A Letter to the Ones I've Loved (Bully Luke Hemmings)

Entry 13

I walk out of math class feeling pleased with the conversation I just had with Luke. Did he like me? Even more important, do I like him? My thoughts are interrupted when Richard pulls me to an empty part of school.

"Cute math class texts with Luke, huh?" I take a step back from him.

"What, is he better than me? Does he treat you better than I do? Let me remind you that Luke put you through hell for almost your entire educational career." I take another step away from him and my back hits a wall.

"He apologized. It wasn't his fault, he wasn't taking meds." I try and defend Luke like he defended me earlier.

"You sure he decided to take medication now?" Was I sure? Luke hasn't had an outburst around me for a long time but was he just going through a good patch? It dawns on me that Luke is a time bomb, and one day soon he's gonna explode. I walk away from Richard.

"Where do you think you're going?" Richard spits at me.

"To find Luke. Consider our date cancelled, Dick." I smirk to myself and find my way to Luke's locker. I push through a bunch of people, worried that I'll miss him before he goes home. I don't know if he still rides the bus so I want to make sure I find him.

"Luke!" I yell. Luke turns away from Calum and Michael and walks towards me, smiling.

"Hey pretty Al." I smile and look at the ground.

"How long have you been taking your meds?" Luke knits his eyebrows together.

"Taking meds?"

"You've been taking them, right?" Luke looks away from me.

"No."

"B-but you've been so.." I struggle to find the right words.

"Normal? Yea, I've got it under control, Al. You don't have to worry about me." Luke smirks.

"But what happens when you lose control? I don't know how to help you, Luke." Luke furrows his eyebrows.

"I can help myself. I'll never hurt you again, okay? All you need to do when I lose control is be there for me." I nod my head, still feeling worried.

"Have fun on your date." And before I can tell Luke that I cancelled my date I see a girl run up to him and kiss him. The same girl I saw with him at the gas station when Ash and the guys got me out of the hospital. The same girl he said was nobody. I frown and put my earbuds in my ears as I walk to my bus. And to my dismay, when I walk on the bus, Luke isn't there. I sit in the back and listen to my music until one of Luke's friends I don't know the name of comes up to me. I take out an earbud.

"What're you listening to? Taylor Swift? You would. What do they call people like you? Swifties. Yea, that's it. You're a swiftie aren't you?" Luke's friend spits these words at me. How did he know I used to like Taylor? I'm still a fan of her music but not so much where other people would know. There's no way Luke told his friends about my singing, right? But Luke has been nice lately, why would he make fun of me around his friends? I put my earbud back in, not wanting to listen to any more of his taunting. I begin to text Luke.

Me: Your friends are really awesome!1!1! do me a favor and at least insult me to my face and not around your friends. Have a good date with that slut. You two deserve each other.

Yea, the girl is actually a slut. Christine Taylor is the most fake girl in school and everyone knows it. Clearly Luke's judge of character is as good as his taste in friends. He likes all the horrible ones. I have no interest in being lumped in that awful category of Luke's friends. My phone vibrates.