target boy ≫ l.h. [on hold]

6%

a.n. IM BAAAACK after like a year lol im so sorry i doubt anyone still has this in their library or reading list but here you are, installment numero 6 of target boy :D enjoy and comment and vote pls thx

(not edited i wanted to post something today)

-luke.

it's only 9:38 AM, but i'm awoken to the sound of american idiot, signaling someone is calling me at this ungodly hour.

"MATE. i hope you're looking sharp, because i'm picking you up in ten."

"wait what?" i grumble, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"we're going out for breakfast slash morning coffee. come one, chop chop, the clock is ticking,"

"wait, who said i was gonna agree to this," i stay in bed under the covers and refuse to move, that is, until he mentions a certain name.

"i'm going to get coffee with cass, i just thought it'd be nice if you could come too," i jump up and start stripping out of my sleep clothes, pulling on a clean band tee and a pair of black skinny jeans, grabbing my black vans from under my bed. heading into the bathroom, i quickly get cleaned up just in time for when michael knock on the front door.

"hey, nice outfit choice, cass and i love pierce the veil," michael smiles. we jump into his car and he turns the radio up, heavy rock blasting through the speakers.

"can i ask you a question?" i say shyly.

"no i'm not gay, i have a huge thing for jenna from tonight alive and chrissy from against the current," michael says before i even get the chance to ask my question.

"that's not it," i sigh. "about cass, have you guys ever dated?" michael laughs shortly before taking a sharp turn, earning a few honks from other drivers.

"nope. never. we've been friends and only friends since basically the womb, our parents are really good friends. i do admit, she's really attractive, and she's single, so go for it," he responds, basically reading my mind.

"does she even like me? i mean, i know we met like, yesterday, but do i have a shot with her?" i question.

"honestly, i don't know. she's hard to read," michael pulls into the parking lot of a small cafe and we walk into the cozy shop. my heart skips a beat when i spot cassidy sitting alone at a booth sipping from her coffee cup. she's wearing the same all time low shirt she wore the day i ran into her, literally. her phone is placed to her ear and she looks extremely annoyed.

"hey cass!" michael beams and grabs her coffee cup, sipping from it. she completely ignores his actions, because her eyes are focused on me, her green eyes silently studying me. she hangs up the phone and glares at michael.

"so luke, have you heard the news? miss i-hate-everyone-except-for-alex-gaskarth-and-michael-clifford-because-they're-hot got a job at... drumroll please...  target." michael cheers, looking at me with a smug expression. my jaw drops.

"yay! i have a friend there now! it won't be hell anymore!" i cheer and mentally slap myself. why do i have to sound like a 10 year old all the time, especially around cute girls and cool guys?

--

after cass gets the voicemail from her mother, she grudgingly left us to go home and see why her mom was so desperate for her presence. that left michael and i to walk around town, and of course we end up in a record shop.

"i've been getting into state champs recently, they're incredible, ryan scott graham is my spirit animal," michael rambles on, browsing through the records. i find myself a riot! by paramore vinyl and a nothing personal by all time low vinyl, deciding to spend two weeks worth of my pay on them.

but hey, who can turn down a record? it's practically the only reason i got a job.

"luke! did you hear me?" michael slaps me on my chest, and i snap out of my reverie. "cass and i have our mayday parade tickets, you coming?"

"oh, yeah, i forgot about that. i'll buy them tonight," i mumble.

"cool cool. hey, let me take this call, it's from cass," michael answers and steps away. moments later, he comes back with a worried expression on his face. "she got in a major fight with her parents. it happens a lot, but she always needs a place to stay when shit like this happens. are you done? we need to pick her up,"

"give me a moment." i say and head to the cashier to pay for my vinyls.

when we reach cass's house, i immediately spot her sitting on the curb, her headphones in and her head in her arms. there's a backpack stuffed with things next to her. when she looks up, her eyes are puffy and her cheeks are streaked with tears.

michael quickly parks the car and rushes to her, me on his heel.

"come on, let's get you to my house," michael murmurs, guiding her into his backseat. i feel a pang of jealousy, but i know it's dumb of me to be jealous because they're only friends.

"what happened?" i ask her softly when we're on our way to michael's. she's hugging her knees and staring out the window with an emotionless expression.

"my parents are getting a divorce. turns out my dad was cheating on my mom with his secretary at work. they sat me down and asked me to choose who i wanted to stay with; with mom at my house, or dad in our rented apartment a few towns over." she spoke with so little emotion i was almost convinced she was passive about the situation, but the heartbroken look in her eye tells me otherwise.

"shit, cass, i'm so sorry," michael glances at her through the rearview mirror with a worried expression. "i never expected that,"

"neither did i. weren't they supposed to be the perfect family?" she laughs humorlessly.

"no family's perfect." i whisper. she turns her head and looks at me with wide eyes, but i'm unable to decode her thoughts. how did she manage to always stay so guarded?

"i've always believed in perfect. i always thought it was right in front of me, with my family looking so angelic all the time. i resented the fact that my sisters always got so much attention because they're poster-perfect children, and i'm not," she sighs. "but that doesn't mean i don't believe in finding perfection in another person."

i turn my back to look at her, only to find that her eyes are steadily focused on me.