Make it Stop ⇼ Luke Hemmings

Twenty-Two.

A few days had passed, and it was now Friday morning, the awkwardness and attention to Luke and I had died down, as Faith Meyer had announced that her and Samantha Henry were dating—no one knew Faith liked girls, so it was a shock to us all, and drew the attention away from Luke and I. The girls still wouldn’t talk to us, but the boys made short conversation so they wouldn’t get yelled at by the other half of the group. I was invisible to everyone but Luke and Madison Brown, and I felt so pathetic because not even my best friends would talk to me. Was it honestly such a big deal that Luke and I had kept it a secret? I wanted to tell them, but they wouldn’t understand, Why couldn’t they grasp that?

 

“Slut.” A voice hissed as Madison passed me in the hall, bumping my shoulder as she turned to face me.

“Leave me alone.” I rolled my eyes, trying to move past her. She frantically grabbed my forearm, her nails digging into my skin—I didn’t even flinch, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of hurting me.

“Make me, Romina.” She grinned, knowing I wouldn't do anything. “Go on!” She urged, pushing me lightly. “Make me.” She repeated, smirking. Clutching onto my books, I tried to keep my cool. And as Madison pushed me against the lockers, I was nearly about to slap her, when someone interrupted our conversation.

 

“Leave her alone!” Kaylee sneered. Madison’s head whipped around, causing her to sigh.

“Stay out of this, Kaylee.” Madison rolled her eyes.

“I’m not going to tell you again.” She warned, placing her hands on her hips. Madison clicked her tongue, staring me down.

“We’ll finish our discussion later.” She half-promised, her heels clicking down the hall as she strutted away. Kaylee and I stared at each other for a long moment before she finally spoke.

 

“This doesn’t mean we’re even.” She said.

“I know.”

“And it doesn’t mean I’m not angry. Because I am.” Straightening my posture, I looked down at the floor.

“I said I was sorry.” I murmured. “But you said some bad shit, too.” Kaylee rolled her eyes, as always blaming me for every single thing I do wrong.

“Sorry doesn’t fix anything.” She whispered, our eyes connecting.

“I know.” I whispered right back, and with that, she walked away.

 

***

 

“Kaylee defended me today.” I told Luke as he sat with me. Once again, we were alone.

“From Madison?” He assumed, shoveling a forkful of pasta into his mouth. I nodded with pursed lips. I opted out of lunch today, as the whole encounter made my stomach twist and made me nauseous. “What happened?” He asked.

“It went something along the lines of Madison being a bitch, pushing me into a locker. Kaylee telling her to leave. It’s weird… Why has Madison always been scared of Kaylee?” I inquired.

“Intimidated.” Luke corrected, quirking an eyebrow. “She thinks Kaylee is the most beautiful girl in the school and could easily pass her up. Plus, Kaylee’s not afraid to speak her mind, so… She’s pretty scary.” We shared a small laugh. “Then what happened?”

“Oh… Uhm… Well, Madison left. Kaylee told me she was angry and sorry isn’t going to fix things.” He frowned.

“What did you say to that?” He asked.