arduous || l.r.h.

prologue #2

it was luke's 10th birthday party. he was pretty excited, except for the fact that his mum invited camila. camila walked in, a giant present in her hands. it was covered in pink wrapping paper and luke wanted to throw it away. she gave it to him with a smile.

"happy birthday luke." she smiled and hugged him tightly and kids around them laughed. mary and liz were in awe as luke struggled to push camila off him. his hands pushed her nose back and she chuckled. "now, open my present."

luke sighed, ripping through the pink wrapping paper as everyone at his party stared closely. he opened the present and smiled at the batman set and the hot wheels cars. "thank you, camila." 

he actually really liked the present and decided to high five camila, he wasn't going to hug her. 

"you're welcome." she grinned. "i made you a present myself, but."

"but what?" luke frowned. 

camila pulled out the paper from her pocket which was crumbled. "i spilt orange juice and sat on it." 

luke shrugged, taking the paper from her hands and looking closely. past the orange juice and crumbles, there was a picture of two people.

"who's this?" luke frowned. 

"that's us." camila grinned wildly. kids at the party gathered around luke to look at the poorly drawn picture. 

"i-is my head on fire?" luke asked and camila peered over his shoulder to look at what he was pointing at. 

"no. that's your hair, silly." she laughed and luke rolled his eyes.

"why are we holding hands?" he frowned.

"because we are friends, duh." camila giggled.

"oh, okay?" he sighed. 

"let's play now." a little boy with curly hazel hair, ashton, yelled. 

"yea, i shotgun the swing!" michael screamed from beside ashton.

"i'll race you, mikey." calum smiled a toothy grin. all the kids ran off and luke ran after them. camila walked over to some other girls at the luke's party.

camila and some of the girls walked over to the boys on the playground. "hey!" camila yelled and all the boys stopped and looked at them.

"we wanna play with you guys." she huffed and the boys laughed.

"go play with your dolls and dresses." michael scoffed and pretended to throw a pokemon ball at calum, who fell over pretending he was hit.

"we wanna play mums and dads." camila smiled and put her tiny hands on her hips.

"no, go away." ashton yelled and luke watched carefully. camila frowned and luke swallowed the lump in his throat. 

"ashton's in loooooooooovvvvve." she smiled and ashton frowned. 

"am not." he groaned. 

"yes you are!" camila squealed up at him. "you love milly."

ashton blushed and milly screwed up her face. 

"lets play mums and dads." camila grinned and walked over to the ladder, the girls following her. she walked up to luke and he frowned.

"luke is the dad, and sonny is the mum." she smiled and luke blushed. 

"ew." sonny frowned and luke's blush disappeared. he thought sonny had a nice face. and she thought he was 'ew'.

"luke, stop being a little girl and come play pokemon with us." michael scoffed and turned away.

luke sighed and looked at camila as she raised her little eyebrow. 

"are you in loooooooovvvvvvvve?" she smiled and, yet again, mushed luke's face like she always does. 

"no. that's for baby girls." he scoffed.

"then you are a baby girl." she smiled.

"am not."

"you so are." 

"go play dolls." luke frowned and she giggled, walking off. 

"like i was saying," michael spoke up, "only cool people can swear. so you can't calum."

"hey!" calum frowned. "yes, i can."

"then do it." michael challenged him.

"no, i'll get in trouble." calum shook his head. 

"ha. ha. i win." michael smiled and calum frowned.

"why don't you swear, mike?" ashton spoke up and michael turned to look at him.

"shit."

the whole group of boys gasped and calum tripped on the sand pit and fell face first into the sand. 

"what did you just say michael?" michael's mum yelled. 

"oh shit." he said again and she began screaming.