I sat stiffly in my desk chair, listening to Ashton as he sighed into his phone on the other end.

"My car's dead, babe. You know I'd come pick you up if I could." He said sweetly. I stayed silent. I used up the space of silent time by slowly running up and down the sleek side of my desk.

I sighed, "So is mine and you know that." I told him, which he already knew.

"Call a friend." He suggested. I could practically see him shrugging his shoulders, sitting one the blue couch that sat awkwardly to one side of his living room. Ashton lived with a close friend of his and I let the misplaced couch be since I'm sure they didn't care about it.

"How could I get back home?" I asked, lowering my voice as I looked around my room. The last thing I wanted was for my parents to catch me sneaking out to see a boy who graduated high school last year and it taking a gap year. Which kind of turns into the idea that he probably won't head off to a university.

"Cal can give you a ride, I'm sure of it." He told me. Calum has given me a ride home only once before and we know each other well enough that I'm sure he'll do it again. Even in the late hours of the night.

"I mean I can't stay there all night." I sighed. "When will he be home?" I questioned. Ashton fumbled around on the other line, pausing for a second before going back to my question.

"In a few hours. Before 7am." He answered.

I nodded once, "Okay."

"Just tell me when you're on your way," he said. I was able to hear him smiling through the words. The same lazily and beautiful smile I've grown to love. "And please be safe." He added.

"Okay." I repeated.

Our relationship was weird. I knew of him last year since he went to my school, he didn't have any sort of reputation besides the fact that he could master any sport, instrument, or really anything thrown at him. He was an average student, had a lot of opinions, and never exactly had the right people supporting him. He made it on his own and that's one hell of an accomplishment.

We weren't in love, at least I wasn't. He got out of a toxic relationship, one just like my parents, just a few months ago and he was still moving on from that. Not the actual girl, but more of the side affects from it. I'd never been in love and he had and he's told me something along the lines of 'I know what it feels like and it's starting to get there with you.'

I remember when we first truly became friends. I knew his face. Who could forget it? My friend had a party at her house and the amount of people started overflowing her backyard. I went inside for a soda and I literally bumped into Ashton who had a red cup in his hand. We did the whole awkward apology thing, then by the end of the conversation he took my can of soda and handed me his red cup full of bland tasting beer. That's also the story of the first and only time I've gotten drunk.

It was innocent really, that day. As it was for the rest of our friendship until a little while ago. I was at his house with a few friends and we were both sort of flirting with each other then one thing led to another and I was on his couch kissing him like there was no tomorrow. We took it from there, now we're at a 'I have no idea what we are but I like it' stage.

Now, I was stuck with a problem: how I was supposed to go down and see him. I called most of my friends and they were all asleep or wouldn't risk picking me up. There was really only one idea left I had, and it came to me while I was looking through the crack of my curtains to the window next door.

I groaned, getting up from my bed and heading towards my window. I yanked the curtains open and peered down at the light we had on below me that was probably the source for our high electricity bills. I unlocked my window and pushed it open extra careful.

"Luke," I whispered. I felt foolish, but what else could I do?

I stopped myself once I realized that whispering at Luke's window would get me nowhere. I looked around my room again, stopping at a cup full of pens on my desk.

I swiftly grabbed them, taking one out and tossing it at Luke's window. I was too afraid of throwing it too hard and waking someone up, but the more I thought about it the more I realized that was unlikely. I threw one more, a little harder this time and watched it bounce off the glass. I knew he was awake since he was always up late, as was I. Plus he had a light on from what I could see behind his blinds.

I waited impatiently for him to acknowledge that there was a girl in need just one house over. I had only been waiting maybe 30 seconds and threw yet another one. I became frustrated, but the feeling washed away when I saw his fingers pulling at the blinds then his tired eyes peeking through.

My hair blew from the breeze and I ignored the pieces obnoxiously flying in my face as he opened his window. I was surprised that he was even doing this because this was actually pretty weird of me. His window opened and he leaned on his hands on his window sill, his shoulders broadening as he did this.

"I need your help," I anxiously said.

He narrowed his eyes at me, not something I was expecting. He stood up and I could see his knuckles barely turning white as he gripped onto the wooden frame of his window and shut it.

