I'm really not happy about the fact your staying late with Hunter, you know how cosy he gets with you. I think it's best you come home with me. - Luke

Luke's text had been swirling round my mind since it pinged through my phone during last period, distracting me completely from Mrs Peters lesson about The Civil War.

History had never been my favourite subject, so why I picked it for A Level I will never know. But I do know, it is one big regret I have to suffer with three times a week when it bores me half to death. Once the bell rang, I jumped out of my seat scurrying to the door completely missing Mrs Peters instructions for this weeks homework. I had to find Hunter, and tell him I couldn't stay late. I needed to go home with Luke.

I'd nearly given up looking for Hunter when I finally found him in the car park at the front of the school. It was compacted with other kids, pushing and shoving through the crowds eager to leave for the day. A traffic jam was trailed up the road, each car beeping there horn repetitively wanting the one in front to move out of the way. It baffled me how this happened each day, you'd think the parents would wait at the bottom of the road but they never learn their lesson. They just do it again and again, five days a week, twice a day.

"I'm really sorry Hunter, some stuff has come up at home. I can help you with the homework tomorrow in form." I lied convincingly, I made up so many excuses now a days, it just seemed to come naturally to me.

I quickly scanned Hunters face; noticing that it remained emotionless indicating he had bought my lie. A gust of wind gently blew chocolate brown over my face, blocking my view. After I'd flattened my hair down, and rearranged it in it's correct place I glanced behind Hunter at Luke, he was standing against his car waiting for me. My body shifted uncomfortably, as I realised the whole time I'd been talking to Hunter he hadn't taken his eyes off us. Examining my body language, words and facial expressions.

"Don't worry about it Grace, it's fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Hunter wrapped his arms around me, engulfing me in a tight hug. I closed my eyes for a few moments, relishing the overwhelming feeling of safety.

As Hunter let me go and backed away from me, in the corner of my eye Luke's hands scrunched into tight fists by his sides. His eyes narrowed, his face seething with anger immediately making my skin crawl.

"Bye Hunter." I quickly ran towards Luke, hoping leaving Hunter abruptly would make him less mad at me.

"Can we go home now babe?" I whispered, hoping he wouldn't be furious at me for letting Hunter hug me.

I know I shouldn't hug other boys, but I couldn't help it when he hugged me.

Luke stayed silent as he walked round to the drivers side, he jumped in the car and slammed the door behind him; the loud bang making me wince. I hopped into the passenger seat, before I could put my seatbelt on Luke started the car, shoved it into first gear, and sped off down the road.

***

The entire journey to my house was filled with silence, neither of us said a single word to each other. It was the kind of silence that somehow screamed a thousand words. There are good forms of silence; the type where you embrace each other's presence and hold one another. It's easy, breath taking, simple. But then there's the bad form; the type when you can hear a loud ringing in your ears, leaving you confused, scared and anxious. This type of silence is deafening; goosebumps over take your body and your breath hitches over and over again, as you lose the ability to breathe.

I glanced towards Luke, his hand was turning a tomato red as his grasp got tighter and tighter on the steering wheel. His jaw was clenched, disappointment scrawled all over his face. He was disappointed in me; ashamed.

As we pulled into the drive in front of my house, my stomach fluttered with nausea at the empty sight. No-one was in, my parents cars were both gone, and so was Danny's, my older brother.

I gulped, realising Luke and I were completely alone.

Maybe if I acted normal, then things would be fine. Maybe, just maybe he'd let this slide just for once.

"What are the plans for tonight then? Shall we go get some food together? I'm really fancying Chinese-"

"Shut the fuck up Grace." Luke roared, "How many fucking times have I told you not to hug any boys, especially Hunter?"

I held my breath, not daring to make a sound. When Luke turned on me like this, he was unrecognisable; a stranger.

"Well?" Luke screamed in my face, my face remaining emotionless.

I couldn't let him see how frightened I am, not after how he laughed in my face last time.

