LUKE.

I think today was the first time I'd actually leave home before my mum. I had woken up earlier than she on this Monday morning and was able to eat a proper breakfast, finishing up just as she walked down the stairs. After placing a kiss on her cheek, I proceeded to get ready for the day. I think it was because I was excited to see the other boys. We had bonded really well over the weekend and even though I had just seen them less than 24 hours ago, I was itching to be back on their presence.

Plus there was also the new black ring that adorned my lip.

As part of our bonding, the boys and I decided to either get tattoos or piercings together. My newly pierced lip was still sensitive and as I observed it from the bathroom mirror, I couldn't help but to smirk. I was feeling like me more than ever and I had the boys and Ari to thank for that.

"Bye mum!" I yelled down the hallway, slinging my backpack on one shoulder.

"Lucas?" I noticed her head peep out of her bedroom.

"Yea mum?"

"You're leaving already?" She was just as surprised as I was. I nodded my head in satisfaction.

"Yup! I'll see you later," I gave her a wave before descending the stairs.

I slipped my shoes on and walked out the front door towards my car that was parked on the driveway. Unlocking it, I climbed inside, immediately sticking the key into the ignition. As the engine roared and the speakers blasted Blink 182, I decided to stop by Starbucks with the extra time I had. Not for me, but I wanted to bring something for Ari. She's had a tough weekend that started with bad news about Brayson and with her working, I hadn't seen her since Saturday at breakfast.

I walked into Starbucks, the aroma of coffee beans and pumpkin wafting into my nose and suddenly I was hungry again-- typical, me. There was a long line of people of all sorts. From businessmen, kids from school to hipster university students, Starbucks was the central booming area for everyone who needed their caffeine fix.

As I strolled towards the line, my gaze fixated on the glass display case filled with yummy goodies, I accidentally bumped into someone, "oh my gosh! I'm an idiot! I'm so sorry ma'am!"

The paper cup in the woman's hand fell to the floor, its lid bursting open and the hot liquid to splatter in all directions. Items of all kinds plummeted onto the pseudo-wooden floor, crashing down with a variety of clicks and clacks. When I lifted my gaze, I met a pair of dark brown, almond shaped eyes that were hauntingly familiar to ones I knew so very well.

"Mrs. Quiroz?" I smiled at the small woman whose greying hair was in a bun at the top of her head. Still clad in scrubs, she bent down to begin collecting the things that had fallen out of her purse.

"Luke, hi how are you?" She grinned.

I dropped down to my knees to help her retrieve her things, "I'm alright. I'm sorry for bumping into you. The scones in the display case distracted me."

"Legitimate reason," Mrs. Quiroz laughed, as an employee began to wheel out a mop and bucket.

Using my large hands, I grabbed several of her things at once and handed them off to her. That's when I noticed it: pill bottles. It wasn't just a container of Tylenol; they were prescription medication. And it wasn't just one bottle; there were several. At least 7 different ones sprinkled around our feet. Mrs. Quiroz seemed to notice that I was gawking at the pills and swiped them off of the floor in a haste, stuffing them into her purse.

"I have to get going," she said, standing up. "I'm really tired from my shift at the hospital."

"Okay, I'll see you around Mrs. Quiroz," I waved.

"Come by the house again," she pulled me into a motherly hug, patting my back. "You're always welcome into my home; Ari really enjoys your company."

"I will, thank you," and with that, she pulled away and bid me a goodbye.

I watched as she left through the door and wondered about what I saw. It was normal to have a bottle of pills in a purse-- my own mum had aspirin with her at all times, but there was something off about the ones that Ari's mum had. I decided to shake the feeling away; it was none of my business and I'm sure I was just over thinking things.

After deciding on getting Ari a simple vanilla latte, I made my way to school, meeting up with the guys at their usual spot outside. When I approached them, they greeted me with smiles and brotherly pats on the backs.

"Ari is gonna flip," Calum chuckled, gesturing for my lip ring. I raised a brow and he added, "not like in a bad way. She's just gonna flip over the fact that we did this without telling her."

"It's a surprise, she'll be fine," Ashton justified confidently.

"If it's any consolation, I brought her Starbucks to buffer the blow," I brandished out the warm cup in my hand, earning approving nods from the guys.

"Lads, our favorite Asian is coming," Michael announced, giving a head nod towards the petite girl sauntering straight for us.

I felt my belly do a backflip the moment my eyes landed on Ari. Her long hair was in a ponytail at the top of her head and she looked pretty. Really pretty. I oddly grew nervous, not because Ari was about to discover the hole in my lip, but because it was her and she made my stomach do weird things.

"Holy. Shit!" Ari exclaimed, her eyes wide and her finger pointed at both Michael and I. "You two got piercings? Was this the secret tomfoolery you all wouldn't tell me about?!"

"Brotherhood bonding," Calum simply justified with a smile. "Dicks before chicks, you know."

"Don't you mean bros before hoes?" Ari suggested.

"Yea, but you're not a hoe, so..." Calum flashed a squinty-eyed grin towards Ari who just rolled her eyes with amusement.

"We look cute," Michael declared happily, as Ari gazed at his pierced eyebrow. She then turned to Ashton and Calum.

"I can't see your piercings. Do I even wanna know where they are?" She smirked, clearly insinuating the worse.

"Oh God no," Calum's face squished in disgust. "I got this," he held out his arm to reveal the bird tattoo with his sister's name below it.