I retaliated quickly, which was throwing the whole handful of pens at his window to make him come back out again. I knew Luke didn't know me and I'm pretty sure he didn't like me either because I was friends with Kennedy Cook and he was bitter about her not reacting to his giant love for her.

He lifted his window again, but I didn't react because now I was annoyed with him.

"Can I help you?" Dick. Maybe I woke him up and he was grumpy when he woke up, but now wasn't the time to give excuses. All I wanted to do was be at Ashton's house.

"Yes, actually. Please." I kindly said, taking my bottom lip between my teeth to keep myself from explaining too much.

"Depends on what is it." He replied. I went over his appearance, his messy hair and pale skin. Plus a lip ring that I'm sure Michael took him to get. He wasn't that muscular, but he wasn't the type of boy I could snap in half. He was sure as hell tall since I was and he had a few good inches over me.

"I need a ride somewhere," I said, keeping it short and sweet. He sighed at my words and I folded my arms across my body from the breeze.

"I wish I could help you out, but I'm grounded." He told me. I glared at him, quickly losing the expression in my face so there would be no reason to say no.

"I've seen you take your car out a thousand times after midnight. One more won't hurt." I leaned just a little bit further out of my window, trying to let him know that I wouldn't stop bothering him about this until he gave in.

"I'm actually locked in my house for a few weeks, maybe months. I really don't want to make it years." He raised his eyebrows at me, looking like he was ready to shut the window again and go to bed.

I dropped my head, letting my hair fall in my face. It was getting difficult and I knew that I had so many more days until I could see Ashton, but without a car and school coming up soon my time was limited. We both just kind of ached for each other at the moment.

I popped my head back up, erasing my emotion again. "Please, it's not that far. It's just down the road." I sighed. This was sort of a lie, because if it really was down the road I would just walk. It was about 7 or 8 miles away, right by our school.

He stopped, just giving me this look that I didn't exactly like. He spoke up after a few seconds, his eyes unintentionally looking me up and down. "I'm not taking you to like, a drug house or anything, right?" He asked, a sign of worry washing over his face.

I quickly shook my head, my eyes a little wide from the question he had just asked me. I never know he could be so blunt. "No." I answered. "I just need to get to a friend's." I told him, swallowing down the nervous feeling I had in my throat from actually having to ask him this in the first place.

"Who's this friend?" He asked me. I'm not sure why, it wasn't really any of his business, but just like everyone else he couldn't help but be a little nosy. Maybe he was hoping that it was Kennedy I wanted to see and he'd just get to stare at her tanned skin and big brown eyes for more than a second.

I balanced myself on my elbows, not even caring that my skin was digging in the window sill. I sighed, "You don't know him," I said, subconsciously pulling on my necklace that I always wore that literally had no meaning.

"I bet I do." He replied back, irking me. I could tell he was watching me twist the thin chain around my neck through my fingers. I always did it and apparently not to subtly.

"You don't." I gave him a fake smile, my head tilting to the right as I spoke. I was trying my best not to be rude. I had a habit of treating everyone like I've known them for years which kind of pushed aside the idea of first impressions and how I should probably be a lot more sympathetic.

Another breeze came through and I watched Luke tense up. The air had hit his bare shoulders and the same gust of air sent a shiver down my spine. It was the part of summer where it would get hot during the daytime and a lot cooler in the night.

He kept gripping onto the wood around his window, as if he didn't he was actually going to fall out of it. We were both on the second floor and I had no fear of falling. Mostly because I'm not dumb enough to actually fall out of my bedroom window.

"Fine." He simply said. I caught myself smiling at his answer and I made it vanish in just a second. He raised a finger at me and I decided then that I wanted to actually cut his finger off if he was going to make this into some kind of deal. "If I get caught I'm going to blame it all on you." This was fair enough, since we never will actually get caught. Our parents are all asleep and that means they won't being hearing a squeak from any wooden floor.

"We won't get caught." I told him, trying to stay quiet still.

He pulled back from my window and grabbed the frame from above his head and licked his lips once, "Just be by my front door in 5 minutes." I nodded my head at his command and I grabbed the handles on my window, smoothly pulling them shut as well as my curtains.

