Fall.

Chapter 21.

The next Monday, Luke and I walked into school together like we had a few times before. But it was a little different this time. Things weren't completely changed, but there was definitely some new feelings built up between us that I couldn't exactly explain. I could tell that we were both trying to act as normally as possible, but there was no denying that we both wanted to do a little more.

Luke loosely held onto my hand as we walked, telling me a story about how before he became a vegetarian he would eat hot dogs like it was his job. I liked when Luke decided to tell me stories about when he was younger. It seemed like a lot of times he just focused on what was going on now, instead of the memories he had made previously.

"That's probably why I don't like meat now." Luke laughed softly. He looked behind him every few seconds, and without having to ask I knew he was looking for Ashton. I still needed to break up with him, since I hadn't seen him since the night of the party.

"There's more to meat than just hot dogs." I said, also looking around the hallway for Ashton. I wanted to speak with him as soon as possible.

"Whatever. I'm fine with popcorn." Luke shrugged.

We made it to my locker, where I quickly grabbed my stuff and then leaned against it. We still had a few minutes before the first bell rang, so we decided to talk for a while, since I had no reason to go find Ashton.

"I always forget that I'm supposed to be helping you with math." Luke chuckled, letting his fingers slowly run over the edge of my math book that was sitting in my hands.

"You're not a very good tutor then." I sighed, blowing a piece of hair out of my face.

It was true, lately Luke and I had seemed to almost forget about math all together. I was doing much better in the class, thanks to Luke. With his help, there's no doubt that I'll pass out of geometry this year. Whenever we were together and supposed to be doing homework, though, we seemed to get a little sidetracked. It was just strange to think that we hardly ever focused on the one thing that brought us together in the first place.

"I just get so distracted sometimes." Luke mumbled.

I looked up at him as he continued to play with the side of my book, absolutely captivated by him in general. I had noticed it before, but Luke was really one of the most beautiful people I'd ever seen. Sure, he had a few flaws, but that was exactly what I found so appealing about him. That's when I realized that I didn't hate a single thing about him.

His bright blue eyes, the way the corners of his mouth tugged up in a small smile. His perfectly straight teeth that had been making more of an appearance when he smiled lately, the way he licked his lips before he wanted to say something that he was nervous about. How his nose seemed to arch up in just the right way, and how he was constantly trying to fix his hair even though it would always look messy. I loved it, all of it.

"I get a little distracted too." I said, and let out a big breath that I had been holding.

"Distractions are good, sometimes." Luke said quickly, snapping his head up and looking at me.

Of course I knew that Luke and I weren't just talking about math now, but I didn't bother to say anything. Luke and if were each other's distractions. Luke was there for me when Ashton and Michael - who I had thought were my best friends - weren't, he was always able to distract me from how uneasy I felt about Ashton. And I was there to distract Luke from all of his problems at home, when he had no where else to go. No, we weren't talking about math, but sometimes it was better not to say exactly what you mean.

"I like distractions." I nodded, speaking very quietly even though it was already hard to hear in the crowded hallway.

"You're good at them." Luke muttered, again taking a piece of my hair and tucking it off to the side.