Wow, Clubs Are Hard to Start

hey hannah ur cute call me

Pete's about to walk over to Josh, Tyler, and Halsey, when someone grabs his arm and pulls him back. He turns around expecting to see like, Patrick or Brendon or even Andy.

It's not Patrick or Brendon or even Andy.

It's Luke Hemmings.

Now, Pete considers himself a lot of things. A big brother, a poet, an asshole... Hell, lately he's become someone who leads other people on (apparently). But he never, ever considered himself Luke Hemmings' friend.

The last few weeks haven't exactly helped, either. They've got a week until the fair and the dance, both Mikey and Gabe haven't been talking to Pete at all, and Patrick, Andy, and Joe have been so busy trying to put together the booth they've been leaving Pete out. The only good thing out of this situation is that they've got Ray Toro, a slightly older, slightly cooler version of Joe, which means they're only one member short.

One member.

And absolutely no one wants to join.

See, it's not just Mikey and Gabe who aren't talking to Pete. It feels like no one is talking Pete. Gabe's taken Pete's silence about his confession as rejection (Pete doesn't know what it is yet, or how to explain) and Pete still has no clue why Mikey's ignoring him. Each time he tries to approach him, Mikey flinches away. Pete's pretty sure everyone around them can see it, from Gerard's "cool kids" table to the members of SAQ.

And now, Luke is here.

Miracles really do happen, Pete thinks.

Luke's gold squirrel badge glints in the light, and the acorn necklace still hangs around his neck. Pete has to admit; there's no appeal in squirrels, but Luke (and the rest of the Squirrel Admiration Club) make them seem like the coolest animals on earth.

Pete stares at Luke, then at Luke's pin, and then at Luke's face. Luke is staring back at Pete, his eyebrows scrunched up slightly, as if trying to think of what to say.

Finally, Pete just says, "Hey, Luke. What's up, man?"

Luke presses his mouth together into a tight smile. His lip ring is kinda cool. Pete might consider a lip ring. "Hey... You're Jason, right?"

"Close," Pete says cheerfully. "It's actually Pete."

"Right, sorry. Um, you dashed at the party a few days ago."

Pete tries not to flinch at the mention of the godforsaken party. "Uh, yeah. Club activities. You know how it is."

"Yeah," Luke says. He forces an awkward laugh. "I really do know."

They stand there awkwardly again. Pete glances over at the Silver Trio, who haven't noticed Pete at the doorway. They've started conversation with Ryan Ross, though. He looks amused.

"I don't mean to dash again, but I've got a club meeting today." Pete says, gesturing towards them. Brendon has wandered over to them. Halsey's eyes are the size of the moon. "And with the fair next week, I-"

"That's the thing." Luke interrupts. He's twisting the acorn necklace around nervously. "The fair date has been extended, so it's on the actual last day before Christmas vacation."

Pete's eyes light up. "No way, really?" Oh, fuck yes. Thank the lords, Jesus and Patrick Stump. "Why?"

Luke's eyes darken. He ducks his head dramatically, and glances around before speaking. Pete literally does not care. Now Patrick won't stress out so much! This is great!

Well, great until Luke leans in and whispers, "Some of the booths have been sabotaged. And no one can figure out who's doing it."

Oh god. Not yes. This is not great.