I stood outside the gate next to my old Chevy truck, waiting impatiently for my boyfriend. I was currently outside of the prison surrounded by fences and guards. This place made my stomach churn every time I've shown up here. It's not like I've done anything wrong, I've just come here to visit Luke once and a while. People warned me about Luke Millers before we got together but I never listened to them, feeling like I could trust my own judgement.
Soon enough, I see a tall and muscular blonde make his way over towards myself and the gate. He looked rough. His former blonde hair was now fading and more of a grey yellow colour, while his tan stayed throughout the years. I'd been lonely without him at home and all my high school friends had lives and families, unlike myself where my family lives over a thousand kilometres away from my home with Luke. After graduating, Luke had offered me a place to stay with him for a cheap amount of rent once a month. He was quite sweet but he chose to hang around in the wrong crowd.
The gate opened slowly and he started towards the truck. His face was in a small smirk as I ran to him and jumped into a big hug. I missed him so much. He held me tightly and spun me around and I, erupting into a fit of laughter. He set me down and looked down at me, looking me straight in the eye without breaking any physical contact.
"I missed you" he spoke softly, still staring happily into my hazel eyes.
"I missed you more" I smiled and hugged his waist, the way he told me he liked his hugs.
We walked to the sides of the rusted vehicle and opened the side doors, Luke in the passenger side and myself, in the drivers seat. I jiggled the key into the ignition before revving the engine. I saw through the corner of my eye that Luke was stifling a laugh, which made me smile to myself.
He was so cute. His brown eyes always changed colours, sometimes from brown to hazel, and from hazel to green. His tan matched his style with the brand name muscle shirts, basketball shorts and flip flops. His straight teeth showed very prominently every time he smiled and I loved it.
"Would you like to stop and get some food or would you like to just head home?" I asked him over the loud engine, not taking my eyes off of the road. I was always a more experienced driver than Luke was.
"Just take me home" he said rather sternly as if his mood had changed within minutes. I always wondered what went on in that massive head of his.
I didn't respond, but only nodded my head. I understood why he would be in this mood, I mean he just got released but he also inherited his anger from his -recently passed- father. Luke used to have snippets of time where he would be happy and normal, and then the next, he would be throwing a lamp across the living room. I had no way of helping him except for handing him a cigarette, lighter and leaving him be for a while.
The long drive back to our suburban home from the prison wasn't spent in awkward silence; I brought my cell phone to play music through the new speakers I had purchased the first few months Luke was gone. He was being stubborn most of the ride, adjusting the volume constantly.
My old Chevy grew silent as I parked in our driveway and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Luke was first to get out, slamming the door and walking towards our front door. It was a weird feeling having him home after such a long time of getting accustom to being alone. The occasional friend or two would come around and ask me to join them at a social gathering, but I declined every time by creating excuses or telling them I was headed to the prison for a visit. They were always disappointed but understood that I was going through a difficult time.
He stood impatiently next to the front door, tapping his foot with his arms crossed as I unlocked it. The oak door swung open as Luke walked in trying to recognize his surroundings. I had reorganized the house and gotten some new furniture after he left, and I can tell he was confused. Nothing was in its "correct" placement anymore and his body language and heavy breathing showed me he was unhappy.
"What have you done?" Luke whispered under his breath.
"Im sorry. I ju-"
"Don't, El. Just don't." he huffed, still facing the other way "I had a routine to come home to and... now its gone. Everything is different."
I didnt say anything to him, instead I just stood there looking at the ground. I was afraid to face him and see his facial expression.
"Hey, where did my TV go?" Luke was now clenching his fists.
"I-I uh... uhm I-I traded it for a newer version." I could hardly speak above a whisper but I was fully aware he had heard me because he was making his way over towards me. He was now up in my face as I looked right back at him in the eye. I tried to make myself look strong and dependent.
"And where exactly did you trade my TV?" He barked and spit towards me with anger.
"Larry's place... o-on tenth street." I held my head high and straightened my posture.
"Get in the truck. Now." He grabbed my wrist and started pulling me outside and back into the truck we were in not 5 minutes ago.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke was driving the speed limit down the empty road but his knuckles were white as he held onto the steering wheel with force. His face was staring at the road, not moving for anything. I was fiddling around with my iPhone before I looked up towards the road. We were going to be passing by our old high school and I wanted him to stop for a minute, to remenisce the good times.
"Stop up here please." I more stated than asked.
He didn't look at me, but slowed down the truck. Once the old vehicle got to a stop, I jumped out and slammed the door. I stood on the sidewalk in awe taking in the building I was so used to. The fountain was still flowing the crystal clear water like it always has, the bronze statue of the former principal stood as tall as ever, and the handprints of my gradutating class were clear in the pavement below me. Mine and Lukes were next to eachother.
I soon heard a group of males talking from around the corner of the courtyard, the memories flowing strongly through my mind coming to an abrupt stop. Luke was still in the truck as I walked slowly towards the voices. Once the voices changed to figures, my feet wouldn't move any further. I stood there like a statue hoping that the group of tattoed, angry jocks didn't see me.
One of the very built men had moved and another -also very built- man came into view. He was facing my direction but had not yet noticed me. His face was bruised and blood was coming from his eyebrow and lip. I felt bad for the boy but what could I possibly do? A lump grew in my throat when the tallest men pulled a gun from the waistband of his dark jeans, my eyes rushed to the boy on the ground. He was looking at me with pleading eyes full of fear, eyes wide and body shaking as he was held by two of the men. I did the only thing my mind could comprehend and I started shouting at the top of my lungs.
"Stop!" I screamed repeatedly.
The five men surrounding the helpless boy stopped and turned their heads toward me. I was still as stiff as a post, but now I was the wide-eyed victim. I turned my head to find Luke but the truck had already left; He didn't wait for me. I'm not too surprised by his actions. I turn my head back around to see the men slowly advancing toward me and my heart rate quickens. My eye catches the boy that was previously on the groun now standing up and grabbed on one of the muscular mans arm. All of them stopped and without a blink, a loud bang rung through my ears and my mouth had fell agape. I could have sworn my heart literally stopped beating and time had slowed down. I cannot believe my eyes and definatly cant register what I had just witnessed.
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Thanks so much for reading this and please take a second to vote! It took me forever to find the words and put them together, as they were only ideas for more than two months. It would mean the world to me if you commented your thoughts as well :)
