Pretty Girls ⇼ Luke Hemmings

“Val, this would look so good on you!” Lea exclaimed, pulling out a light blue crop top with a rose floral pattern and long sleeves that flared at the end.
“Yes! With those jeans that make your ass look great!” Mandy chimed in and I rolled my eyes.
“How many times do I have to say no until you guys stop trying to make me wear things like that?” I sighed, lying back on my bed. Lea was skimming through her closet, trying to find something to wear and Mandy was going through my makeup so she could touch up before we left. “I don’t even really want to go anyways,” I complained.
“Come on!” Lea complained, placing her hands on her hips and turning to me. “How could you not want to sit there and watch a whole group of boys play poker and smoke cigarettes while we sit around and mindlessly chat?” Her lips pulled into a smile.
“I’m excited to get drunk and dance!” Mandy grinned, applying another layer of red lipstick.

“I can stay at Mikey’s tonight… If you want to bring Luke home,” Lea winked and Mandy gasped, flicking her head to me.
“Are you two going to fuck tonight?” She asked with a grin. I rolled my eyes, sitting up.
“Why is everyone so interested in whether or not Luke and I are having sex?” I groaned, pushing my hair out of my face.
“I don’t know,” Lea laughed, “Luke’s just… Weird around you. Like, we’ve never seen him care about anyone, let alone let someone stay in his room and the boys have known him forever. It’s just weird to see him actually care for someone,” she explained and I frowned.
“I don’t think it’s weird,” I stated. I wasn’t sure whether or not she actually knew what she was talking about. I didn’t think Luke cared about me as much as everyone seemed to think he did. If anything, he was interested in me. Sure, he told me all the time that he cared for me, but he just didn’t show it so I was weary on the fact.
“It’s different,” Mandy spoke and my eyes found the window.

“I think if you get a little made up, you’ll feel a lot better about yourself,” Lea suggested, setting the crop top next to me.
“I feel fine about myself,” I sighed.
“Okay, well if you get a little made up, maybe you’ll actually see that Luke’s into you.” She shot and I stared down at the fabric, picking it up and running my fingers along the soft material. Maybe she’s right. Maybe if he saw me in a different light, he’d actually like me.
“He’s not into me,” I spoke, defeated.
“Are you kidding?” Lea sat next to me.
“Val, he’s crazy about you!” Mandy joined in and I set the shirt on my lap, biting my lip.
“He’s not,” I laughed, “But that’s okay. We’re just… Messing around. I’m sure he’s like that with every other girl he’s been with.”

“You know that isn’t true.” Lea set her hand on my shoulder. “Open your eyes, girl. Not everyone is out to get you. People care about you, but you never see it. You’re always in denial.” I met her gaze, pursing my lips.
“And the boy who took me to a dogfight does?”
“Maybe he didn’t then, but he does now.” I glanced at Mandy, who gave me a small smile.
“If he didn’t care about you, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to get you back.” Maybe they were right. Maybe I was thinking too much about this. Then again, I’ve always been known for overthinking the simplest of things.
“If I wear this,” I began, changing the subject, as I no longer wanted to talk about whether Luke cared about me or not. “Will you both stop prying into all of this?” A smile played at Lea’s lips, one that she shot at Mandy.
“We will only bring up Luke when you do,” she half promised.

With a sigh, I stood up and went to my dresser, pulling out the white lace set of bra and panties that I bought with Lea a while ago. They were my only attractive pair and I guess I did need the confidence boost. I grabbed my jeans from the closet and headed to the bathroom to change. When I got back, I touched up the curls in hair and Lea drew a thick black wing of eyeliner on me and leant me her dark pink lipstick. When we were finished, I actually felt kind of good about myself. I didn’t look as horrible as I thought I would in the top and the way the lace from my bra peaked out of the collar made me feel kind of hot. Lea and Mandy left to pick up Cass in Mandy’s car, but I stayed behind because Luke had promised to pick me up.

He didn’t arrive for half an hour and in that time, I cleaned up the mess that Mandy had made on my desk. By the time I was wiping away the last bit of spilt nail polish, Luke walked in the room, his eyes immediately raking down my body.
“Look at you,” he smiled, grabbing me by my waist and pulling my body close to his. “I like this shirt,” he mumbled, pressing his lips to mine. I kissed him back for a split second before pulling away and grabbing my purse.
“You’re going to mess up my lipstick,” I laughed, buckling my heels on. I stood back up, noticing Luke was staring at my butt and I blushed, giving him a small smile before following him out to his car.

***LUKE’S POINT OF VIEW***

Val looked great in those tight jeans and that shirt that showed off her stomach, but I didn’t want her wearing that to poker night. As much as I liked to see her in tight and revealing clothes, I didn’t want anyone else to see her like that. I mean, yeah, she looked good, but I knew I wasn’t the only one who’d recognize that. I didn’t want to be some guy who’s telling her what to wear, so I didn’t say anything. Instead, we drove in near silence to the frat house, with only music playing through the speakers.

***VALERIE’S POINT OF VIEW***

By the time we arrived and made it to the basement, there was already a thick layer of smoke making it hard to clearly make out anything. Luke dropped me off where Mandy, Cass, Lea, and the pink haired girl that Ashton was with the other day were sitting, before going over to the table and taking the only empty seat. The basement was scattered with Luke’s frat brothers: Calum, Ashton, and Michael sat at the table with him along with two other boys I didn’t recognize. There were three boys on a couch next to ours that were engrossed in a video game, and other boys were just walking around and chatting, some sitting at a bar, some dancing. There were a lot of girls here, too. Most of them looked irritated that they were dragged here, some were dancing with each other, some were taking shots, but they all looked bored.