I looked down at my clothes, sweatpants a couple sizes too big that were actually my older brothers that somehow found their way into my laundry basket, and a thin tank top. I quickly peered around my room to find any type of shorts or heavier t-shirts that I could wear.

I ended up leaving my room in pair of denim shorts that weren't even mine and Ashton's t-shirt. I headed down my stairs, stopping by my fridge to snack on before I left, but as expected there wasn't anything.

I simply left my house through my front door, not even really caring about if anyone could hear me leaving. My mom was in her room on the other side of the house and my dad was sleeping in the basement. I left with only my phone in hand, figuring that anything else I needed I could get to Ashton's.

I seemed a bit dependent on him, if that's even the right word to use. I leaned on him for really everything. Whether my parents were fighting or something was going on with my brother or I was just in a shit mood in general, he was there. What's better is that he's there when I'm smiling and laughing too. It's a good mix.

As I was walking over to Luke I realized that this was an actual face to face conversation I was having with him. I mean, we just had one, but there wasn't a window keeping us apart this time. I headed towards him as he stood on his porch with his arms across his chest, an eyebrow raised at me.

"You like The Rolling Stones?" He asked me, gesturing to my shirt. I pulled it out and away from me.

I snickered, "No. Nicki Minaj's verse in 'Monster' is better than their whole discography." I replied, letting go of my shirt and letting it hang past my shorts.

He surprisingly laughed. He seemed like, well he was, one of those kids who knew everything and anything about music. I figured he was the "only old music is good music" type. Apparently not.

"I'm impressed that you decided not to fake that you actually knew their songs," he said, giving me a single nod. "Even though I have disagree a bit." Ah, there we go. That was sort of expected from him.

I kept quiet, not wanting to feel like I'm pestering him about taking me somewhere even though I was by practically forcing him out of his room that he was supposed to be locked in forever. Not forever, but you get it.

He awkwardly pointed over to his car, "Uh, we can go." He told me. I simply turned away from him and headed towards the small 4 door car from about 2008 he had. He unlocked the car as we both reached for the handles. It was obvious he cared about the sound of the doors closing, but it didn't matter to me.

"So where am I taking you?" He asked me, his hand hesitantly putting the keys into the ignition.

"You know that neighborhood literally right across from our school?" I questioned, but I'm more than sure he knew what I was talking about. Usually everyone went down there to hangout after school since there was a short trail leading to a huge field back there. He nodded at me and I continued. "That one. It's small so I'll just show you what house it is when we get there," I suggested.

He sighed, not in a bothered way, but more in the 'it's 1:30 in the morning and i'm driving this random girl around' type of way. Surprisingly, I've heard it more than you'd have thought. He started is car and got out as easily as he could from his driveway. It was a bit long and steep, but he sure knew how to get out of there fast.

He got there pretty quick, making some small talk in the car to avoid it being awkward. Or because he genuinely wanted to start up a conversation with me, but I'm sure it was idea number one.

As we pulled into Ashton's neighborhood, I felt a weight come off of my shoulders. Mostly because we hadn't been caught.

"I know Ashton," Luke quietly said as he pulled up to his house. I unbuckled my seat belt, giving him a confused look. I wasn't surprised that he knew him, I was just surprised that he knew that I was going to his house. "I'm not friends with him or anything, I just like his car." He laughed, making soft and short as I climbed out of the car.

"He's my best friend." I told him, not giving him much more information. I'm sure by the smile I was giving him he could figure that out.

"Alright, well, I'll see you around then, " he said, looking out ahead of him.

I put my hand on the top of his car, leaning in slightly so I could meet eyes with him, "Thanks for the ride." I shyly smiled.

"It's whatever." He shrugged, giving me a lazy smile in return. "Goodnight," he said.

"Goodnight," I repeated.

As I shut his door, my odd agitation with him seemed to fade away. Luke was still weird to me, I didn't quite know him. I'm sure I was just as weird to him.

"Maybe he's alright," I thought, walking up the steps to Ashton's home.

He opened the door, letting me in. He wrapped his arms around me immediately, embracing me tightly.

"He is alright."

-

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