stranger ➳ luke hemmings

two

My breathing stops and it's like everything is in slow motion. I can hear my heartbeat deep and loud inside my head and my mouth falls open. I'm shaking and frozen all at once. I can barely move, or even think. After everything that has happened today my mind is in a constant state of stress, worry and sadness.

I blink a few times and take a breath. Calm Evelyn. Calm down. It's probably just a prank someone is playing on me, making me scared shitless when they don't know anything, but something in my gut tells me that's not the case.

I begin walking home, my feet are trembling and my steps are weak. No one knows. No one knows who did it, who killed her. Not even the police could find out who it was. So why did this person claim to know the source of my sadness over the past nine months? They didn't. It was impossible, if the police couldn't figure it out, there was no way this random stranger could. I'm sticking to the conclusion that this person is just trying to play some sort of sick joke on me, but there's this feeling deep down in my gut which says otherwise.

I push the feeling away, something I'm all too used to doing, to the point where I'm just so numb a lot of the time. I finally reach my door after god know's how long of walking in the freezing cold. I reach into my pocket and grab my keys out before I unlock the door successfully and step onto the white marble floor.

My mom is sitting on the couch, watching TV. I know she's not though, she just pretends, I don't even try and speak to her, I know it's no use. She's just a shell of a human being at this point. My dad's still at work so I know he's not even home. I walk past the living room and into the kitchen where I grab an apple and head upstairs.

Its freezing in my house as no one even bothers to turn on the heat, much less pay for our water bills every month. I lie down in my bed and pull the blankets over me, it's been an extremely long day and I know its pretty late. I stare into nothing, I don't think, I don't worry, I'm just lying here, my head buried in the sheets. After what feels like hours, my head starts to get heavy and i drift into sleep.

*

Dylan has been trying to talk to me all day. It is currently third period and this was one of the classes I have with him, so I'm not looking forward to it.

My head snaps up as I see Dylan walk through the doors in my peripheral vision. He looks wide-eyed at me, as if he forgot he was in this class with me. He walks over to the desk next to me but before he can even put his bag down, another, larger black bag is placed on the chair. Luke sits next to it, completely ignoring Dylan behind him, who looks offended, almost.

"Hey, Parker" Luke flashes me a smile and I notice a lip ring that wasn't there yesterday.

"Oh, uh, hey" I say awkwardly. It feels weird having him right here after I've told him the things that I did yesterday. The whole reason I did was because he was a stranger and I'd probably never see him again, but I guess thats not true.

"Um, Eve? Can you tell this faggot to get out of the seat? I need to talk to you" Dylan says. I'm surprised by his language, I've never seen him be so openly rude to anyone before.

Luke is still facing me, but his eyes are squeezed tight, as if controlling his anger. Before I can say anything Dylan cuts in again "You know Eve, you should really let your boyfriend sit next to you" I open my mouth to say something but before I can, Luke is up and out of his seat.

"Seriously, mate? Do you really think you're still her pathetic little boyfriend after what you did to her?" Luke's voice is icy and menacing.

"Oh, and who are you? Mr. "I've been at this school for a day and I'm gonna be some little bitch and start trouble with the captain of the basketball team" Dylan changes his voice to a low, over exaggerated Australian accent as he speaks as Luke.

Luke raises a challenging eyebrow at him, Dylan appears threatened and turns around while grabbing his bag off the floor before muttering "Slut already has a new guy," obviously not expecting Luke to hear. But he does, and before I know it Dylan is pinned against the classroom walls by the collar and I'm left wondering where the hell our teacher is.

"Wanna repeat that, buddy?" Luke's face is inches away from Dylan and our entire class stares at both of them in absolute shock.

"Yeah. She's a slut." Dylan replies, with a smirk on his face.

I don't have time to process any of the insults being thrown my way because Luke is already pulling Dylan from the wall and smashing him back into it. Dylan is struggling in his hands and is kicking Luke furiously who doesn't seem to flinch at all.

"Did you know that was a rhetorical question?" Luke asks

"Did you know that I'm not stupid?" Dylan fires back.

"Oh, but you are" Dylan reaches his hand up to punch Luke square in the jaw and time feels like its in slow motion. I don't know how I've gotten myself in this situation, especially with my ex boyfriend and some guy I don't even know that well.

I begin to get angry. why was Luke defending me? He barely even knew me, just because I said some sentimental emotional shit yesterday doesn't mean he's my bodyguard or something. I can take care of myself. A voice startles my thoughts as I look up to see Luke's jaw begin to turn purple and blue.

"Boys! What is going on in here?" Of course Mr. White shows up after Luke got punched. He seems oddly calm by the entire fight happening in the middle of the classroom right now.

"Put Mr. Brown back on the floor" He says, speaking to Luke rather calmly.

Luke complies and Dylan drops to the floor on his feet. "Both of you, outside, now" Mr. White says, "The rest of you, start reading page 356 and onwards" The two boys follow him out of the classroom and as soon as they do the entire class turns to look at me.

*

The bell rings and Mr. White is still talking to Dylan and Luke outside. I haven't talked to anyone during the class and I ignored all the questions they asked me.

I walk out of the class carrying Luke's bag for him because he didn't take it with him when he went outside. I see them sitting against the wall while Mr. White is asking them questions, when he sees me, he turns to both of them and says "Think about what I said". He turns in my direction and starts to walk back into the classroom, stopping to acknowledge me on the way.

Dylan is the first to get up, he doesn't even look me in the eye as he storms past me and down the hallway. Luke is still sitting on the floor when I chuck him his bag.

"Thanks" He says, standing up slowly.

"I hope your jaw is okay" I say quickly before turning around and walking down the corridor.

"Wait" Luke says, grabbing my arm to stop me. "Where are you going? No 'thank you'?" He asks.

I turn to face him, "What do you want me to say Luke? Thank you for pinning my ex against the wall a day after I've broken up with him? Thank you for causing a scene in the middle of class that I clearly didn't want?" He looks hurt by my words.

"Maybe a thank you that I stood up for you? Strangers don't just do that for each other you know"

"Exactly, then why did you? Like you said, you're a stranger Luke, I don't even know you" I turn around again and leave him standing in the middle of the hallway.

((sorry this was a stupid filler ilysm))