"Hey, I like that," Ari complemented. "And you Ashton? I hope it's a tattoo of my face on your ass."

"Oh yea," Ashton mused, rolling his eyes with pursed lips. He showed his wrist to Ari, "I got this little thing."

"Very cute. I like it," Ari grinned, throwing a thumbs-up. She turned her head to gaze at me and I knew she was staring at my lip ring.

"Do you hate it?" I asked cautiously.

She shook her head, "not at all. I like it a lot. It looks hot."

A dimpled grin formed on my face and I felt my cheeks heat up. I knew I was blushing and I couldn't help it. Ari practically said I looked hot which made me want to jump for joy. My self-esteem was boosted tenfold, especially since it came from her because she was one of the prettiest girls ever.

"I got you this by the way," handing Ari the Starbucks cup in my hand. Her face lit up, taking the latte with a smile. She pulled onto my shirt, prompting me to step closer towards her. Ari hugged me tightly, burying her face into my chest. I wrapped both my arms around her, liking the way her body molded with mine. She and I fit so well together-- which scared me a little because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to feel this way about my best friend.

"You're the bestest," she mumbled.

"I try," I laughed, as she separated herself from me. "Wanna hang out or something after school? You were working all weekend."

"I know, I wanted to pick up an extra shift. I decided to buy my own dress for my 18th birthday. My mom is already spending so much on just the venue," Ari explained and my mind reverted back to the numerous amount of pill bottles I saw Mrs. Quiroz drop earlier. "Which reminds me," she added, slipping a hand into her bag and pulling out sheets of paper, "dance practice schedules."

We each took one and I looked it over. We had at least one or two practices every week till her birthday party.

"Whoa, we're learning four different routines?" Ashton looked surprised and scared.

"Yea, I know it's a lot but it's my sister," Ari shrugged. "She's the one who booked the studio and choreographer."

I chuckled to myself, thinking about how absolutely ridiculous we're going to look dancing the tango, swing, waltz and hip-hop. Besides jumping up and down at rock concerts, I had no idea how to bust a move. Suddenly, the morning bell had rung and we shuffled ourselves into the building. Before we separated ways, I nudged Ari in the elbow who was enjoying her latte.

"You didn't answer my question by the way. Do you wanna hang out after school? Grab frozen yogurt or something?" I asked her.

"I would Luke," she sighed, giving me a guilty look and I already knew this was going to be bad news. "But I already made plans."

"Oh, really? What are you doing?" I asked her. We had stopped in the middle of the hall before it forked off into two separate corridors.

"Just hanging out with this dude named Reese," she said. She was so nonchalant about it, taking a sip of her latte.

"Bail on him and hang with me instead," I pouted. I felt a little weird about this; why would she be spending time with some random guy instead of her bestest friend?

"Luke, you know I can't just bail out on someone. We can hang out on Wednesday when I have a day off. Or you can visit me at work tomorrow and I'll give you dessert for free," she negotiated but I wasn't down. "Reese and I made the plans over the weekend, so I can't cancel."

"Reese?" I narrowed in my eyebrows towards her. "Are you going on a date?"

"What? No. We're just friends. Why? Are you jealous?" She teased and my my face fell into smooth lines.

"No,"

"You sure?"

"Why would I be jealous? You're hanging out with a guy named Reese? Who names their child Reese unless you're Mister and Missus Witherspoon?" I expressed, scoffing at the idea that I, Luke Hemmings, was jealous that Ari was spending time with a dumb boy named Reese.

"Mmhmm," Ari smirked, clearly not convinced.

"Don't mmhmm me!" I mocked. "I just feel bad for you, that's all. I think you're gonna have a shit time with Reese."

"Stop saying his name like that," Ari shoved my shoulder. "And you don't know him; I could have a wonderful time with him."

"Where did you even find him?" I questioned, irritation coating my tone.

"He has class with my sister," she informed. Again, nonchalance in her voice. Does she not see how this is a bad idea?

"So he's a college guy? Oh Ari, Ari, Ari," I shook my head, sighing at the new information, "well we all know what that means m."

"And what's that, Lucus?" Ari raised a brow.

"He wants to get in your pants," I told her, matter-of-factly.

"That the mindset of all guys below the age of 50! But that doesn't mean we're gonna do the frick-frack!"

"He's in college! College guys are older, they're more promiscuous,"

"How would you know? You're not in college nor are you older," she pointed out, her voice becoming louder and more annoyed. "You're acting like a child right now. I'm gonna hang with Reese today whether you like it or not and nothing promiscuous is going to happen. When you decide to grow up, we can hang out."

"Yea, whatever," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. I turned curtly on my heel, stomping down the hallway and leaving Ari without a goodbye.

Me? Acting like a child? If anyone was acting like one, it's Ari. She's still seventeen. She's immature to think that an older, college boy is going to respect her. She'll find out what a dick he is and when that happens, Ari is going to realize I was right all along.

And she'll regret not spending time with me in the first place.

//

So a little drama between Ari and Luke. Luke is totes jealous that Ari going out with Reese but he doesn't know how to admit it. Also, some suspiciousness happening with Ari's mom that will continue in future chapters.

Hoped you all like this chapter! Thank you so much for reading this story & for voting! It makes me so happy! This story is past 10K reads and I'm ecstatic!! Thank you very much! <33