Mitchell ↣ Luke Hemmings

[ fourteen ]

[ fourteen ]

It took a while for them to patch things up. Luke searched the mall constantly to no avail. Some days he would sit and mope around, observing the people who would walk by: the quiet and raggedy people who would use the mall as a sort of refuge, the kids who would bring skateboards and smart phones but had tear streaks on their faces, the girls who looked like they wanted to punch themselves for wearing shorts that day and were constantly pulling them down in the fear that someone would notice the scars on the back of their thighs.... Somehow everyone reminded him of Mitchell.

He would obviously be lying if he said that he wasn't worried for her. He had gone to her house multiple times, willing himself to knock on the door, but he never could.

The fear of what could subsequently have happened was gnawing at the inside of Luke's cheek, but he shoved the thought away, wanting to focus on the positive. She'd said that not all of life was a soap opera, hadn't she? So she wouldn't resort to something so soap-opera-esque.

Twelve times – twelve days in a row – Luke stood outside her door and didn't knock. He supposed the neighbours must have thought strangely about it, an odd, brooding teenager standing outside the door every day...just standing. Twelve times Luke stood outside Mitchell's door and didn't knock – and one time he did.

And on the fateful day that he did knock, waiting with bated breath, waiting for something – anything, nothing happened. No one answered.

Luke willed himself not to panic. She had to live with someone, right? Wouldn't they watch over her? He racked his brains for memories of a time when she had mentioned family, when he had spotted a parental figure around her at the few times he had been to her house, but he came up with nothing.

"Goddamn, Mitch, answer me," he muttered, knocking again.

When no one answered still and the fear was quickly overtaking his heart, he tried looking through the windows, but the house looked calm just as he had known it.

He exhaled shakily and resolved to asking one of the neighbours. He went next door and knocked, hoping at least this person was home.

He was surprised to see a small boy answer the door. The boy opened his mouth to speak but was cut short by a loud, booming voice.

"Jimmy," the voice bellowed, "how many times do I have to tell you not to answer the door until you ask 'Who is it?'"

Jimmy hung his head. A burly man walked up to Luke, sending who Luke presumed was his son to a different room. "What can I help you with, son?" The man looked at Luke as though he were expecting him to ask for money for a nonprofit organization.

"I was wondering if you knew if Mitchell was home? She won't answer the door."

"Son, let me show you something," the man said, taking Luke off the porch and onto the driveway. "You see that car there?"

Luke nodded as the man pointed to the car in Mitchell's driveway.

"That there means that someone is home, doesn't it?"

Luke didn't appreciate the patronizing look the man was giving him. "Yes, I understand, but I was wondering if she lived with anyone else?"

"Well she must, mustn't she? I don't know this girl very well but I've seen her often enough to know that she looks younger than eighteen, son."

Luke decided he didn't very much like this man who called him 'son' even though he was nothing like Luke's own father. Luke just nodded, still unsatisfied, but knowing he wasn't going to get any help from this man who obviously looked down on him. "Thank you."

The man went back into his house, pushing his wide-eyed son out of the way to shut the door.

Luke knocked on the door one more time, praying to god that Mitchell hadn't done what he thought she had done, and went back home, almost in tears.

-

HAHA WOOO u thought I wouldn't update but I did, in ur faces !!

I hope u enjoyed this, much more to come! and if u wanna read more of my writing, go to CNCObrats and read "blossom" that's my story and im sosooo excited for it my loves