The Maroon Guitar

Luke

"Caroline... Psst. Caroline!" I felt like most of the time these days I was being woken up like this.
I cracked open my eyes and was quite startled to see a face right next to my face. This face had blonde hair styled in a boyband kinda way and bright blue eyes.
It was Luke.

"Wha..? Luke? How did you get-" I stopped, when the creeping sensation of eyes watching me began to sink in. "Into my room..?" He laughed, followed by a chorus of equally amused laughter; but most of that was cruel.

"How nice of you to join us, Miss Oakley."
Crap.

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"God you're completely mental." Luke chuckled as I walked along on the edge of the gutter, trying to keep my balance.
"I am not. It was a really nice guitar, okay." I had just poured my heart out about Marvin, the maroon guitar, to Luke, who was far too amused by my heartache to be comforting.

"I don't doubt it but these evil plans you're coming up with just to get it back can't be healthy."
"Spoil sport." Luke just rolled his eyes.
"Lets get Cold Rock." I suggested, although it was more of an order really. Luke didn't protest, unless quickening his pace and dragging me along counted as protest.

"Can I borrow 50 cents?" Luke had already payed, so I knew he had it.
"You can't even buy an icecream and yet you want to buy a $4000 guitar off some guy?" He handed it over anyway, and we left the shop.
"Shut up Luke."

"Shut up Luke." He mimicked, and led me down a path heading in the direction of the beach. We were in seeing distance of the shop, and I didn't start til three anyway. It was 2:40.

"God you're so annoying. Can't you ever shut up?" He pouted, and widened his eyes at me.
"I'm shocked Caroline, my heart just shattered into one million, four hundred and fifty-seven thousa-"
"Shut up and eat your icecream." I shoved a scoop of it into his mouth; he would have kept going on and on and on.

"So... You have icecream on your nose." Luke rubbed his nose until it was gone.
"Is it gone?"
"Nope."
"Now?"
"Nope." He rubbed again.
"Now?"
"Nope."
"I don't believe you..." He went to get his phone from his pocket, but I grabbed his arm.
"Okay fine it's gone. Come on, lets go. You can help me."

-----------------

"Stop it Luke, you'll get me in trouble."
"You own the shop."
"Shelley manages the shop."
"But you own it."
"Give it up Caroline. You won't win." Shelley threw the keys at me and I caught them. "I'm going. Make sure you lock up properly."
"Make sure I lock up properly, that's a good one." I snorted as the bell tinkled signalling her departure.
Soon after the bell tinkled again. The person's head was down, but I recognised them. That fringe...

"Michael?" It seemed that Luke recognised him too.
"Luke."
"Michael."
"You've grown some balls." I was entirely confused by the situation.
"How do you-"
"Shh Caroline. Just go out the back."

"I'm not going out the back Luke I work here. Why don't you go out the back and I can serve this very valuable customer." I emphasised the last part and slowly pushed Luke behind me into one of the four back rooms. He resisted. "Now Luke."
"Hear that? I'm a very valuable customer!" Michael crooned behind Luke as he shut the door.

"Hi, Michael-"
"Is he your boyfriend?" My jaw was feeling very wobbly. "Are you sleeping with that guy, because I'll warn you now he has no balls."
"N...no... We're just friends... Is there something I can help you with?"
"Umm yeah." He seemed distracted by something behind me. I turned my head around to see Luke's head peeking through the door. I rolled my eyes at him and signalled for him to shut the door. "I was wondering what tuner was used to tune the guitar I bought here on Saturday."

"Oh... Well I don't actually use a tuner, I just listen for it." I felt kind of awkward standing here talking about this for some reason.
"Oh yeah. Well can you recommend a good tuner?"
"For acoustic or..."
"Acoustic."

"Right well there's this one..." I sidled out from behind the front desk and reached up to one of the shelves just above my eye level. "I used to use this one, it's pretty good, but it's better for bass."

"Or... This." I went through a brief recount of the different types for him, feeling more and more uncomfortable by the minute.
"You know you know alot about this stuff."
"Yeah... I play and I guess I just remember this stuff." He nodded, as though seriously considering my very brief answer.
"Are you afraid of me or something, cause your face is really pale. Paler than usual." I felt my cheeks hearing up slightly. I wasn't attractive or cute when I blushed.

"No. I just feel entirely uncomfortable for some reason."
"Luke does that." I looked up at him with a shocked expression.
"Trust me, this situation has nothing to do with Luke. I've known him for ages, it's you I don't know." I did feel like I should take that back, it sounded pretty rude.

"Well I guess I'll pay and go then?" Michael asked, but he didn't seem mad or angry. Quite the opposite actually; he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
"$40."
"Right... Here you go Caroline." Michael gave me two twenties as took the tuner, strolling through the front door like no one else mattered.
"Luke, you can come out now."

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I didn't see Michael for the rest of that week, but I did pester Luke to find out why the two of them didn't like eachother.
"No reason."
"There must be a reason, you don't just hate someone for something to do."
"I just don't like him. We don't get along." I groaned, my head in my hands. We had a substitute music teacher that day, who was completely incompetent and didn't know a drum kit from a clarinet. He gave us a colouring in sheet to do instead.

"Okay then. How do you know eachother?"
"We went to school together."
"In primary or-"
"High school."
"Oh." Luke had only come to Freshwater High the year before last, which would explain why he could have two years of being Michael's enemy.

He moved because his mum (my maths teacher) taught here and it was simpler.

"Can I have the green?" I passed it to him and propped the stool up on it's back legs, admiring my A Grade colouring in skills.

The bell rang and off we were to mathematics extension with Mrs Hemmings.
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So we met Luke!!!!! I know this is primarily a Michael fanfic, but Pukey is also in it... (Obvs)

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Love you!!! Xo~ Pip (I wrote this chapter).