before the pain | luke (JATP)

XXXIII

Monday morning, as Mila was picked up by the blue car, she felt rather strange. Maybe it was because her anxiety now was only butterflies or the fact that Reggie was about to lose his mind.

His parents had that Sunday night been screaming at each other so loud that Reggie had to sleep with music playing loudly, causing him not to sleep at all. His coffee was already empty and so surprisingly was hers as well.

"I swear, is it bad I want them to divorce?" Reggie asked as he drove to Alex's house, having told Mila the whole argument his parents had, yet Mila hadn't thought of much besides her lips that were tickling.

"No... I would too...but then again mine got divorced and now they live together" Mila sighed as she closed her eyes leaning back in the seat. It was no secret Mila was feeling more and more uncomfortable as the time went on, with her mother living in the house.

It wasn't that Mila disliked her mom, rather she disliked the idea of her parents together. She couldn't help but wonder if they were going to fall in love again.

The two of them didn't finish their sentences, as they simply stayed quiet, driving down the morning roads.

They parked in front of Alex's house, waiting for him. Mila took to her cross as she thought. "Reg?" She whispered, yet didn't get to finish ask him what she wanted, as Alex placed himself in the car, with two very dark eye bags.

"If I fail the history test today... I will cry.... and I mean it" Mila turned around looking horrified. "What do you mean test?" She asked blinking a million times as Alex widened his eyes.

"Mila the history test! It's today" Mila felt her whole body go numb and the butterflies turning back to normal anxiety. For some reason, she could not remember a single thing Luke had taught her that Saturday, her only thoughts now were about how cute he looked when he tried to understand the context of the book.

"I can wave goodbye to Hamilton, I can only wave goodbye now," Mila said as she leaned back in her seat, mentally waving goodbye, which caused Alex and Reggie to sigh.

"I'm sure you will do great Mila, just focus hard on the facts that you know and guess the rest," Reggie said, which caused Alex to look him dead in the eye.

"History is more than just guessing" This caused Mila to panic even more as Reggie began driving to the school. "But I am sure you will do great" Alex tried to say yet you could hear he didn't mean the words.

As they went over to locker 272, Mila didn't even notice there was hanging a note on her locker, as her thoughts were locked to the history book her dad had given her for her seventh birthday. Alex narrowed her eyes reading the small piece of paper.

basement, English class. It's important

"Uhhh who wanna meet with you?" Alex teased a little, making Mila look confused at him, until she noticed the paper. Her first thought was Luke, the basement was their thing, but she wasn't his handwriting, making her confused.

"I have no idea" Mila answered, as she took the note reading it over and over again. "English class? That's the first period?" Reggie said, almost hurt knowing he would be missing his Elizabeth Bennet for their reenactment of pride and prejudice, that they do only to annoy Miss Bone.

"I'll see you at lunch" Mila answered, closing her locker only to see Luke and Bobby walking towards them, Mila widened her eyes feeling the butterflies again before quickly turning around walking to the basement, without even a small wave to Luke.

He was on the other hand left surprised, his mind kept saying he fucked up, that he did everything wrong, that he ruined a perfectly good friendship.