In Too Deep//l.h

Four

I laid there, my hair fanned out across my pristine bedsheets, just running my mind over the events of the past 24 hours. So I had seen Luke again. We went on a date. A normal, casual, teenage date. But somewhere in between me seeing Luke again and my mind being refreshed of his existence, and me leaving him at the end of my driveway this evening, something out of the ordinary had occurred. I refused to call it “love”. Maybe a deepening affection towards him. He was a goof, he made me laugh, I liked him. That was it.

I glanced at the time 9:30 AM. I was awake in good time, the sun just peeking through my curtains and warming my bed.

The room was awoken by the buzzing of my phone on my sideboard, I rolled over and groaned as I reached out for it. I didn’t even have to look at the called I.D, Lauren.

“Nrghh” I groaned down the phone at her, letting her know my disapprovement of her phone calls at such an ungodly hour.

“Well good morning to you to, little miss sunshine!” She sounded extra bright this morning for some reason. How was that even possible?

“Last nights party must’ve sucked, you’re not even hungover” I joked down the phone.

“Au contraire, mon ami! It was rather splendid infact”

“Oh come off it Lauren, tell me the gossip and stop being a bloody twat”

“I’m doing nothing of the sort!”, she continued still attempting an exaggerated “posh” voice, “However I did, get us invited to another party tonight”

“I didn’t even go to last nights one, how did you even get me invit- actually you know what, I’m not sure I even want to know, where, who and when?”

“A girl called Ellie I met last night, you’ll love her, not to mention some very cute guys I met are going”

I sighed at her down the phone. I wasn’t the biggest party animal at the best of times, let alone around people I didn’t know.

“I take that as a yes, I’ll be a yours at 8 and we’ll walk down there”

And with that, she hung up. Sure, she was my best friend, but, god she could be a bitch.

 

I spent the rest of the day lazing around, attempting make myself slightly presentable and sending the occasional texts to Luke. I checked the time anxiously, seeing how long I had left to put the finishing touches to my look- 7:32 PM. Lauren would be here in approximately 34 minutes. Assuming she was sticking to her tradition of being slightly late for everything, she didn’t do it on purpose, it was just an attribute of hers she wasn’t prepared to drop.

I ran my hands through my hair, attempting to add some volume to it and started to apply my eyeliner. By the way Lauren was talking tonight was going to be a “messy one” as the boys at school liked to describe it. This meant I probably shouldn’t turn up in the best state, as I certainly wouldn’t be returning that way. Although I was dubious at first, I was beginning to feel a flutter of excitement at the thought of being out tonight, it had been ages since I last properly gone to a party.

I flinched slightly as I heard a knock at the door, shaking the empty (as usual) house.

“Now coming Laur!” I raced downstairs, grabbing my purse from the table, my dress flapping slightly and I pulled the door open.

Lauren greeted me with open arms and a huge hug, a standard greeting for us. She smelled sweetly of hairspray and Channel perfume (a birthday present from her extremely wealthy parents). She was wearing a designer little black dress and was teetering slightly in her white heels.

“Jesus Lauren you’ve dressed up!” I laughed as we made our way down the street with our arms linked.

“Is it okay? There was this guy last night and I think he’s coming tonight and I-”

“You look gorgeous shut up okay? Now I have no idea where we’re going so stop worrying and lead the way”

We walked and talked and laughed and even sung at one point until we reached a house near the beach, complete with heavy guitar and bass riffs blaring out. This, we assumed, was the venue for the night.

 

The party was in full swing, and I was left completely alone. Lauren had ran off to find Ellie, the hostess and apparently her new best friend. It kind of sucked, but I guessed that was just the alcohol in my system making me over emotional. I teetered out into the garden and stood out on the patio, overlooking the shadows of the bushes and trees in the distance.

My lungs felt heavy and my head was pounding, the bass riffs from an old fall out boy song were heaving from inside the house. I took another swig of my vodka and coke and took a deep breath in through my nose. The scent from the cigarettes and joints around me made me slightly lightheaded, but it calmed me slightly.

What was wrong with me? I used to be fine on my own, with people I didn’t know, I’d be friends with everyone, regardless how long I’d known them. I despised myself for how pathetic I’d become, how dependant on others I’d become. I walked down towards the end of the garden, to an old, almost broken swingset and delicately placed my weight on it, trying to spill as little drink as possible.

“Well well well, if it isn’t little miss Anna Harvey” His deep, heavily slurred voice warmed through my body.

“Jesus Luke, what the fuck are you doing?” I asked as a plonked down next to me, making the pressure on the swingset increase significantly.

“Well I could ask you the same thing and also why do I always seem to run into you late at night when you’re in some kind of state?” He winked at me to let me know he was joking about my “state” as he always referred to it.

“I’m enjoying the party, can’t you tell”

At this, he threw his head back and laughed. His blonde hair flipping slightly at the sudden movement, I began to notice the crinkles by his clear blue eyes as he giggled at my comment. The alcohol seemed to make him appear even more cute, it seemed.

“Oh yes, how could I have missed that- smoke?” He held out an unlit cigarette between his first and middle finger in my direction.

“No thank you, Hemmings, I’m a good girl- can’t you tell?”

“Is that what draws you to me?”

“Who said I was drawn to you?” I scoffed at his statement, although it was true. He suddenly flinched as the opening chords to All The Small Things by Blink 182 chimed out of his phone, he left off the swing and into the air.

“Shit” He whispered, and walked back towards the patio to answer the call. Leaving me, once again in the dark.

 

“Oh my god he was so cute, and the way he danced with me- I really think there’s a chance, you know?” I was back at Laurens house, it was the morning after, we were both fairly hungover, she was going on about some guy she was with last night.

“What did you say his name was?”

“Ashton, oh god Anna help I think I love him”

“Oh shut up you whining on is not helping my headache” I whacked her in the face with a pillow just to make sure she knew how annoying she was. I decided to let her have her moment, she didn’t know about Luke yet. I liked him being my little secret. My dumb, blue eyed, blonde haired, always-dressed-in-black, little secret.

 

 

AN: another update idk if i like it but yes hello (also I changed the title and cover sorry dont hate me please) :-))