"He hugged me, I'm so sorry Luke." I whispered, looking down into my lap as I picked at the skin around my finger nails. It's a nasty habit, something I do when I'm anxious.

"Sorry doesn't cut it Grace. You need to back the hell off Hunter-"

"He's my fucking best friend Luke, I've known him since I was a baby!" I provoked, there's no way in hell I'd stop spending time with Hunter. I've known him my entire life!

I began to fidget in my seat, noticing Luke edge closer towards me. His hand suddenly landed on my thigh with a loud slap, the stinging pain making my whole body jerk forward.

"You. Need. To. Listen. To. Me." He grabbed the skin on my thigh through my leggings, squeezing it all into his fist. I bit down on my lip, preventing myself from screaming.

"Please-please stop." I pleaded, choking on my words.

"You are going to stay the hell away from Hunter. Aren't you?" Luke barked into my ear, his voice making every inch of hair on my body stand up straight.

"Y-Y-Yes Luke. I'll stay away from him." I whispered, the pain was becoming unbearable as the skin on my leg began to throb.

"Look at me for fuck sake."

I stayed still, not wanting to see the eyes that fill my insides with terror. Luke grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling it violently from my skull forcing me to look at him.

"Promise me now, that you will stay well away from him unless I am there with you. That includes lessons, if you sit near him then you ask to move. Am I fucking clear Grace?"

"Y-Y-es. I-I-I promise." I croaked, my faced scrunched up from the pain that pulsated through my skull.

As I look into the bubbling pools of black, Luke's caring side had disintegrated. The boy I fell in love with when I was sixteen, is no longer sat beside me. It's as if something, or someone takes over his body and replaces him with an evil soul. All them years ago, when we first met I never would've thought he'd ever do anything like this, or anything to hurt me for that matter. He gets jealous, that's normal. I get jealous sometimes too, but I'd never purposely hurt him.

I think it's just because he cares so much, he doesn't want to lose me.

As the words of my promise sank in, Luke's deadly pupils slowly shrank, and a cosy circle of brown looked at me adoringly.

How can one moment ago, he make every bone in my body quiver in fear?

Yet now the sparkle in his eyes make me feel as if I am the most important person in the world?

"If you break that promise, I will know about it Grace." Luke warned, finally releasing his fist full of my skin, and ripping his hand out of my hair; taking a clump of brown along with it.

He jumped out of the car, and forced the door shut violently behind him. Leaving me sat in the passenger seat, out of nowhere tears began to escape there way down the side of my cheeks.

I had to stay away from Hunter from now on, I couldn't hurt Luke like this again.

***

"Gooood morning, you beautiful bunch of human beings!" I looked up from my homework to see Aby walking towards the table Liam, Olivia and I were sat at. We'd sat at this very table for the last three years, somehow we were lucky enough to all be in the same form together when we started sixth form, just like how we were all together in high school. Luke however was in a different form, which most mornings such as today, I was thankful for.

"Abs, you never replied to my text last night! What were you doing?" Olivia questioned, just as Aby sat down next to me.

"Well.. I may or may not have met up with Sam." As the words escaped her lips, I snapped my head up from the Chemistry paper I had been ploughing through in shock.

"You are fucking joking with us right?" Liam sneered towards her, his whole body tensed beside me.

This had to be some sort of joke, surely she wouldn't go see that asshole after what he done.

"Aby, are you being fucking serious?" Olivia spoke through her teeth, her face scrunched in pure disgust.

As Aby's face dropped in guilt, and the silence that remained around us; we had our answer, she definitely wasn't joking.

"I cannot fucking believe you Aby!" Liam shot up from his chair, slamming his fist down on the table. The entire room went eerily quiet, our whole form turning round in their seats to stare. "I put everything on the fucking line for you, I nearly got excluded for fuck sake. And for what? You to go running back to him as soon as he needs an easy fuck?"

"Liam!" I gasped, raising my eyebrows at him. He needed to calm down, if a teacher came in here and saw him like this, he would be getting excluded.

