Atychiphobia || Luke Hemmings

Chapter 1

"Adelaine!" My mother hollered. I groaned and pulled the covers over my head. I inhaled the subtle scent of newly washed sheets.

"Adelaine May Harris!" I heard her call once more. I sighed deeply and rolled out of bed, shivering at the sudden coldness coming from my air-conditioner. 

"I'm coming!" I huffed as I began dragging myself down the stairs. As soon as I stepped into the living room, the smell of bacon and eggs immediately filled my nose. I searched my wrists for a hair elastic and gathered my hair into a ponytail. I began eating as my two younger siblings, played with their food. I watched them and laughed slightly. Being the oldest among my sisters had both benefits and drawbacks. Since both my siblings were younger, I was always expected to be the perfect role model. Specifically, it was my parents who expected this much of me.

"Goodmorning sweetheart." My mother said, placing a plate of food before me. I smiled.

"Goodmorning," I responded, and began tucking in. 

"So, are you excited for your first day back?" My father asked, placing his newspaper on the table. I nodded and forced yet another smile. My parents weren't the type of people you could go up to and easily talk to about anything. Our conversations usually revolved around school and family.

"Thanks for breakfast, mom." I set my dishes in the sink and washed them with lemon scented dishwashing liquid, then walking back upstairs to get ready. Making my bed took at least three minutes. I always made it the exact same way: my pillows always arranged in a specific order, my comforter tucked in under the mattress. After making my bed, I went straight to the bathroom. I got undressed and stepped in the shower, the cold water sending shocking jolts through my body, awakening me. I adjusted the water to the warmer side, and stood there, letting the hot water relax my tense muscles. I wrapped a fluffy towel around my body and moved towards my closet. I slipped on a sweatshirt and skinny jeans. I made an attempt to brush out my hair, a blonde, tangled mess. In the end, I gave up and put it up in a messy- very messy bun. 

"Adelaine, you have 5 minutes!" My mother yelled from downstairs.

"Okay!" I replied. Slipping on my shoes, I grabbed my bag and phone and rushed downstairs frantically. 

"Have fun and pay attention in class honey." My mother told me, pulling me into a hug. 

"Thanks mom. Bye dad!"

"Have a great day!" My dad called as I headed out the door. Turning right, I walked in the direction towards school. I glanced behind me; girls were walking to school as well. Same as me. But there was one big difference- they were with their friends. Everyone that I saw walking was with at least another person. I was walking all alone, as usual.

I heard cold laughter erupt from behind me. I glanced back and saw three girls driving to school. 

"Oh my god, does she have any friends?" I heard one laugh. I began walking faster, keeping my head tilted down towards the ground. 

"Of course not, she's such a loser." 

I untangled my earphones and fit them in my ears, tapping on "All of Me" by John Legend. As the distance between me and the school entrance became closer and closer, I felt my palms begin to sweat and my heartbeat gradually increase. 

I hated the first day back from a break. I had spent all of my winter holiday holed up in my room, scrolling through posts on tumblr. It's not my fault, if I had friends I would've gone out with them; but of course, I didn't. 

I made my way through the empty hallway, as I had gotten to school before everyone else. I stopped at my locker and opened the lock, taking out my books from my backpack and hanging it inside. I held my textbooks tightly in my arms, walking over to the water fountain. As I was walking, I noticed a boy sitting alone against the wall, looking through his phone. He looked quite upset and lonely, which were two feelings I had experienced almost everyday. 

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He looked up from his phone. He had blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. I found him quite attractive. His eyes were mesmerizing, and his hair looked perfect. 

"Yeah, I- I'm fine." He responded. He spoke quietly, and he seemed quite shy. "I'm Luke. I'm new." He spoke once again.

"I'm Adelaine." I replied, giving him a small smile. I immediately noticed the accent in his voice. It was British- no, Australian. Students began to pile in the hallway. 

"I should get to class," He explained, standing up. I nodded and began walking to my homeroom.

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"Welcome back from winter break, I hope you all had a great vacation." My teacher spoke. I looked around the class. Some people were reading, some were laughing with their friends. I sat in the back of the room, listening to music. Someone walked into the room just as the teacher finished talking. I looked up to see who it was, and to my surprise, it was Luke. I took my earphones out of my ears to listen.

"Hi," He said. The teacher moved over to him.

"Luke, right? Students, this is Luke, he moved here from Australia."

Luke nodded slightly. 

"Take a seat anywhere, Luke. You can do whatever you want." 

I watched as he walked between the desks. As he walked, I heard whispers and giggles from the blonde girls in the front of the room. 

"Oh my god, he's so cute."

"He's really hot."

And so on. I sighed deeply and placed my earphones back in my ears. I nearly jumped when I felt someone sit in the desk beside me.

"Hey Adelaine," Luke said, smiling a bit. 

"Hi, I didn't know you were in this homeroom?" 

"I got kinda lost," He laughed softly. I found myself looking into his eyes again, I wanted to keep looking at them, they were so pretty. 

"I could help show you around, if you want?" I suggested. Then I realised what I had just said. I had no friends, and no one ever wanted to be around me, let alone spend time with me. Luke probably didn't want to either. "Or not." I added quietly, picking at the chipped nail polish on my fingernails.

I noticed snickers and giggles.

"Why the fuck is he talking to Adelaine?" 

I bit my lip. And stared down at the table.

"Thanks, that would be really helpful." Luke replied. I smiled.

A/N: Hi everyone! So I've decided to start writing a new story and see how it goes. Please tell me what you think in the comments, and vote please (: