs."

I laugh. "That's like, one of the most unoriginal things to do at a party."

"You know what's unoriginal? You being super late to get me out of there. Where were you?" John asks.

"Damn, way to change the subject, mate."

"Yeah, where were you?" Cal asks, recovering from his breakdown.

"I delivered pizza to a house, and they were friends of Michael's. They made me stay and join their "Pop Princess Pizza Party." I laugh.

"I bet you enjoyed it." John chuckles.

"I can't say I hated it."

"Who was it?" Calum asks.

"Julee and Mariah."

John gasps. "Mariah? Oh my god, why didn't you get me sooner? Holy shit!"

"What's the big deal?"

"I like, have this thing for Mariah!" John exclaims. "She's just so..."

"Hold your thoughts Johnny-boy. Maybe later." I suggest.

"Hey, Luke? Is it alright if I stay at your house tonight? My mom will kill me if she finds out I'm drunk." Calum asks.

"Sure thing. Here, text my mom and tell her you're coming." I say as I hand him my phone.

I park in my driveway and help John and Calum to the door. Mom magically appears and opens the door for us.

"Luke? What's going on? What's wrong with these two?" She asks as she grabs Calum's arm.

"Uh, you remember the recipe for that sober juice you had to make for dad when I was little?" I ask.

"Oh course." She says as she witnesses John attempting to walk but fails as he falls on his face and starts to giggle.

"We're gonna need two of those." I state as we put the two on the couch.

"I'm on it." Mom says, jogging to the kitchen.