Foreign Exchange // Punk Luke Hemmings

Mess

I couldn't look at Luke the next day. Or rather the next four days.

It wasn't that I didn't want to talk to him- well, I guess that was partially true. But I wasn't sure what to say, or even how to initiate conversation. After what he'd told me on Monday, I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with him.

Now I'm in my room Saturday morning, up before anyone else and alone with my thoughts.

The last four days had been an unexpected, unbearable hell without Luke. Now that he'd come into my life, it was weird to go back to my normal life. He made things interesting, though I hate to admit it...

And what about what happened with Riley on Thursday? Why were she and the others so interested in the fact that I wasn't in a relationship with Luke? Was she planning on doing something with or to him?

If she did do something, would I be okay?

Unable to stand thinking about things involving Luke anymore, I decided to start on my homework for the weekend. I had a three page lab report due on the effect of different solutions on enzyme reactions, and it unfortunately wouldn't write itself.

••••••••••••••••••••

My head was swimming with numbers and statistics when there was a knock on my door.

"Haylee, can we talk?" The door opened a bit and my mother's face appeared in the doorway. I nodded and she entered, shutting the door behind her.

"What's up mom?" I asked, placing my computer on the floor beside my beanbag.

"I just wanted to check on you. I haven't really had too much time to talk to you lately since work's been so busy lately..." She shrugged as she sat down on my bed.

I paused a moment to take in how tired she looked. Her short black hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, leaving her green eyes to stand out. Her lips were pressed together in a line as she looked at her hands.

"I mean, I've just been a bit stressed lately too, but other than that..." I shrugged and picked at the seam of the bean bag. There was a long pause before she spoke again.

"Well how about since... Since Luke came? How have you been since then?"

"S-since Luke came? Why since then? Wouldn't it be he same as before?" I looked back at her to find her gaze already upon me. I drew my eyebrows together, feeling slight butterflies in my stomach at her suspicion.

"Well yeah. I'm sure it's a big change for you, already having four other brothers. Now it's practically as though you have five broth-"

"He's not like a brother mom," I cut her off swiftly. "Definitely not like a brother..."

"Then what would you consider him?" She asked curiously.

I thought for a moment about that question. What did I consider Luke? Was he a friend? An enemy? More than a friend?

"I'm not really sure what he is yet..." I murmured.

"Well I'd say he considers you a friend since he seemed concerned about you," she said as though it were nothing important. But her statement made me freeze.