"Your story is serotonin" - thank you @ellepicsid for this compliment in chapter 87!  Love it!

And @Sick_stuck_ for this fuun poster!! 

Chapter 88: Twilight zone

When I stole the little bottle of alcohol from my mom's cabinet this morning, I thought 'today's going to be a chill day.'

And the world laughed in my face.

Did the world laugh? No, it gargled some water and spat all over my face. That's how I feel right now. Like something someone sneezed on.

My knees hurt from skidding against the polished wood of my school's basketball court. My heart hurt from the conflicted emotions I was feeling right now. And my hands hurt trying to untie the rope that bound Kaden's hands behind his back.

No one was helping.

"Stop moving," I told him harshly, having no sympathy for this boy.

Kaden was squirming around on the floor, desperately trying to get out of his tied position. It was difficult to help when he kept jerking his hands. Kaden was in pain, having landed hard on his shoulder, still trapped to the chair. He tried to hide his head away from the guys taking pictures.

I felt sorry for him. This was definitely going to get around school faster than my iced coffee melts.

Why did Luke have to humiliate him like this?

Speaking of Luke Dawson, I looked up at the boy in front of me. My hot but incredibly stubborn boyfriend. He didn't lift a finger to help Kaden, but was watching me instead. Behind him, Austin, Chad and Cearra were standing like back up dancers.

I was so tired of everyone falling into place behind Luke. It's like people just accept he's the starring role in some invisible show. This boy gets away with everything.

"Did you really think this would give you answers?" I asked, trying not to raise my voice so his prying teammates on the stands couldn't hear.

Luke abused his role as Team Captain. He created an environment of fear. And that's my opinion.

People always forgive him because he's 'hot' and he's an 'athlete'. He's charismatic, sure, but he's a jack*ss. And I've called him that since day one. 

His confidence comes because of his power – because he knows he can get what he wants. I've never had that kind of power, and I'm not attracted to it either.

An overprotective, physical boyfriend is not something I glorify. I love Luke as a person, away from the hierarchy. Not as this...

Am I wrong?

Because I feel wrong.

Because Luke's doing this to take care of me. Because everyone else seems to be on his side. And because he's always stood by me. I honestly believe Luke would accept the darkest parts of me.

Can I accept his?

What a mental mess. My mind was swinging from the 'forgive him, he loves you and he's doing this for you' to 'stand up for what you stand for.'

I yanked my backpack off my shoulders, zipped it open and pulled out a pen. I tried to wedge the pen in a gap in the rope's knot to ease it out. That didn't work.

I kept pulling and hurt my finger trying to undo the rope. Why was I so useless? I couldn't even untie the damn rope!

"I can't..." I started, feeling the helplessness overwhelm me.

Austin broke away from the line and walked past Luke, brushing firmly against Luke's shoulder.

"Here," Austin said, coming round to my side and kneeling beside me to help.

I let go of the rope and sat back as Austin pressed a hand down on Kaden's shoulder to stop him from moving. He then clenched the rope tightly and pulled it apart.

I watched quietly as Austin did in one second what I failed to do in five minutes.

"Thank you," I said.

Kaden wheezed as his hands broke free and the chair rocked back, no longer tied to him. He pulled his hands forwards, rubbing his red wrists, and sitting up. He looked around, his face also red and his hair disheveled.

Kaden didn't say anything else. He just got to his feet, stumbled for a minute, and then ran towards the doors, banging against it as he tapped loudly to be let out.

"How is not a single teacher here?" I whispered, still on my knees as I watched Kaden's escape.

Austin, who was sitting beside me, stood up, "Coach has been letting Luke run practice this week to work on their team spirit. He thought they could do with less structure."

"Wait until gym class rolls in," I muttered, getting up.

"Millie, maybe you and Luke should talk outside," Austin suggested, looking between me and his best friend. Austin looked sadder than the two of us combined.

"OK. I can't stay here any longer anyway," I said, staring directly at Luke.

I was willing to talk. I wanted to find a solution to this, to understand what had gone through his mind. 

People fight in relationships, we learn in relationships... and hopefully we can grow. Right?

I leant down and grabbed my backpack, forgetting that the zipper was still open. I swung it over my shoulder and heard something fall to the ground with a clang.

Oh no.

I spun round to see what had fallen. The empty, mini bottle of whisky clattered against the floor...

For the whole basketball court to see. Oh. Snap.

I overheard someone say 'alcoholic' from the stands.

I changed plans. And not because that rhymed, but because I was mortified.

Forget this. Forget everything. It's not like I have a lot of self-confidence to begin with. After standing up to Luke today, throwing myself into the center of the Kaden Interrogation and now this... I needed to tap out. It was too much for me.

I didn't say bye. I just rotated on my heels and rushed towards the exit, my backpack bopping up and down on my shoulders.

But the walk felt so damn long, like a catwalk, where people on the stands were watching me go. I picked up the pace and started to trot. 

I needed to escape.

Thankfully, the doors opened for me and I found myself shoved back into the crowd in the boy's locker room. It wasn't a graceful exit, as I was swept from left to right, within a crowd that had become belligerent trying to get in.

The loud noise dulled my thoughts and I started to push my way in the opposite direction, feeling weaker by the minute. I didn't want to cry.

I was so tired of crying.

Where's Luke?

I half expected to hear his voice behind me and to feel him pushing everyone out of the way. Was he coming?

They were all strangers. Faces I didn't recognize and faces who didn't recognize me. When I finally left the locker room, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. 

