Lines // hemmings

Chapter 11

ABBY

To Abby,

I am sorry for not having written you anything for a while. For ages might be the right term. I have not forgotten about you! I could never forget you. I have just had a lot to think about lately. A lot about my situation. Where I am and what I am doing and what there is to come for me.

I have saved every single letter you have sent me and I am going to try to answer them now.

First of all, thank you for the book recommendations. I am half way through the list and so far I like them all. They are not girly and hey, boys can read girl magazines too! Do not judge. I am also working at the library, have I told you that? So I have found quite a few new interesting books other than your list. 

How am I doing? I would guess I am doing just fine. How are you?

About the phone number thing…This will probably sound like a lie, but I am not lying to you when I say I do not have a phone. I do not own one, and have not done that for the past 2 years. So I hope we can keep up this pen-pal thing we have going on. There is no other way for me to communicate with you. And I really like talking/writing to you.

How is your dad? And Calum? Tell me what you have been up to! I would love to hear everything that has happened since we last spoke.

Sincerely,

                      Luke.

The happiness was real when I spotted the envelope on the floor and I kept on smiling, until I ripped the letter open and started reading. Luke didn’t sound happy, he sounded sad through his words. Something has definitely happened, he indirectly told me when he wrote he had been thinking of where he is, but from the sound of it, he’s not going to tell me so there’s no point in trying to get him to spill. 

Fine never really means fine. Fine means that something is definitely up but the person just don’t want to burden somebody else with their problems. I have a feeling Luke has problems and he’d feel much better if he let some of them off his chest.

LUKE 

To Luke,

I’m glad you’re still alive (lol) and I have missed your replies like crazy. I totally get that you don’t want to give away your phone number to some stranger so don’t worry! Let’s just forget about it.

I’ve been good actually. Nothing much has happened. I’ve worked a lot, both at the store and with dad. The money is just floating around… kidding. But I have saved up a lot lately and so has Calum! Have I told you what we’re saving up to by the way? Hmm, I think I’ve forgotten that. Well, we’re saving up for a trip to London in the summer! Have you ever been to London? Or Europe? I haven’t. I’ve never been abroad so this will be my very first time and I’m really excited even though nothing has been confirmed yet.

I overheard a kid attempting a joke the other day. Do you wanna hear it? I’ll assume you said yes and if you didn’t, then just skip this part. Okay, here it goes:

Where do cows go at the weekend?...........................To the moo-vies!

I laughed a lot and the kid’s parent thought I was insane. But it was funny, right? Or maybe I just have weird humor. I laugh at a lot of things, even things that aren’t even funny. I don’t really mind but people do seem to think I laugh at them, not with them. 

I’ve been staring out the window for a long time now, thinking of something else to write. Do you also get stuck sometimes? I really want to write you but whenever I sit here by my desk and feel ready to reply, I don’t know exactly what to write. A part of me wants to write every single detail about what happened today but another part of me tells me to just stick to a summary and only bring up the essential, just so I won’t bore you out. Because I tend to do that with people. And scare them away.

Like this. What I’m about to write is what I thought the first time I read your letter. (I do read them several times). 

The first time I read it, I could tell you weren’t just ‘fine’. There’s something more to it. Maybe you’re just going through a rough time in your life. A heartbreak or maybe you’ve started questioning life, I don’t know. But whatever it is, know that I’m here for you and sometimes it’s easier to talk to a stranger. I might not give the best advice, but I’m a good listener. I don’t know if that sounded too self-loving, but I am. A good listener, that is.

Saw that you changed the farewell phrase. Sorry for not including any in the latest letters. People nowadays always seem to forget about them. 

                      Abby.

“Ohmygod.” 

“Is it that Annie girl again?” Ashton asks from above me and throws the stress ball he received from his mom the other day, up to the ceiling. It bounces back and he repeats the action.

“Her name is Abby,” I reply and close my eyes, feeling a tickling feeling in my nose that can only mean one thing. But I am not going to let it happen. I can’t cry. Not here. Not now.

“Annie, Abby, Ally – whatever. Now if her name was Annie, I’d have the best joke. Did any reply? Annie, any – get it?” He says and lets out a chuckle.

“Go away,” I sigh and the bed screeches, meaning Ashton has shifted.

“I would, but if you haven’t noticed, we’re locked up.”

Ashton jumps down and retrieves his stress ball that has rolled across the floor. He eyes me and folds his arms across his chest, his head slightly tilted.

“How long do you have left?” I ask and turn around so I can face him completely.

“Like 6 months or so unless they decide to give me another 3 years,” he shrugs. “You know how they are.”

“What exactly did you do?” I ask even though I already know. We’ve been through this before but Ashton has never told me the entire story, only…

“Robbed a few places. What about you?”

…that. Pretty much the exact same words. I thought I would get some more out of him today but I guess I was wrong.

“Nothing.”

“That’s what they all say,” he says and raises an eyebrow but I just shake my head.

If he isn’t telling me anything, I’m not telling him anything.

-

I promise you will find out what Luke has done, just not right now. A few more chapters...just hold on :-----)

I prefer writing Luke's POV, for some reason it's easier hahah. Whose POV do you prefer to read?

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Writing a huuuuuuuuuuuuge and looooooooooong test tomorrow (yes on a Saturday, how fun). Wish me luck? x

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