Pretty Girls ⇼ Luke Hemmings

The Party.

I'd asked Lea what to wear a million times, but she just kept telling me that she wasn't good in formal situations, so she couldn't help me. I was left alone to sort through my clothes and find something suitable. I ended up deciding on a simple dress with a pleated bottom. It fell just below my knee, it had long sleeves, and the neck covered my collar bones. I liked how conservative it was and I paired it with black tights and short black heels. Lea let me use her makeup and I drew a thick line of black eyeliner on my top lid with a small wing. I put blush, mascara, and red lipstick on and put my hair in a low , braiding my bangs back. I didn't look my best, but I certainly looked better than I had for my classes. After taking a long breath and asking Lea how I looked, I waited for Luke to arrive.

***LUKE'S POINT OF VIEW***

As I buttoned up my white dress top and tucked it into my pants, Petunia whimpered from the bed, staring up at me.

"Don't look at me like that," I begged, walking over to her and scratching behind her ear. "Come on, girl," I whined. Her face still held a small scowl, as if she knew where I was going. "I know I'm a shitty person," I sighed, sitting next to her. "Maybe I should just take you as my date," I joked as she stuck her tongue out and panted. I couldn't help but smile at her. She was honestly the best dog a guy could have; so kind and calm but playful at the same time. I didn't deserve such a great dog. "Wanna go for a walk?" I asked, her ears perked up as she jumped off the bed. It was only 6:15, I had plenty of time to take her out for a bit.

After strapping her harness on and exiting the house, I thought about Valerie. I didn't want to take her to the party, she didn't belong there: Amongst all the drunk assholes. I knew that there was no way I could convince her not to come unless I told her the true intentions of the party, but she'd kill me for sure if she knew. I tried my best to push the thought out of my head as I finished up the walk with Petunia and brought her back to my room, filling up her food and water bowls. I wasn't sure whether I'd be back tonight, with or without Valerie.

When I got to her dorm, it was 7:05 and I couldn't bring myself to go up. Fuck, I didn't want to go, I just wanted to stay home and hang out with Petunia. I dragged my body up the stairs and to her room to find Lea lying on the bed, scrolling through her phone and Valerie applying another layer of lipstick. She quickly stood and shoved the lipstick in her purse before meeting me in the hall. As ridiculously bulky as the dress was, she looked amazing in it. Her green eyes popped from the black eyeliner and the red lipstick, though it didn't match the shade of her dress, made her lips look so full. Fuck, she looked good.

***VALERIE'S POINT OF VIEW***

"You look... Nice... Val," Luke told me as we walked down the hall. It was the first time he hadn't used my full name when addressing me. "I like your dress," my face heated up as I smiled.

"Thank you. It's not too much, is it?" He opened his mouth but quickly shut it, shaking his head. He led me to his car and opened the door for me.

"You know, we don't have to go," he mentioned as he pulled onto the freeway.

"We might as well just go. We're already dressed and on our way," I pointed out, frowning. Was he embarrassed to be seen with me?

"Fine," he grumbled. "But let's not stay long, okay?" I nodded slowly, staring at my hands. He was embarrassed to be seen with me, I just knew it. He pulled up to a small nightclub and we got out of the car and headed to the doors. Before we went in, he stopped me. "If you want to dance, we can just go somewhere else," he nearly pleaded, his eyes looking past me, to the street.

"Luke, what is your problem?" I finally asked.

"I don't have a problem," he spoke through clenched teeth. I could tell he was trying to contain his anger. God, he looked good in that shirt. It was a thin, white material that his tattoos poked through. "I'm just not in the mood to go to a party," he softened, taking a deep breath.