Pretty Girls ⇼ Luke Hemmings

I’d asked Lea what to wear a million times, but she just kept telling me that she wasn’t good in formal situations, so she couldn’t help me. I was left alone to sort through my clothes and find something suitable. I ended up deciding on a simple maroon dress with a pleated bottom. It fell just below my knee, it had long sleeves, and the neck covered my collar bones. I liked how conservative it was and I paired it with black tights and short black heels. Lea let me use her makeup and I drew a thick line of black eyeliner on my top lid with a small wing. I put blush, mascara, and red lipstick on and put my hair in a low bun, braiding my bangs back. I didn’t look my best, but I certainly looked better than I had for my classes. After taking a long breath and asking Lea how I looked, I waited for Luke to arrive.

***LUKE’S POINT OF VIEW***

As I buttoned up my white dress top and tucked it into my pants, Petunia whimpered from the bed, staring up at me.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I begged, walking over to her and scratching behind her ear. “Come on, girl,” I whined. Her face still held a small scowl, as if she knew where I was going. “I know I’m a shitty person,” I sighed, sitting next to her. “Maybe I should just take you as my date,” I joked as she stuck her tongue out and panted. I couldn’t help but smile at her. She was honestly the best dog a guy could have; so kind and calm but playful at the same time. I didn’t deserve such a great dog. “Wanna go for a walk?” I asked, her ears perked up as she jumped off the bed. It was only 6:15, I had plenty of time to take her out for a bit.

After strapping her harness on and exiting the house, I thought about Valerie. I didn’t want to take her to the party, she didn’t belong there: Amongst all the drunk assholes. I knew that there was no way I could convince her not to come unless I told her the true intentions of the party, but she’d kill me for sure if she knew. I tried my best to push the thought out of my head as I finished up the walk with Petunia and brought her back to my room, filling up her food and water bowls. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be back tonight, with or without Valerie.

When I got to her dorm, it was 7:05 and I couldn’t bring myself to go up. Fuck, I didn’t want to go, I just wanted to stay home and hang out with Petunia. I dragged my body up the stairs and to her room to find Lea lying on the bed, scrolling through her phone and Valerie applying another layer of lipstick. She quickly stood and shoved the lipstick in her purse before meeting me in the hall. As ridiculously bulky as the dress was, she looked amazing in it. Her green eyes popped from the black eyeliner and the red lipstick, though it didn’t match the shade of her dress, made her lips look so full. Fuck, she looked good.

***VALERIE’S POINT OF VIEW***

“You look… Nice… Val,” Luke told me as we walked down the hall. It was the first time he hadn’t used my full name when addressing me. “I like your dress,” my face heated up as I smiled.
“Thank you. It’s not too much, is it?” He opened his mouth but quickly shut it, shaking his head. He led me to his car and opened the door for me.
“You know, we don’t have to go,” he mentioned as he pulled onto the freeway.
“We might as well just go. We’re already dressed and on our way,” I pointed out, frowning. Was he embarrassed to be seen with me?
“Fine,” he grumbled. “But let’s not stay long, okay?” I nodded slowly, staring at my hands. He was embarrassed to be seen with me, I just knew it. He pulled up to a small nightclub and we got out of the car and headed to the doors. Before we went in, he stopped me. “If you want to dance, we can just go somewhere else,” he nearly pleaded, his eyes looking past me, to the street.
“Luke, what is your problem?” I finally asked.
“I don’t have a problem,” he spoke through clenched teeth. I could tell he was trying to contain his anger. God, he looked good in that shirt. It was a thin, white material that his tattoos poked through. “I’m just not in the mood to go to a party,” he softened, taking a deep breath.

As I was about to reply, I noticed Ashton walking across the street and Luke pulled me by my waist so our bodies connected.
“Ashton,” he nodded and I could feel the tension between the two.
“Luke, Val,” he smiled at me, putting his arm around the girl he was with. She was smoking a cigarette and wore a bright green, almost neon, cocktail dress. I’d normally chastise her for wearing such an atrocious color, but it looked nice against her black hair. She had a large nose and when she smiled, I noticed her front tooth was chipped. In fact, about half of it was gone. I didn’t peg her as Ashton’s type, but he looked happy to have her accompanying him. “This is Miranda. Miranda, this is Luke and Val,” I reached out to shake her hand, but she brought me in for a hug.
“Nice to meet you,” she had a thick southern drawl. Ashton and Luke exchanged glances before entering the club. Luke stared at me for a second before sighing and pulling open the door.
“Let’s get this over with,” he mumbled.

Luke led me to a small table that Ashton, Miranda, Calum, and another girl were sitting at. We sat between the two pairs and Calum introduced us to Bethany. She was a plump girl with a short bleach blonde bob. She was very nice and very talkative, but she had a whiny voice that made me cringe each time she opened her mouth. There weren’t many people in the club, leading me to believe it was rented out for the night. Luke ordered himself a beer and me a lime margarita and while I engaged in conversation with the group, Luke stayed silent. As soon as the group left to hit the dance floor, I turned to him.

