never be » lrh book one

Chapter 26

B A C K T O S C H O O L

Sam's POV

I literally don't stop crying till the next morning when I don't have tears left. It physically kills me to get up out of bed and get ready. I do it because I need to see Luke, and I know the only way I can talk to him is by seeing him at school. He'll avoid me, but I'll get him to talk. It wasn't my fault his friend decided to kiss me.

I rolled out of bed, walking over to my tall mirror and examining my appearance. Rough. I decide to just throw my hair up in a bun without makeup, then I put on my uniform. It's so ugly. At least everyone wears practically the same thing so you can't be judged.

It doesn't take long to get ready, but I'm already kind of running late. I hurry downstairs, skipping breakfast and not bothering to get anything for lunch. Besides, I'll probably ditch after first period after I awkwardly sit next to Luke for 45 minutes.

The drive to school is quick and short. Doesn't really take long at all, of course. I see Luke's car parked in the same spot it always is and gulp as I step out of my car. The wind blows my already messy hair around as I walk towards the main doors.

When I get inside, it's like my first day all over again. I'm walking and people are staring, giving me dirty looks. They either turn their heads or give me looks of pure hatred as I walk by. I wonder if they'd been doing it all along, I just never noticed because I wasn't alone. Either way, it kills me. All I can think about is how I already want to leave.

I turn down the hallway my locker is located in, and standing in a group of people, is Calum and Luke. It's like they can both sense my presence, because immediately after I turn the corner both their heads snap up and I lock eyes with them. Cal's eyes flick from Luke to me, then back to Luke. He puts his hand on his shoulder and leans on the lockers, pushing Luke in the opposite direction as me. He goes off with their friends, while Calum stays behind, staring me dead in the eyes.

When I get into earshot, he speaks. "I don't know how you manage to show up here and look Luke in the eyes like that." His voice was cold.

"What?" I asked, my hand on the lock of my locker.

"You looked him in the eyes after what you did to him. How?" Cal asks me, his brown eyes watching my every move.

"I don't know. Maybe because the whole thing wasn't my fault?" My voice was hostile.

"You let Ashton kiss you." Calum said, his voice had a hint of confusion. "You knew you were with Luke, yet you still run off and kiss Ash? Are you trying to ruin the band or something?"

"God damn it, Calum." I slammed my locker shut. "No. I'm not trying to do anything. Ashton kissed me. The second he did, I pushed him off and walked away. God, why do you always twist things to make me the bad guy?" I rolled my eyes, facing him and crossing my arms.

"Just leave us all alone." Calum grumbled, turning around and walking a few steps. He stopped in his tracks and turned around. "We shouldn't have associated ourselves with you, you just cause trouble. You come near us again and I'll be sure it's the last time." With that, he walks away.

The bell rings and I make my way through the halls to my first class of the day. When I walk in, everyone's already there. All their heads turn to me as if they know what happened, just like the people in the hall. I walk to my seat, noticing Luke staring down at a piece of paper on his desk. He was the only one int the whole class who didn't look at me.

After sitting down and getting through the lesson, the teacher assigns partners for a little in-class project. Of course she says everyone's partners are the people beside them. Mine is Luke. No surprise.

The second the teacher stops talking and has us start working, Luke stands up and walks to her desk. I hear him speak, "Can I use the restroom?"

"Yes, Luke, go." She responds, waving him off.

I know he's not coming back. He took his bag with him.

I write both our names at the top of the sheet and do the whole assignment alone. Then, I turn it in. The teacher doesn't notice I did it all on my own.

After the bell rings again, I walk through the hallways in a hurry for the exit. When I get outside, Luke and Calum are standing right outside the doors, alone, talking. Making my way around them is probably the most awkward thing I've ever done.

They both stop talking and watch me walk. I don't hear another sound till I'm in my car. I see Luke's mouth start moving again. We lock eyes. I look away.

I ditch the rest of the day. Later that night, as I'm checking my emails, I see I've recieved a notice for missed school days. I just delete it. Genuinely, I don't even care. School is miserable for me at this point.

As I'm laying in bed, going over everything in my mind, I think about what my sister would tell me to do about Luke. She would say give him time, stay away, let him come back to you. But I don't think he will. He could get anyone he wanted, practically. Why come back to me?

It all hurts so bad. I end up crying myself back to sleep. I don't go to school for the rest of the week.