Things take a turn in the ever-so-popular Luke Raynott's life when his night-terrors manifest into physical form as bruises and the involvement of a boy who holds his attention like a magnet.
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↞[Ken]↠
Daylight burned hotter than other days, and bright rays coated the dashboard. AC air was barely enough to ward off the heat.
"Man, fuck the weather," I complained for the fifth time.
Luke knew that whining on every meager detail helped to shake off my panic, so he had stopped reacting to it. His eyes were fixed on the road as he hummed to the melody coming from car-speakers.
"Why is it so hot, anyway? I was wearing a sweater yesterday, and now this!"
Luke sighed. He didn't respond to me, as he increased the music volume. The musical tunes surrounded me but did not reach me.
"Maybe the AC is malfunctioning. I swear I cannot feel the cool air, expect like on my left cheek, and that's because that cheek is dead!" I touched my skin, where the stitches had been.
The healing happened so swiftly that the doctor thought my injury was months old. It had stopped hurting, so I got rid of the bandage. Though, an ugly scar reminded me of what happened that night.
Christie was terrified and enraged when she saw the stitches. I lied about tripping and plunging into broken glass, and that Luke took me to the hospital. It was a good enough excuse to explain why I was missing for so long. I had lied that I was going to a party in the first place. Christie did not understand who Luke was, and I felt terrible when she labeled him as a good friend.
It was a mess. But somehow, Christie still bought it. Then she saw Luke's torn clothes where his wings had been and lost her shit again.
That was a long fucking day. Yet, here we were, about to turn the next day even worse. Coming out to my mother was a whole new level of horror. I had felt so confident as if I could take on the entire world when I asked Luke to come with me. Now, I felt equally deflated.
"The sun is gonna set soon. There won't be any heat," Luke said after he noticed the silence. He knew when to distract me, and God, I was thankful.
"Dude, I'm telling you, fucking global warming will kill us."
"Well, good thing we have another world then," he said monotonously. We had been driving for over an hour, so I didn't blame him for sounding so dull. The roads were relatively empty, but the distance was too much. Technically, I should have been driving. But I was so nervous that I would've turned the car around right after leaving my block.
I pushed back on my seat and exhaled a long breath. Things were strange—suddenly discovering a whole new side of the world. I wondered how Luke kept his calm. Realizing you're not what you thought you were—that's crazy shit. And here I was, losing my sanity over my sexuality. It was nothing compared to what Luke must be going through, and he still came with me. I'll let down too many people today.
![↞[Ken]↠](https://img.wattpad.com/19f12125d15a8222fbbfa87482314dfba03d76e2/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4e453551716a48725359755649673d3d2d3831363338373835352e313565306439653735336264663533313735373638303330353235372e6a7067?s=fit&w=720&h=720)
