Chapter 38 | A traumatic event

Isabella:

It's like deja vu.

I wake up to the same sound of music blaring from next door. The same thump, thump shaking my walls.

This cannot be happening again. I think to myself, groaning allowed.

I raise my head from my desk, my neck cramping as I push my hair away from my face. God how had I fallen asleep?

The last thing I remember doing was my math homework which was I think about 5 hours ago now. I gaze up at my clock, squinting my eyes, trying to adjust to the darkness. Yup, five hours ago. It's currently midnight and the only source of light in my room in the moonlight peeking through a gap in the curtains.

Blindly searching for my phone in my desk drawer the dark, still half asleep, I power it on and then search for Lucas' number. The bright light is blinding and I wince until my eyes adjust to it.

I briskly thumb over the keypad and send Lucas a quick message, not caring about grammar or spelling mistakes; just blatantly telling him to shut the fuck up.

When the music doesn't die down and Lucas hasn't yet replied to my text and I shuffle to the window. His blinds and windows are now closed (for once), probably due to the immense cold thats arrived over the last few weeks.

I rub my eyes, willing myself to stay awake before slipping on my slippers and grabbing my blanket from my bed and wrapping it around myself like a cocoon.

Deciding that I won't be able to fall back asleep until the loud noise stops, I storm over to Lucas' house like I had done all those weeks prior. The cold envelopes me as I step outside and I wrap the blanket around me tighter.

As I stroll into the house, I'm immediately the stench of weed and I grimace. There aren't many people at this party. I think I see Dylan and Aidan passed out on the floor of the living room but in the darkness it's hard to tell.

"Oi, where's Lucas," I ask a random girl sprawled across the sofa whose cradling a red solo cup in one hand and a blunt in the other.

She looks around for a second, looking lost, until her eyes land on me.

"Where's Lucas?" I repeat getting irritated at this point.

"Upstairs," she tells me, her eyes bloodshot red. She begins to giggle. "Yeah he's upstairs."

"Okay thanks."

I storm up the stairs where plastic cups litter the steps and where a couple are sitting, making out. Once I reach the landing I push past a couple of people hoarding around infront of the bathroom and push the door open into Lucas' room.

"Luc-OHMYJOSEPHMARYJESUS."

Bleach. I need bleach.

What I'm met with is Lucas' bare ass. He's groaning and moaning as he pummels into a brunette who has her legs wrapped around his back moaning aswell. She is thoroughly enjoying this I conclude. I freeze, completely horrified not knowing what to do.

So I scream.

Like really loud.

In shock, Lucas tumbles off of the girl and onto the floor, giving me a lovely view of his front. I scream again and so does the girl as I smack a hand over my eyes and briskly turn around and blindly run out of the room and back into the landing.

I contemplate running into the bathroom and finding the bleach to douse myself in but before I get the chance to do so, Lucas comes hurdling out of his bedroom (with pants on).

"BELLA WHAT THE FUCK!" He screams, his bloodshot eyes wide in shock. "DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO KNOCK? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?" My mouth gapes open at his audacity. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO LOCK A BLOODY DOOR!" I shout back. "I JUST HAD TO WITNESS SEEING YOUR-OH GOD I'M THINKING OF IT AGAIN." I gag.

"SHUT UP. JUST SHUT UP. WHY ARE YOU HERE ANYWAYS JUST GO HOME."

"I CAN'T! YOUR BLOODY MUSIC IS TOO LOUD I CAN'T SLEEP!"

"SO YOU COULDN'T MESSAGE ME OR CALL ME LIKE A NORMAL PERSON?"

"I FUCKING DID LOOK!" I unlock my phone and find the text message chain between me and Lucas before turning my screen around to show him.

He groans, pushing his sweaty hair away from his forehead. "This is traumatising, very fucking traumatising."

"FOR ME! IT'S TRAUMATISING FOR ME! I JUST SAW YOUR-OHMYGOD."

"STOP THINKING OF IT! JUST GO HOME BELLY."

"END THE PARTY THEN!" I yell, narrowing my eyes. "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS THROW A PARTY A DAY BEORE SCHOOL!"

"I NEEDED A DISTRACTION and...erm a release."

"OKAY," I turn around and am about to begin trudging back down the stairs as I think about the double meaning behind his statement. "That's enough, I'm going to have to boil my eyeballs and my brain now because of you."

"Oh stop overreacting Belly." He rolls his eyes, reaching out to grab my wrist. "Look okay I'll end the party but please...stop thinking about it." He stops to analyse my face before letting out an annoyed groan.

"You're still thinking about it aren't you?"

"I can't get the image out of my brain," I grumble solemnly.

