Faded // Luke Hemmings

chapter 6

Tatum’s POV

                I wake too early in the morning, my eyes sore from lack of sleep and my phone vibrating violently on the table beside Luke’s bed. With a groan, I snatch it up, instantly waking when I see my brother’s name flash across the scream. Trevor doesn’t usually call, so I know it must be something important. I quickly slide the green button to the side, pressing the phone to my ear and whispering, “Hold on.”

                It takes me a good fifty seconds to dislodge myself from Luke, and he looks so perfect when he sleeps that I’m hesitant to leave him. His hair flat against his forehead is quite possibly the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. There are lines in his skin from lying too long against wrinkled sheets. Hopefully it’s too early for anyone else to be awake, but I slide into a pair of Luke’s basketball shorts just in case.

                “What’s up, Trev?” I try to keep my voice casual and light as I go down the stairs. The last thing I want to deal with this early in the morning is a lecture from my younger brother on guys. “How have you been?”

                He doesn’t answer my question. “I have bad news.” Trevor’s voice reaches my ears as I settle into the couch, making my heart sink instantly. Bad news in my family is never easily fixed, and I’m almost one hundred percent positive I already know what this is about.

                “It’s the money, isn’t it?” My voice sounds foreign and far away. For as long as I can remember, money has been a huge problem for our family. My mom and step father work hard to pay the bills but regular mundane jobs just don’t cut the slack for a large family. With seven kids to feed, two away in college, one soon to join them, and two racking up serious medical bills, our pocketbook is almost always empty. I know a good portion of that is my fault and I’ve never been able to get past the guilt of that.

                Trevor sighs in response; he’s always hated being the bearer of bad news. “I was talking to my dad and they didn’t want me to tell you but… You last CAT scan didn’t go through with our health insurance. They’re looking at upwards of ten thousand dollars in bills that can’t pay and we still have to find a way to send Jesse to NYU in the fall –”

                “Just stop.” I plead pitifully, rubbing my temples with my fingertips. The mere mention of my little sister makes me feel weak. All I can feel when I think of her is guilt. Stress has never been a friend of mine. “Just give me some time to – to try and scrape some money together and figure things out.” Trevor apologizes profusely, promising to do the same and come to visit me soon. When I finally get him to hang up, my head is spinning.

                Stress is never good for an epileptic. It only escalates the potential for seizures, and I’ve only just rid myself of the bruise from the last one. God knows where I fucking left my key, but I need to find it amongst the warzone of Luke’s room and go home soon. Giant blue pills are waiting for me, and as much as I hate taking them, I hate having seizures more.

                When I lift my head, Daisy is exiting Ashton’s room, a pair of shoes dangling from her fingertips. Perfect… Just what I need, a visit from Queen Bitch. I should keep my mouth shut and pretend she’s not even here but I’ve never been good at that. “Something wicked this way comes…”

                Daisy’s head snaps up and I’m flooded with an overwhelming surge of intense guilt. Her eyes are red and glazed over with tears which stream down her face with frightening speed. But at my comment, her normally stunning face is plastered over with requited rage. “What the fuck does Luke even see in you?!” She shrieks, and I can practically see hell fire in her eyes. Her words are a bit of a shock; she’s always so fucking placid. “You’re a fucking bitch. We all know he’s going to dump your ass any day now!”