I did'nt see Luke around all day. I even looked around at the all kids in my classes and all the kids passing by in the hallway.
"Do you know a Luke?" I ask Aspen. Aspen is my bestfriend. Shes different. She doesn't belong here, meaning here in New York City. She belongs somewhere on the west coast, where its sunny and hot. WIth a surfboard in one hand and an Arnold Palmer ice tea in the other.
"No. Why?" She shakes her head. "Actually theres that freshman, Lucas."
"No hes a senior." I shake my head.
"Ask Ashton I bet - "
I cut her off. "No. I dont want to ask Ashton."
"Why do you want to know who he is?"
"Uhm" I pause. I don't want to tell her her that I'm having suicidal thoughts and that I'm attending school therapy. We have a friendship where we don't keep any secrets and we tell eachother everything when it's time to tell eachother. But it's not time for me tell her, not now atleast. "I guess hes after my sister. I don't really know I overheard her on the phone last night."
"A senior after a freshman, your sister?"
"I guess." I start to eat a couple of fries hoping she'll leave the topic alone.
Two arms wrap around me from behind, and a kiss is planted on the back of my head.
"Hi, baby." Ashton says from behind. I spin around, lifting my legs over to the other side of the lunch table bench.
"Hi" I kiss his cheek.
"Thats it?" He laughs. I cup his face in my hands and pull his face to mine. Attaching our lips together for a second. I turn back around. He sits down next to me. He takes some of my fries off my lunch tray.
"So coach said he wants me to do the clinic on Tuesdays with the middle schoolers." He continues to eat my fries. "And it's until May.."
"But tuesdays are our days, Ashton." I stare at Aspen. Shes smiling down at her phone while her fingers are tapping away at the screen, compelety oblivious to the conversation that is going on. Shes probbaly texting Calum, her Asian looking boyfriend, who indeed is not Asian. They started dating late sophmore year. They're kida perfect for eachother. He treats her perfectly which is what she deserves. Aspen has had a rough past. Her mom died of cancer when she was not even a year old. She never knew her. So it was just her and her dad. Her dad loved her so much, and he made sure her life was perfect, and that she had a chocolate bar in her lunch box everyday and that she had ponytail holders that matched her outfit perfectly. He made sure she had everything she wanted. He spoiled her majorly. Then when Aspen was 7 her dad was driving home from work and another car sped through a red light and hit his car. Pushing it into a ditch on the side of the street. Aspen then had to live with her Aunt and Uncle until she could be put into foster care. She was home schooled and lived with them till she was 9, when she was put with a foster family. She lived with them for year. They fell in love with her and adopted her after a year. When she was 12, they moved her from her home state California, to New York City, for a job opportunity. That's when I met her in 6th grade, and we've been best friends since.
"Im sorry can't we change it to Wednesdays?"
"But you have practice."
"We go straight after shool and we're down by 4:30, so after i'm all yours." He continues to eat my fries.
"I can't Wednesdays." I say in a quiet voice. I continue to look at Aspen. Trying to avoid eye contact with Ashton right now.
"Why?" He asks.
"Uhm" I look at Aspen to try to get her to help me but shes to busy typing away at her phone. And even if she was pasying attention to me right now, she could not realy help me because she does not know yet..... yet. "Brooke has dance and I have to take her." I say the first excuse I think of, even though its not a good one.
"Brooke does dance?" Ashton raises and eyebrow.
"Ya, uh its a new thing, my moms making her do it."
"Oh" He eats my last fry.
"You owe me another basket of fries now, you jer." I laugh and slightly punch his shoulder. He pouts and rubs his shoulder.
"I'll buy you more tomorrow."
"So basically we can't hangout during the week till May?"
"I'm sorry" He frowns. "We can still hangout on the weekends." He takes his hands and tries to make me smile by pulling the corners of my mouth. Aspen finally looks up from her phone, reaches across the table. Putting her hand in my empty fry basket.
"You're a little late honey" Ashton laughs.
The bell rings, meaning lunch is over. The whole lunch room gets up, throws away thier trash and leaves.
"Bye guys" Aspen waves and walks towards the door where Calum is standing. He puts his hand around her waist and kisses the side of her head.
"Bye. I'll text you." Ashton kisses me quick. "Have fun taking your sister to dance" He laughs.
-
"Hi guys." The says as he approaches the circle. The group just sits blankly. " Okay, today we are going to be moving onto our next project kinda, or you could also call it and assignment. You will be working with a partner, your buddy. You and your partner are going to get to know eachother. By the end of this project you will have a new friend, hopefully. You and your partner are going to maybe sit together at lunch, maybe meet up at the mall, go see a movie anything like that." He rambles on. "Next wednesday, when we meet again, because we only met once every other week, this project will be due."
"Whats the point of this?" Luke scoffs.
"To have a new friend." The counselor repeats again. Luke groans.
The others in the group start to talk.
"This will be fun" I sigh in sarcasm. Luke drags his chair over to me. He drops the chair and sits down, slouching.
"So I guess I"ll just comeover to your house and we can watch a movie." I just name something. To be honest I don't want to do this, and I dont want to hangout with him.
"NO" He shouts. "You can't come to m house"
"Can't you just tell your parents that all we are doing is a school project? We're just gonna watch a movie." I laugh.
"No thats not it." He shakes his head. "We can't go tomy house."
"Well, we can't go to my house beacause my mom is out of town."
"What about your dad, wheres he?" He asks. The question makes me think of him.
"Hes not gonna be home" I say quietly. Hes never coming home. He can't.
"The movies?" He asks.
"I don't like movies that much'" I shake my head.
He laughs. The first time i've seen him laugh, or even smile. It looks good on him.
"Do you like coffee?"
"Nope" I reply quick.
"Good, me niether." He smiles. Awe hes definatley a heartbraker, with a smile like that. I smile at his smile. "I know this little cafe downtown. We can go there."
"Okay" I smile. Maybe this won't be to bad.
"Do you guys have plans made?" The counselor, that I still don't the name to, asks.
"Ya" Luke winks at me.