"Stay out of this Grace!" Liam turned round towards me, his face immediately filling with regret for snapping at me.

"Liam, it wasn't like that!" Aby swore, still staring down at the floor. Liam turned back round to face her, his face beginning to turn a bright red.

"Well, you slept with him again... didn't you?" Liam smirked, seeming overly confident that he was right about this.

There's no way she'd sleep with him, god Aby's stupid sometimes but not that stupid.

"He apologised, and one thing lead to another" Aby sighed, making our jaws drop in dismay.

"You really are oblivious Aby." I snap, "He apologises for sleeping with somebody else, and you just forgive him? Just like that?"

I'm not usually the type of person to shout, especially at my best friends. But today I had good reason too, all of us had picked the pieces up after Sam broke her heart. Olivia and I spent countless nights sleeping round hers, cuddling her to sleep just so she'd rest. After watching Aby cry for days Liam and Hunter decided they wanted Sam to suffer, inflict pain on him pain the same way he had with Aby, so the three of them had a fight. It was two on one, Sam didn't stand a chance at winning. He walked away with a broken nose, two black eyes and a few broken ribs. Liam and Hunter walked away unscathed. However the physical pain Sam experienced, would never compare to the hurricane he sent on Aby when he cheated on her with Tamara.

"Get out of my fucking sight Aby." Liam shouted, "Now!"

Aby's eyes widened as she stared at Liam apologetically. Everyone knows that once Liam is angry, there is no going back. It takes him at least a week to stop being angry at you, that's even if he forgives you. Liam took a step towards Aby, Olivia immediately stood in front of him pushing him backwards lightly by his chest. His body slumped, a slow smile began to form on his face as he stared at Olivia.

Liam had calmed down?

I stared at him, trying to figure out how this is humanly possible. He usually needs time; hours, days, weeks to calm down from something like this. But the blood that was bubbling violently in his veins a few moments ago, was now flowing peacefully towards his heart, enabling it to beat inside him.

Aby scrambled up from the chair, grabbing her bag from under the table and ran out of the room.

"Woah, watch out Abs." Hunter chuckled as Aby nudged her shoulder with his, as he entered the room.

Olivia, Liam and I stood staring at him with raised eyebrows. Typical Hunter, always coming in at the complete wrong time.

"What? What have I done now?" Hunter groaned, "Cause whatever it is you think I done, I didn't do it!"

"Sit down you ass, you haven't done anything." Liam sighed, rolling his eyes at him.

It took us ten minutes explaining the whole Aby situation to Hunter, leaving us with ten minutes left of form time. Luckily Hunter had sat next to Olivia, so I kept myself to myself during the remaining time we had left. I didn't want to go against Luke's word, but it was slightly difficult when Hunter was in most of my lessons and I have to spend twenty five minutes each morning with him.

"Your quiet today Grace?" Hunter's voice filled my stomach with whirls of anxiety, I wasn't supposed to speak to him. But how can I ignore him in front of all our friends?

"Erm.. Yeah, chemistry work." I replied, not even looking up towards him.

"Right.." Hunter trailed, just by the tone in his voice I could picture his facial expression in my mind. His eyebrows furrowed, and the little wrinkles appeared on his forehead that I had become all too accustomed with after many years of friendship.

I knew Hunter inside and out, I could read his feelings, or thoughts just by one glance of his face. Hunter has always joked with Olivia about how he has the ability to read me the exact same way, but I've spent so long hiding my feelings away from everyone; even my childhood best friend was unaware of how much of a mess I really am.

As each day went by, I tried to put myself back together again to become the old me. The person who Hunter was able to read, the girl who was always happy and full of life. But as soon as I got close, just when it was a stone throw away, Luke broke me all over again. The wounds inside me never healed, a constant cycle of them being ripped open over and over again.

A/N
I hope you liked this chapter! 😊 I spent a long time writing, and re-writing certain parts.

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