The hallway was empty. It felt like half the school was crowded in the locker room, but in reality, it couldn't have been more than 40 people.

I turned around and looked back at the closed door of the locker room. I heard the sounds on the other side, but the door didn't swing open.

I expected it to fly open and for Luke to walk through.

Is Luke going to come? At the beginning, he would've.

Summer camp Luke would've raced through those doors.

"Luke?" I whispered, like he was a dolphin that could hear ultrasonic sound waves.

Nothing.

**

~Austin's POV~

Welcome to the twilight zone. 

Millie Ripley was everything to Luke. Her quirkiness lights up his day.

Heck, it lights up mine.

So what the hell is happening right now?

I picked up the whisky bottle that had dropped out of her bag, rolling the glass bottle in the palm of my hand. The others were judging so I wanted to keep it out of sight - to keep it out of mind.

Good whisky though. 

The girl has taste.

Before I could say anything to her, she bolted off, head staring down at her shoes. Despite what anyone else says, I know she's a good influence in Luke's life.

She crashed into his world and his world's started to bite back. The jealousy, the gossip, I don't blame her for wanting to run away. I've done the same.

Luke was standing near me when he saw his girlfriend go. He said, "Thanks for helping her." 

I was surprised he thanked me. Last time, he blamed me.

But Luke lives and he learns. If people think he's bad now, they didn't see him as a freshman.

Luke didn't wait for my response, because he was already walking after her.

At least the two love birds will talk it out away from everyone else. When they're alone, just the two of them, they always work through their problems.

"Luke," a girl tried to intersect his path, "Luke!"

He kept walking and she followed him, jogging to keep up with his fast walk. She had these funny bracelets that jangled, making her sound like a bell.

"That b*tch is trying to stop Luke!" Cearra's voice spoke up as she rushed past me, on her way to stop the walking bell.

Chad pulled her back, "Let them talk. She has something important to say."

"What's more important to Luke than Millie right now?" Cearra asked, spinning round to confront Chad, "Julia's a nutcase! And please don't tell me what to do, Chad."

"I won't," Chad said, unbothered by her anger, "Just remember why Luke did this whole thing. He show was to force answers out of the weasel on the chair or that girl over there."

Cearra raised an eyebrow.

The weasel may not have talked, but watching the public humiliation may have made Julia want to.

Suddenly, Luke stopped walking and turned to the girl. She must've said something that caught his attention. Her expression was frazzled as she started speaking very fast and raising her hands in all kinds of gestures. Luke was standing still in contrast.

We were all watching this unfold and Cearra admitted to Chad, "I guess you're actually making sense."

"Why does everyone find that so hard to believe?" Chad replied.

I was not going to answer that.

"Austin?" Chad asked me, looking for some back up.

I bent down to tie my shoelace and avoid the question.

"Should I go after Millie then?" Cearra asked, "Luke doesn't look like he's going anytime soon."

I looked up from tying my laces and saw her foot tapping against the floor in nervousness.

"What's wrong with Millie?" Chad asked, "I thought she was just heading to class."

Cearra raised her hands in the air, "For a second there, Chad, I almost thought you were a genius."

"This attitude..." Chad replied, "Two months ago you were too nervous to speak around us. Those were good times."

Cearra huffed, but she didn't argue, "Millie's not happy with how Luke handled this situation."

"Why not? He did a great job with Kaden," Chad replied, "I mean, he could've done more, sure. He could've beat the guy up, but Luke's gone soft now. We all know that."

Chad bringing that new perspective.

Luke was listening intently to whatever this Julia was saying. She must be spilling something big to keep his attention for this long.

Luke has a hard-to-read expression. People never ask how he's doing. They think he's tough and the kind of guy who has nothing to complain about. They're wrong.

I think he's breaking.

Cearra came to stand beside me and watch him. After a few seconds, I noticed her start to bite her nails out of nervousness. It was cute. She was worried for her friend.

"Why did Millie have to do that in public?" Cearra gasped, unable to keep it in, "Luke was doing this for her. Couldn't she just accept that? He was being a hero."

"Isn't that Millie though?" I asked, wondering what Cearra was seeing differently. "This is exactly what she would do. Millie struck me as a quiet girl at first, but Luke seems to bring out the loud in her. In the beginning, everything he did annoyed her."

That's why I liked her. She was goofy, innocent and she didn't take Luke's sh*t. What I didn't expect to see over time though, was a sadness and a loneliness inside her that I connected with.

She was also insanely good at math.

I get why Millie interrupted him. It's like that time she threw herself into the middle of our fight outside the surfside shack – when she was meant to be in the getaway car.

She's passionate. And if she wants something to stop, she'll get involved and stop it herself. 

"What do you think, Austin?" Cearra asked me, "You can't blame Luke for hurting someone who hurt the girl he loves. But if someone you loved violently tries to hurt the guy who hurt you, would you stop them?"

Was that a riddle?

I won't even try to understand her question. Cearra was already thinking three levels above me.

I didn't want to think about this or comment about them. They deserve us all taking a step back to let them breathe.

Luke is my brother. I won't turn my back on him.

Cearra sighed, reaching her own conclusion, "Luke needs a ride or die."

VOTE for how many chapters of PNM are left and if you think there should be a third book! Poll is on my Instagram (@natalieinacorner)! Next chapter will be intense! 

I'll also be hanging out in the comment section to hear your theories about what Julia told Luke :)

And before you leave, please vote!  Only 1 out of 11 readers did in the last chapter!

Thank you and see ya next Thursday! <3