“Are you okay?” I asked as he began his second beer.
“Fine,” his voice was flat and emotionless.
“Do you want to dance?” I asked, my voice full of hope. He merely shook his head, glancing at a table full of guys our age, laughing along with each other. I sighed and took a drink of my margarita. Of course he didn’t want to dance, he doesn’t even want to be here with me. It’s weird to admit it, but this is the nicest he’s been to me since we met, despite his passive aggressive nature. As we sat in silence, one of the men from the table Luke was looking at stood up and joined us.

“You’re not going to dance?” He asked us with a wide grin.
“Not tonight,” Luke replied, staring into his glass.
“Luke being nice to you, darling?” The man asked me, filling me with unease.
“Yes,” I replied quietly, finishing off my drink.
“I’m Brad, nice to meet you,” he stuck out his hand and I shook it.
“Val,” I gave him a small smile. I wanted him to go away.
“Val,” he turned my hand. “That’s a very nice ring you’ve got on,” he complimented, causing a real smile to form on my face. Maybe he wasn’t so bad.
“Thank you, it’s a purity ring,” amusement took over Brad’s face.
“I should get going,” he set a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “Dance with the girl, it’ll do you good,” and with that, he was back at the table with the other laughing men.

Luke looked pale, uncomfortable even.
“Can we just get out of here?” He asked, desperation written all over his face. A frown took over my face and I bit my lip, nodding. I was in no shape to force him to stay somewhere he didn’t want to. He grabbed my hand and pulled me through the crowd and out of the club. As soon as we got in the car, I turned to him.
“Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?” I blurted out, terrified to hear the answer.
“What? No,” he seemed taken back.
“Then why didn’t you want to dance?” I knew I shouldn’t pry into him because of how nice he was this evening, but I couldn’t help it.
“I don’t dance,” he snapped, his voice rough and further proving that he couldn’t be nice for more than a couple hours.
“Maybe I should have went with Ashton or Calum,” I crossed my arms, staring out the window.
“Maybe you should have!” He yelled, the volume of his voice startling me. I stayed silent as he pulled onto the freeway, staring at the passing cars.

After a while, Luke put his hand on my knee.
“I didn’t mean to yell,” his voice was soft. God, what was wrong with him? His mood changed quicker than anyone I’d ever met, even my mother. “I’m sorry,” he stated, giving my knee a light squeeze before placing his hand back on the wheel. I didn't feel like talking. I didn’t even want to be in the car with him. I just wanted to go home. “Look, you don’t want to associate yourself with those people,” he explained. “They’re not good people,” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
“You hang out with them,” I mentioned, trying to keep my temper intact.
“Well, I’m not a good person either,” he stated, staring straight ahead. “Don’t be mad at me,” it was less of a request and more of a demand. “Do you want to get some ice cream?” He asked, and I finally looked at him. I didn’t understand him one bit. One second, he’s yelling at me. The next, he’s desperately trying to make up for it. “I’ll let you pick the flavor,” a smile tugged at his lips and I couldn’t help but smile as well. His smile was contagious. I wished he smiled more often, it was a good look on him.
“Fine,” I gave in with a sigh. “But you have to be nice to me for the rest of the night,” he gave me a curt nod and took an exit, getting off the freeway. If he wasn’t so attractive, I don’t think I would have agreed to go out for ice cream.

When we got to the parlour, he pulled a chair out for me. Surprised, I sat down and looked up at him with a confused expression.
“Who are you, and what did you do with Luke?” I joked, earning a small laugh.
“I’m just keeping up my end of the bargain,” he grumbled, crossing his arms, but I saw a slight smile. “What kind would you like?”
“Mint chocolate chip,” I smiled. He mumbled a gross and left me alone at the table for a few minutes before coming back with two cones, handing one to me. I thanked him as he sat across from me. We ate our ice cream in silence for a few moments and I wondered how he would react if I asked him a personal question. “Who is your best friend?” I asked, testing the waters. He raised an eyebrow as he licked the side of his chocolate scoop.

“I don’t have one,” he scoffed.
“Everyone has a best friend,” I argued, taking a bite of my cone.
“I’m not everyone,” his tone was slightly harsh, as if I’d struck a nerve.
“Well… If you had to pick one person, who would it be?” I pried and he let out an angry sigh.
“Petunia,” he muttered.
“Who is Petunia?”
“My dog,” although he was sulking about the fact that he answered the question, I smiled.
“I love dogs,” I gushed as Luke finished the last bit of his ice cream. I finished mine only seconds after he did.
“Do you want to meet her?” He asked, not looking at me. A wide grin spread across my face as I nodded. He stood up and led me out of the small shop.

Notes