4:36 am

Chapter 10

It wasn't the boring, cold type of silence. It was the warm, comforting type of silence. When I was sitting there with our fingers interlocked I felt loved. I felt like someone had cared for me. I didn't feel alone anymore.

As Luke pulls onto my street, he turns off his headlights to resist any attention our way. I quietly open the car door and slide out. Luke pulls out his phone and turns on the flashlight to guide our way to the front door. I slowly, quietly open the front door and guide Luke in behind me. As I walk up the stair I hear something from the living room, so I decide to bolt. Luke doesn't run at first but soon follows behind me. Once I reach my bedroom I shut the door and turn on the lights.

"I like the bright pink walls with the fairy blanket, it's totally my type" Luke's teases looking around the room with a smirk.

"Oh, shut up... It's been like this since I was 5!" I snap back, while looking through my drawers for some pajamas.

"I'll be right back, I'm going to change. If you hear anything just stay in here, please" I add.

Luke nods and I open my door to walk out into the hallway when I hear my fathers voice.

"Lucy? What the hell are you doing?? I hear my dad say from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm sorry for being loud. I was just going to the bathroom to change and get ready for bed" I quietly say walking to the top of the stairs. "sorry." I finish.

"Where were you coming from? You never told anyone where you were going and your mother said you were with a boy. If that's true you know what happens"

"No, dad when I came home from school I was with Kelsey and Mom was severely drunk. She kept calling Kelsey a boy. I promise you, I wouldn't ever go behind your back" I lie straight to my fathers face.

"Good, boys wouldn't want someone like you any way. Your too uptight and you have that annoying secret dangling in front of You. You'd be better off alone."

And with that, my dad walked away as if nothing had happened. He should've just smacked me in face, it would've hurt less than that. I begin to cry and walk into the bathroom. I change into my sweatshirt and sweatpants, while trying to hide the fact that I'd been bawling in here.

I open my bedroom door to see Luke watching the show 'How I Met Your Mother'... A show I never grew to love as most teenagers did. He had already turned off the light and made himself a little bed on my floor, where he was laying.

"You...You don't have to sleep on the floor... I don't like sleeping alone anyway." I tell Luke, undoing my bed.

"Lucy, I wouldn't want you to do anything out of your comfort zone. I don't want to take advantage of you."

"And I wouldn't say anything that made me uncomfortable."

He nods and climbs into bed with me, turning off the tv. The only source of like now is my pink nightlight shining onto my ceiling. Luke wraps his arm around me and I snuggle into his chest.

"Have you been crying?" Luke asks tilting his chin up to meet my eyes.

"No... I... uh.."

"Don't lie to me, Lucy." Luke interrupts. "What happened?"

"My... My dad... he was downstairs and he told me that no guy would want me and he threatened me not to every bring a boy over here" By the time I'm finished explaining, I'm in tears again.

"Hey, Listen. Don't listen to him, I'm here. I'm here to protect you and to care for you. I'm never going to let him hurt you and Lucy I really, really care for you."

I didn't respond but kissed Luke on the cheek. My head laid rest on his chest right where I can hear his heart beat. I could feel the heat from Luke's body and the way he breathed really slowly.

He wasn't very muscular, just lean and lanky.

"Why did you make us leave?" I ask almost in a whisper.

Luke starts to gently brush my hair away from my face when he says "There was just something that was going to happen and we, you, couldn't be there for it."

Then I raise up and put all support on my elbow, looking down at him. I say "What do you mean? What was going to happen?"

"Lucy.. calm down... lay back down with me. There was just going to be a big prank and it wasn't going to be good for either of us, so we had to leave." Luke says as I lay my head back down onto his chest.

"okay." I whisper, closing my eyes.

...........

I wake up to the sound of the loud sounds of smoke-detectors going off in my house. I look at my clock and its nearly 4:36 am.

"Luke! Wake up!" I Shake Luke trying to get him to wake up.

"What the hell is that sound?!" Luke gets up and opens the door to my room, only to slam it shut again. "We need to get out of here, your house is on fire!" Luke runs over to my window and opens it.

"Luke! Wait my parents are probably still in here, we need go get them too!" I say loudly pulling him away from my

window.

"Okay, I'll go get them.. but you need to get out of this house, now!" He tells me before walking towards my bedroom door.

"Wait Luke," I say running over to him "Please be careful and if they ask who you are, say your from next door." I finish and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

I open my window back up and begin to climb out of it. My bedroom is on the second floor, so I don't know exactly how I'll jump to the ground. I get onto my roof and start to climb to place above my old trampoline.

After I've landed safely on trampoline, I see Luke and my parents come out my back door. It turns out my dad fell asleep with a pizza cooking, go figure. My mom was all over Luke and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"See Jerry, this is Luke.... Lucy's boyfriend." My mother says draped all over Luke's shoulder.

"Lucy, is she lying or telling the truth?" My dad asks walking towards me, with clinched fists. That's what he does when he's angry but has some self control. Sometimes he just goes on a rampage and breaks everything in the wake of his destruction.

"Kind of both, He isn't my boyfriend. I met him going to school the other day.. I.... He just saw the fire I guess" I answer looking at the ground.

"Yeah, uh, Sir.. I couldn't sleep and I saw the fire...I thought you guys might be asleep so I came ever to wake you.." Luke added not making any eye contacting either.

My father pays no mind to Luke has to say, and I know exactly why. I've been keeping a secret from Luke and he cannot find out. It will be pretty easy as long as we stay away from all form of government and he doesn't need to be with my "parents" that much.The thing is, Victoria and Jerry Primms aren't really my parents. My parents are in Albania...my home country. I was sent here illegally ,when I was 6, to Victoria and Jerry... my "parents". As far as everyone here knows.. I'm just a shy 17 year old. Thats how it should stay.. even with Luke.