Pretty Girls ⇼ Luke Hemmings

“I’m heading out soon. Are you sure you don’t want to come with?” Lea asked, clipping her hooped earrings into place.
“Luke is supposed to come over soon.” I smiled at her. As much as I wanted to go out to dinner with her and Michael, I also wanted to see Luke. He skipped class today and promised he’d come by tonight instead of going to the party at his frat. I haven’t seen him since yesterday afternoon, when he left me to go to work. Although it hasn’t been very long, I still missed him. Maybe it was because this is the longest we’ve gotten along and haven’t seen each other all the while. Or maybe it was because I didn’t sleep well and I was craving to be held.

“Okay. Well, if you need anything then text me. I won’t be back tonight. Is that okay?” Lea sat on the edge of my bed, where I was lying, and began buckling her heels.
“Don’t worry about it.” She gave me a small smile before standing up.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun!” She shot a wink my way and I laughed, calling out a goodbye to her before she shut the door. The still broken door that we put in a request to get fixed, and still hasn’t been. I hated that door for taking the sense of safety away. But I loved it for giving the access of entry to my friends—are they my friends?—and Luke. I loved that, at any second, someone could come in and end my boredom but I hated that it could be anyone, not just the people I hang out with. Maybe I should send in another request to remind them how urgent the situation is.

As I stared at the ceiling, I couldn’t help but wonder how I got like this. My whole life, I’ve been content with being alone. But now, after meeting Luke, I feel the need to be touched. Not just in a sexual way, but in a comforting way too. Since I’ve met him, I’ve wanted to be kissed and hugged and cuddled with. Or to just set my head on his chest while he runs his fingers down my spine. I rolled onto my side, checking my phone and feeling disappointed when there wasn’t a text from Luke. I had a couple from mom and dad, telling me to FaceTime them when I had the chance, but for some reason I didn’t care.

I only wanted to hear from Luke, and he still hadn’t texted me. Maybe he’s at work or doing some studying before he comes over. No, that’s ridiculous. Luke isn’t like me, he wouldn’t study on a Friday night, he had much better things to do. I wondered what he’s doing right now and why he hasn’t let me know when he’s coming over, but I tried to push the thought out of my head as I sat up in my bed and called mom.

She answered on the second ring with a smile.
“Valerie! Hello!” she chirped and dad appeared in the frame.
“How are you, sweetie?” He asked and I smiled. I suddenly didn’t feel so upset at my lack of communication with Luke anymore. I guess they made me feel less alone.
“I’m alright. I just got done studying for the night,” I told them and mom frowned.
“I hope you’re not planning on going out tonight.” Her tone was full of disapproval.
“Delia, the girl is in college now. She’s aloud to have a little fun,” dad came to my defense. “As long as she gets her work done,” he warned and I smiled.
“I’m not going out tonight,” I eased mom’s worries.

“Well, what’s new?” Dad changed the subject. I bit my lip, debating on whether I should tell them about Luke. I wanted to, but it still felt too early. Although Luke and I had been seeing each other since nearly the beginning of the semester, we only made it official the other night. “Is there something you’re not telling us?” Dad asked, seeing through my silence.
“What is it, Val?” Again, mom was worried. “Are you okay?”
“I’m better than okay,” I admitted with a smile. “I’ve been seeing someone,” I told them and mom’s face lit up. This time, dad’s filled with worry. He was never fond of either of his little girls being with boys.
“That’s wonderful, honey!” mom gushed and I smiled.

“When do we get to meet him?” It’s just like her to rush into things.
“I don’t know. It’s new, so I want to see how everything plays out.” I wasn’t sure if I was telling the truth or if I knew that they would disapprove of him the second they saw him. I didn’t want to hide my attraction to Luke, but I knew that everything would change the second he met my parents. They’ve always been too quick to judge people. And maybe I have been, too. At least, until I met Luke. Now, I feel open and ready to accept people’s appearance even if they aren’t like mine.

“What’s his name?” Mom asked and I heard the dog barking, followed by Gene yelling that she was there. I held in an eyeroll. Every time I had a second to talk to my parents, it was always interrupted by Gene or the mention of her. Even though she’s my sister and nothing would change that, I can’t forgive her for everything she put me through.
“Luke,” I told her, trying to force a smile. “He’s really nice.” Sometimes, that is, but they don’t have to know about his mean streak. Parker ran up to my parents, jumping onto the couch with them before looking at the phone mom was holding.

“Auntie Val!” Parker yelled and I smiled—a real one.
“Hi Parker! How are you?”
“I’m great! I won an award at school!” He yelled and I giggled.
“I heard! I’m so proud of you!” Before our conversation could continue, Parker got up and ran away, I’m assuming after the dog because Gene never let him get a dog despite how much he wanted one. Everytime he came over, he was always focused on the dog.

“Just remember the promise that you made to God,” dad said and my smile faltered before I forced it back on and held up my left hand to show him my purity ring.
“Of course.” I remained silent as Gene came to the phone and gave me a half-assed hello, to which I just smiled in return. “Is Uncle Paul still there?” I changed the subject, feeling uncomfortable talking about Luke in the presence of Gene. I knew she’d say something about the connection she and Drew had—that I’d never have something like that.
“He left this morning,” mom told me. “He got a new apartment and a nicely paying job at a warehouse,” she bragged about his successes and I felt a tinge in my heart. How can they speak so highly of him when he hurt me all those years ago? My eyes found my burn scar and I forced myself to look away.

“Laura Gene! Valerie has her very first boyfriend!” Mom yelled and I clenched my jaw. Why couldn’t she keep it to herself?
“Hope he treats you as well as Drew treats me.” I could hear the smirk in her voice and I rolled my eyes. I knew she’d do this.
“I have to go. I promised Luke I’d get dinner with him,” I lied. I didn’t know when Luke was planning to show up, I just didn’t want to talk to my family anymore. More specifically, Gene.
“Okay, goodbye Valerie. We love you very much,” mom gave me her signature smile and I returned it. “Maybe you and Luke can come home next weekend and we can have a family dinner!” she suggested.
“I love you guys, too. And I’ll think about it.” With that, I hung up. After getting off FaceTime, I checked my notifications. I felt obsessive, waiting for my boyfriend to text me.

I was a little bit angry that I hadn’t heard from him. This morning, he said he’d message me around 6 and it was now 7:15. Maybe he lost track of time. Or maybe he doesn’t want to see me, my subconscious told me and I pushed the thought out of my head before turning on my laptop. After scrolling through Netflix, I decided to watch an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit that I’m sure I’ve seen at least 5 times. About halfway through the episode, I began to doze off and let sleep take ahold of me. What’s the point of staying awake if Luke isn’t trying to contact me? I knew it was far too early to sleep, but I could use the extra hours.

I dreamt of Uncle Paul and Gene and all the other people that tormented me throughout my life. They were all there—all teaming up against me. The mean girls from my Catholic high school that made fun of my clothes, the boys from my church group that told everyone I was a prude, the people from my hometown who pretended to like me to get me to come hang out with them so they could humiliate me. And towards the end of the dream, I saw Luke. He didn’t participate in the torment that the others were inflicting, he just stood and watched as they hurt me over and over again.

Notes

I'm back and done with finals!
Expect regular updates again!
Sorry it took so long and sorry this is kind of a boring chapter.
Thanks for staying with me through my break from writing so I could focus on my college work!