Lost in Thought (First Draft)

Chapter 4 Luke

[ Song - Rebirthing by Skillet ]

I wake up quite early in the morning; it was barely past five o'clock. I slowly arise from my bed, feeling somewhat rejuvenated after a good night's sleep. After wiping my eyes, I then begin to ready myself for the day. Originally, I planned on putting on a new outfit, but considering that I never got changed the previous night, I assumed that there wasn't a necessity to. I then drag my feet to our house's unreasonably small kitchen, quietly pour cereal, and then eat it hastily. I didn't even bother to add milk; I just ate it dry.

My father was still passed out on the living room couch. He was breathing and all, so I just presumed he was fine. At that thought, I put on my winter coat, left the house, and wandered outside.

The coldness of the air shocked me, for it was much colder than yesterday. However, it was still very early in the morning. The sun hadn't even arose yet, so that was probably a contributing factor to the coldness. Also, as I predicted, the light snowfall had definitely increased over the night. There was approximately four inches of snow on the ground, which was a substantial amount, but I've seen much more than that before.

"Cassidy?"

The sudden call for my name startled me, causing me to jump slightly. It was too dark to see who had called my name, so I walked forward, crushing the powdery snow beneath my boots. I left a delicate trail of footprints behind me from my house to the sidewalk. After examining the area, a figure came into my sight. They walked cautiously towards me on the snow covered sidewalks until they were finally face to face with me.

Luke.

"Oh... U-Uh... Hi Luke." I stammered.
"I was surprised to see you up this early..." He murmured.
I shuffled my feet a bit in a nervous manner.
"I could say the same to you." I said quietly.
"Well," He began, "I couldn't really sleep..."
"The same goes for me."

Luke attended my high school. He was a senior like myself, not but a few months older than me. He played on the school's football team, was was pretty much a stereotypical jock. He wasn't the brightest, but he was definitely cute.
Like damn.
He had gorgeous brown eyes, beautifully cut brown hair, and a perfect smile... He also had quite the masculine build, and was at least six feet tall. I felt a bit short standing next to him, considering that I was only five feet and a half, but he was still my definition of the perfect boy...

I had a major crush on him, but there were many issues with us ever dating. For one, he merely thought of us as acquaintances. We didn't socialize much on school grounds; that risked his popularity. He would talk to me from time to time, but other than that, we rarely spoke. He also lives in my neighborhood a few houses down from my own, which is probably how he even knows my name.

"So, what happened between you and Vanessa?" He asked in a nonchalant tone.

He's dating Vanessa, who hates me. He probably got her side of the story, and hates me now anyways... There wasn't a chance of us ever dating.
Was there?

"I doubt you'll believe me... But since you're asking, I might as well tell you... Vanessa and her friends were the one to attack me first." I muttered.
"I can tell that..." He muttered as he gently brushed my eye with his hand."You have a black eye... But... Uh... Don't worry though, it's really not that bad."
Black eye? I didn't even notice until he had pointed it out... It probably formed overnight.

"Wait, so you believe me over your girlfriend? Are you pulling a prank on me or something?" I asked in a facetious manner.
"No... It's just... Uh... Vanessa is nice and all, but-."
"No she's not." I interrupted him.
"She's been pretty ludicrous lately... I know when she's lying, and I knew that she was lying about the whole fight thing with you, so I came by to see if you were all right..." He said quietly.

Was he hitting on me? Or was he just showing genuine concern?

"Well... Uh... Thank you for the thought." I said kindly. "I'm doing decent for someone who just got suspended..."
"You got suspended!?" He was clearly surprised by this.
"Yeah... I did..."
"Wow... I'm sorry... I... U-Uh... Tell you what. In order to help make up for what she did, you're invited to come to the mall with me and some friends later today. School's cancelled, so why not? It'll be fun." He offered.
My eyes widened at the sudden request, but without even thinking, I nodded my head yes.
"Cool. I'll come pick you up 'round noon?"
"S-Sure! See you then!"
He smiled slightly, then wandered on back towards his house.

I ran back inside, happier than ever.
I was going to hang out with my crush...

I was going to hang out with my crush.
Well shit.

What was I going to wear? Should I dress modestly, or just wear a normal attire? What about my hair?
These questions began to flood my mind as I headed back into my room.
Now was a better time than ever to get myself situated for the day...