Secrets » Luke Hemmings

Chapter 7

C R U S H

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ELENA'S POV — trigger warning.

The next day I wake up with a good feeling in my chest. Yesterday, regardless that Luke had insulted my romance skills, had been a pretty good day. I spent the whole morning and most of the afternoon in my room. Even though it was sunny, we weren't the most energetic group of people. My body could use a bit of a break from the sun anyway.

It was around 3:00 when I finally decided to exit my room and go downstairs to get something to eat. I wasn't the type of guy who enjoyed eating right when I woke up. As I made my way down the hall, I passed Miles' room and heard the quiet hum of two voices. The dark hallway hid my silhouette from them, Miles and Luke.

"It's not like it matters how she reacts." Miles tells Luke, his voice quiet but not quiet enough. I can't see anything and don't try to look. I don't want to risk them seeing me.

"Yes it does, Miles. She's my friend." Luke defends himself. A sigh from Luke follows. I have no idea what they're talking about, but apart of me is praying my suspicions are right. They have to be talking about Luke's secret and if he should tell me or not.

"Exactly. So how could a secret like that hurt her?" Miles asks, his voice raising a bit. Luke immediately shushes him, and while he shushes him, I let out a breath.

"It just will. It hurt you, didn't it?" He asks. I can just picture him raising her eyebrows and folding his arms over his chest.

"Well, yeah. But that was different. I was pissed that you hadn't told me when we met and that you'd let it go on for so long while also leading on every girl you met." The second I heard this I began to back away. I didn't want to hear any more. I could already feel my heart falling to the floor. The only thing I could think to do is go back to my room and lock it. At this point I didn't even want to talk to Iris. If I told her what I just heard, she'd focus on my issues rather than getting close to Miles, and I don't want her to lose momentum. I care about her too much to ruin that right now. She deserves happiness.

As soon as I felt safe in the quiet of my room, it was interrupted by a knock from Iris. "Elena? Get up." She called, twisting the knob. Luckily, it was locked and she couldn't get in. I knew she'd disappear to go get a key, so I walk over to my closet and grab my black sweatshirt and tug it over my head. After slipping on my boots, I then climb out the window.

The roof is slanted outside my window, so I have to be extra careful as I tiptoe towards the lowest point, then jump down. It's difficult to maneuver without making much noise, but thankfully no one's really paying attention as I walk away from the cabin. I reach the edge of the woods and look back at the large clearing where the cabin lies, holding my best friend, the boy of my dreams, and a friend. With a slight exhale I find myself diving into the pines, walking fast in no particular direction. The air is thick and damp from the previous rainfall. Everything is so alive.

I walk deeper into the forest, the faint sounds of gunshots in the distance gave me an uneasy feeling in my stomach till I remembered our neighbors for the summer are hunters. I guess that explains why I haven't seen a single deer here. The gunshots grew louder as I made my way towards the cliff in which I attempted to get Miles to divulge Luke's secret. Sadly, we all know how that went. I don't understand what could make the secret so bad. Why does she have to keep it from everyone? My best guess is that he's in trouble with the government and on the run. That would explain why we're spending the summer out in the middle of nowhere. The only way I think I'll ever be able to find this out is by calling the police and having them come take Luke away. I don't want that, though.