Safety Pin // CTH *DISCONTINUED*

IX

Luke hasn't talked to anyone for the past three days. The only time anything is heard from him is onstage when he's singing. He goes on, puts on an act for the fans, then comes back mute. But the fans see right through it.

I've been on my phone a lot lately, monitoring the boys social media. Fans from all over are talking about Luke looking very depressed. Trends have gone around worldwide with #StayHappyLuke.

None of us know what to do with him. We try talking with him but he never responds back. He just simply stares at whatever is ahead of him with extreme intensity. Today Ashton and Michael are talking with the team about what we should do.

"Do you think he's going through withdrawals?" Calum had asked me last night.

"There's a high possibility. I've read that you can get hooked on your first intake of it."

Luke had smoked cocaine. I read smoking it is a quicker way for it to reach the brain than snorting it. Either way it's still not a good thing for him to do. The other bad part is we don't know if Arzaylea conned him into it or if he just took it for the hell of it.

None of us have seen or heard from Arzaylea since then. I've seen Luke try and text her a few times but I doubt she's ever answered back. That's my other theory as for him not talking. Maybe she's ignoring him and it's having a domino affect on all of us.

"You should go talk to him while he's alone." Cal told me.

"Yeah, I'll go do that." Luke not talking has put me on edge.

I myself can barely talk without wanting to cry. Everything I say comes out just above a whisper. There's a constant lump in my throat like at any second I'll just burst into tears.

Luke sat on one of the couches in the lobby of our hotel room. He stared blankly at the TV screen which wasn't even on. Cautiously I took a seat beside him. It's like he didn't even notice as he made no attempt to even blink an eye.

"Luke?" Once again my voice was so soft I was afraid he hadn't heard me.

"Please talk to me." I begged, my voice a tad louder now.

His eyes flicked from the TV down to his hands in his lap. They showed guilt buried deep inside. I knew exactly how he felt right now. Guilty and scared, that's all I felt after our father had passed.

"I'm here for you, Lukey." My arms wrapped around him, my voice going back to a whisper since my mouth was right next to his ear.

"I know." He may of only said two words but it was more than he'd said for three days.

I leaned back and looked at my brother. For once he actually turned his head and looked back. It was so clear now that this boy was completely lost. He knew he fucked up and he was scared that it would come back to haunt him.

"You can talk to me. I'm always here to listen." A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"They're going to send me home Mady." Tears brimmed in his eyes. "The fans see right through the act I've put on. What happened is not only affecting me but everyone. The whole rest of the tour is going to be stopped just for me to go home and get my head screwed on straight."

"And how does all this make you feel Luke?"

"Scared, guilty, like an asshole, worthless, and alone." Tears were now slowly falling down his face.

"Luke you don't have to feel like you're going through this alone. I'm right here and will always be right here. And you're not worthless, at all! You just made a mistake that's going to take some time to fix. If they send you home, I'll go with you." He looked at me surprised like he expected me to stay here if he had to leave for a bit.