He makes an incoherent noise just as I shake my head. "What are you doing anyways Lucas? Didn't you just end it with Ivy?" I say exasperated.

He presses his lips into a thin line as I send him a look. "Getting on top of a new girl won't replace the old one."

"No it won't," he agrees. "But it stops the pain, for a short while anyways." He then crosses his arms across his chest. "Whatever, what I do is not any of your business," he adds getting all defensive. I definitely bruised his ego.

I roll my eyes. "No need to get triggered, I'm just giving you advice."

"Well your advice is unwanted, I'm not expecting you to understand anyways, you've never had a boyfriend you don't understand how much it hurts to get your heart broken."

That strikes a nerve. "I do understand actually." I tell him through clenched teeth. "And it hurts like a bitch."

He eyes me and for a second I think I see surprise flash through his irises. "Who hurt you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." I roll my eyes and turn back around before stomping down the stairs.

"Was it someone from England?"

I look over my shoulder at Lucas who is following me suit, his hair still disheveled, shirtless and wearing only a pair of sweats. He must be a little drunk still as he almost trips over himself on the stairs.

"No," I scoff, trudging even further down the steps. I push past the group of people crowding at the bottom of the staircase, no one even batting an eyelid at Lucas' half naked state - everyone is too high or wasted to notice.

"No?" He questions, his eyebrows furrowed.

"You heard me."

"Who is it?"

I push further through the crowd. "God why do you always ask so many questions?"

"Because I thought we are friends!" Lucas exclaims and I spin around to face him, almost bumping into his broad chest.

"Friends tell each other things Bella!" He shakes his head. "Since you've been back I've been trying to get closer to you but you're so fucking closed off."

This aggravates me further. "I don't owe it to you to tell you every single fucking detail of my life Lucas, I don't understand why you can't just fucking respect my privacy, it makes me not want to tell you anything when you try to pry."

"Sorry," he murmurs. "I know I can be annoying but it's just you were one of my closest friends and now it's like you're this complete different person, somebody that I barely know at all," he lets out a frustrated breath. "Also you confuse the fuck out of me sometimes."

At my quizzical expression he continues. "You do this thing where one day you're nice and friendly with me and then by the next, you act like I'm the last person on earth you want to see and I don't fucking understand why." He pauses and lets out another frustrated breath. "Like what happened in the kitchen yesterday compared to now -"

"What?" I swiftly interject and Lucas stares at me incredulously.

"What happened in the kitchen was just me feeling sorry for you Lucas, I wasn't going to be a bitch to you, you just got cheated on."

"Damn ok." He blows out a low whistle, attempting to mask the that is very evident on his face. "Well explain all the other times then."

"What other times?"

He shoots me a look. "For one, the day of the barbecue, that day in the car after we had detention, I mean you literally said you would be there for me if I wanted to talk to someone-"

"I was just being nice."

He narrows his eyes at me, inching closer. "I'm under the impression that you don't like me very much."

I jab a finger at him, walking backwards as he walks towards me. "Well you got that right didn't you."

My back bumps into the wall and as Lucas hovers over me, I place a hand on his chest and gently push to try and create some distance between us but it's no use, Lucas doesn't budge. Instead he cages me in, his two palms flat against the wall beside my head. Lucas leans his head down, his lips brushing my ear, eliciting a shiver to run down my spine. He is standing so close I can feel the warmth of his body radiating off of him. He smells slightly of weed and liquor - it's intoxicating and for some odd reason, in a good way. I can feel my heart hammering in my chest as he begins to speak, his voice barely above a whisper.

"For once can you just me honest with me?" He asks, his voice low and I take a sharp intake of breath. "Give me one proper reason why you don't like me and I promise I'll back off. It doesn't have to be about the avoidance, I just need one reason as why, ever since you've been back, you seem to be annoyed every time that I am around you."

I don't get to answer his lovely question.

"COPS! THE FUCKING COPS ARE HERE!" Someone screams and a moment later hurdles into the hallway bellowing at the top of their lungs. People begin to sober up in an instant and begin scrambling up from their seats and rushing out everywhere trying to find an exit.

"God dammit," Lucas growls, slamming his hands against the wall before standing back up to his full height and stepping backwards. He shoots me a pointed look before turning around to face the crowd.

"Everybody leave through the fucking backyard!"

━

AUTHORS NOTE:

The naked girl in Lucas' room: 🧍‍♀️

I kinda like this chapter, I think I did a good job w the dialogue hehehe, although Lucas' and Isabella's bickering is sort of repetitive 🤷‍♀️

ALSO OMGGAJDKALDM WE HAVE REACHED 15K READS THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! I LOVE YOU ALL <33