before the pain | luke (JATP)

XIII

When 7:40 am came around Wednesday morning, Mila did in no way expect the blue Audi 5000S car parked in front of her house, her smile that had been broken since the events of last night, was now in a big smile, seeing her friend in the car looking at her with an even greater smile. He stepped out to open the car for her.

"My savior," Reggie said looking at Mila, she giggled and shook her head. "Goodmorning Reg" She placed herself in the front seat, taking a deep breath, it's been 3 years since she last got driven to school. Reggie's car smelled of oatmeal, metal, and coffee, yet she liked it. Reggie placed himself beside her and started the car.

"How was your talk with your mom?" Reggie asked as he began driving, Mila sighed leaning back in the seat shaking her head. "Horrible... I'll try again when I'm ready" It took Reggie sometimes, before he realized Mila's mascara didn't sit right, that her eyes were a shaded pink and her curly hair was in a messy bun. He bit his lip wondering if he should ask her, yet decided to.

"You've cried?" He asked, trying to focus on her and the road at the same time, Mila's heart stopped, as she laughed nervously, she flipped down the front seat mirror and tried to fix her eyes. "Gosh... is it really that bad?" She asked, trying to laugh it off. Reggie sighed:

"What happened? Is it your mom?" He asked as he drove into a driveway Mila didn't know. She shook her head taking a deep breath, wondering if she should tell him what she saw the night before. The sound of Liam and Aera...

"Aera cheated on Oliver with Liam" Mila whispered, not knowing how to tell him otherwise. Reggie's eyes widened. "She what?" Mila nodded slowly, yet the whole conversation died out as Alex went into the car. "Goooooodmorning" Alex smirked, putting on his seatbelt.

"Yo, did you bring what I told you?" Reggie asked looking back at Alex before starting the car, Alex smiled. "Of course I did" Alex looked at Mila before giving her a present, it was wrapped in light blue wrapping paper with a silver ribbon. Mila looked at the present, almost weirded out. "What's this?"

"A little welcome to the friendship group present" Reggie chuckled as he began driving towards the school. "You didn't have to give me anything?" Mila raised an eyebrow. She wasn't used to getting presents.

"Just open it will ya?" Alex asked with a small chuckle, Mila bit her lip taking the present and opening it slowly, inside it was a small black box, she tilted her head feeling a weird feeling in her stomach, she didn't know why she was nervous but she was. She opened the box and inside was a gold necklace with the letter S. Mila looked more confused now than ever, which made the boys laugh.

"Sunset Curve, the s stands for our band name," Reggie told as he drove to the highway, Mila smiled at the small s necklace, as she took her hand to her cross. "I love it... thank you" She whispered before looking at them both.

"Okay back to the conversation, Aera screwed Liam?" Reggie said, ruining the moment with the necklace, yet making Mila laugh. Alex on the other hand was in shock. "SHE WHAT?!" Reggie gasped. "Dude you can't just yell when I'm driving!" Mila took to her seatbelt. "I miss my bike"

"No no... I'm a good driver now, tell the gossip!" Reggie began, Alex leaning forward wanting to know everything, so Mila did, she told them everything she saw the night before. The conversation she heard, the way they acted, and how she left Aera. When Mila had finished her resume, the car was parked in the school driveway.

"You really think so? ... I mean they could also hide something else?" Alex asked, knowing something Reggie and Mila didn't. Mila nodded. "Yes.. what else could it be?" They all stepped out of the car, yet as they did so, laughter has heard some cars away, there they stood: Aera, Daliah. Oliver and Liam, laughing beside Aera's car.

Mila felt her head get dizzy, her heart was beating a million beats per second, yet both Alex and Reggie noticed this and walked by each side of her with huge smiles. Mila suddenly didn't feel alone, she felt at home, she felt like she could tell them everything and they would listen ... she felt seen. As the three of them walked past Aera's car a quietness went over the group, Aera looked at Mila and then at Liam whose eyes were already glued to her.

"When did Mila begin hanging out with losers?" Liam asked, looking at Reggie and Alex as they had passed, Aera felt her heartbreak a little as her best friend walked past her without even looking in her direction.

"I guess since I wasn't good enough" Aera answered, Oliver putting a hand around Aera, which made her heart flutter... yet not like it used to. "Come on love, you two are best friends... she will get over all of this, besides you told me you just passed out" Aera looked at Liam, as Oliver spoke. Both of them knowing the secret, both of them knowing what happened.

Mila walked to locker 272 with Alex and Reggie right beside her. "We can't eat lunch today by the way," Alex said as Mila took out her social studies book. "Why not?" She asked, confused. "We have music, " Reggie asked, leaning up against the lockers, Mila made a fake frown, which made Alex ruffle her hair.

"You could join us, maybe take over Luke's bad singing" He laughed, yet this in no way made Mila feel better, she thought of Luke and tried not to smile. "I can't sing," Mila said and shrugged, the conversation was supposed to continue, yet the school bell rang, they said their goodbyes and all walked to class.

Mila spent the rest of the day alone, she didn't see the boys anywhere, nor did she see Aera. As the school bell rang, she sat outside, waiting for Reggie and Alex to come out from class. She sat with her notebook flipping her pen in her hand as she thought.

'Come on Elijah, you must have a deeper meaning than just because you love her' Mila thought as she sighed, she didn't know what to write as she needed a reason for Elijah trying to become human again.

'Love is stupid anyway, it takes you on this wild ride that you think you are ready for, only to leave you alone in the dark. In the end, maybe the easiest thing we can do for the person we love is to throw ourselves away. Relationships can start healthy, but bad feelings, bad history, or long-term ... Even worse, if your relationship is toxic, you will be more and more damaged by staying in it, or loving someone toxic.'

Her mind went all over the place as she tried to stay focused. Her mind went to the scent of honey, the perfect teeth smile and those brown eyes hidden behind glasses. The nicer he was to her, the harder he made it for her to stop worrying about him, the more she began thinking he might actually like her back... she worried she might not be able to let him go.

With these thoughts she looked up seeing Reggie and Alex walk towards the car with smiles, Mila looked down in her broken-down notebook and closed her eyes as her heartbeat went faster and faster. She thought of the night at the party, how Oliver's face turned from a smile to something that could kill. She thought of his secrets... how he just needed to talk to let her do what he wanted.

She bit her lip before promising herself, her thoughts would no longer belong to that honey scent, her heart would no longer belong to Oliver Young...