“I’m Monica,” the pink haired girl smiled once I sat in between her and Mandy.
“Val,” I smiled back at her. She was breathtaking and the red lipstick she wore complimented her blue eyes and the freckle above her lip.
“Are you dating Luke?” She asked, peering over at the table.
“Um, no-” I began, but was cut off.
“You really think that little miss priss could handle Luke?” Cass snorted out a laugh and I frowned, my eyes finding my lap.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mandy crossed her arms over her chest.
“It means that she’d probably run home and cry to her mommy. She can’t handle someone that rough.” A knowing smile spread over Cass’ lips, but I had no idea what she was talking about. Luke had never been rough with me when we did anything intimate. Quite the opposite, actually. He’s always been patient and gently.
“Shut up, Cass,” Lea spat. I took it she was still mad at her because of the time Michael had compared the two.
“I’m going to get a drink.” Cass’ face turned sour and she stood up, storming away, the clicking of her heels drowned out with the music that was playing.

Mandy set a hand on my knee and I gave her a small smile. I knew there was a reason I shouldn’t have come here, and I guess that reason was Cass. I looked at the table and saw Luke laughing along with his friends and I felt somewhat better.
“So!” Monica clapped her hands together. “How do you all know each other?” She had a thick French accent, the kind that made even the simplest words sound beautiful. I could probably sit and listen to her talk for ages.
“Well, Val and I are roommates!” Lea smiled at me from the other side of the couch.
“And I’m friends with them. I live the floor below,” Mandy chimed in.
“I wish I had a roommate,” Monica laughed. “But she switched colleges after the first term.” Her gaze shifted to the poker table again. “I guess now I have Ashton to keep me company,” she joked and we all laughed. Cass was still sitting at the bar, her hand on the thigh of one of the boys sitting there. She was laughing, her body leaning into him.

“Cass talks about Luke a lot.” Monica mentioned when she saw my gaze and all I could think to do was shrug, despite the fact that I didn’t know that.
“They used to have a thing,” Lea told her, “She’s just angry that Luke broke it off.” Again, I felt somewhat better. I took in a deep breath and Lea whispered something to Mandy before standing up and heading to the bar. She returned with four cups, one for each of us. I wasn’t much in the mood to drink, but I felt so out of place that I lifted the cup to my lips anyways. As the liquid shot down my throat, I coughed, shaking my head.
“Oh my god, what is that? It’s horrible” I asked and Lea laughed.
“Everclear. Sorry, Val, I should’ve warned you. It’s really strong,” she told me and I couldn’t help but laugh and take another sip anyways. Maybe I needed to get my mind off of everything for a while, and being drunk was probably my best option to do so.
“Slow down on that!” Monica laughed. “You’re going to get wasted!”
“That’s the plan,” Mandy laughed, jabbing her elbow into me as I took another drink.

Lea got up and filled our cups again and the effects of the alcohol were beginning to take a toll on me. I felt warm and giddy, like nothing else mattered. Monica told us another joke and we were all laughing. Cass was nowhere to be seen (and neither was the guy she was talking to), and arguing emerged from the boys playing video games while the poker table laughed. Everything felt so simple, like it should be.
“Oh my god, I love this song!” Mandy exclaimed, downing her drink. “Let’s dance!” She begged, pulling Lea up by her hand and waiting for Monica and I to comply.
“I’m terrible at dancing,” I laughed, my voice coming out in a slur.
“I’ll help you!” Monica offered, pulling me up. “You just move your hips!” She pulled me to the section where girls were dancing and Mandy and Lea followed us. “See? Like this!” I couldn’t help but laugh as she set her hands on my hips and moved them for me. After a while, she let go and I kept up the pace, following along with the movements of my friends. Were they my friends? Surely they are, they wouldn’t stick up for me if they weren’t.

After a few songs, I felt exhausted and Monica grabbed my hand.
“Let’s go get some air,” she suggested and we left Mandy and Lea to dance on their own. When we got to the porch, I let out a breath of relief. The wind felt nice against my warm body. Monica lit up a cigarette, holding the box out to me. “Would you like one?” She asked, “They’re French.” I knew I shouldn’t, but I took one anyways and she lit it up for me before I took a long puff. I hadn’t had a cigarette since Sister Ellen caught me and Jenny in high school. I breathed out the smoke, closing my eyes and feeling my lungs contract with the tightness of a foreign substance. I couldn’t help but cough on my second puff, laughing as the smoke left my throat.

Monica threw her arm over my shoulder and took another drag of her cigarette. I did the same, at this point I was just finishing it so I didn’t waste it.
“Do you like Luke?” she asked, using my body to steady herself. If I wasn’t between her and a wall, I would have toppled over. When I didn’t answer, she laughed, setting her head on my shoulder. “You do!” She exclaimed and I blushed.
“Maybe a little,” I confessed. The alcohol in my system was making admit things I never would when I’m sober. “But we’re two completely different people,” I frowned. “I don’t see how it could ever work out,” she lifted her head to stare at me.
“When two people like each other enough, it will always work out.”

Notes