"Ugh... I have the worst headache ever..."

They were sitting in Katie's room.

"I doubt that!" Katie chuckled. "If you remember the one you had after New Year, you'll agree this one is nothing like that!"

Lucy considered.

"Okay, you're right. But this is killing me!"

"You're the one who insists on having beers and the like," Katie pointed out.

"Because it's fun... it's the hangover I hate..." Lucy grumbled.

Katie rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Your mother called while you were still asleep," she told her. "She doesn't know you were out, but she sounded suspicious."

"Ugh... she's breathing down my neck again!"

"She's worried about you. And you don't give her much reason to trust you, to be perfectly honest."

"Yeah, well if she would just give me my space..."

"Show her you earned it. Learn to compromise. You get to go to a party from time to time as long as you're reasonable and behave the rest of the time."

"Who are you, my Mom?" Lucy demanded.

"No, your friend. Look... I hate seeing you two fight..." Katie said. "It's hurting you as much as it is her. Don't try and deny it, I know you by heart. But you need to put a little effort into it, too. She can't be the only one."

Lucy huffed, looking out the window.

"I'm eighteen, I can make my own decisions."

"She's just trying to keep you from harm, like any mother would. My mother's exactly the same."

"She didn't ground you for a month because you'd come home late from a party!"

"You were drunk and had to be escorted home by the police!" Katie reminded. "Mum wouldn't have just grounded me, she would have turned me into a toad! Personally, I would prefer the grounding."

Lucy didn't seem to agree, but didn't say anything. She hopped off the bed and stood up.

"I am need of a shopping spree," she said.

"It's Sunday, everything will be closed," Katie reminded her.

Lucy's face fell.

"Oh... right. Then do you have any-"

"Ice cream? Yes, the pot's in the freezer. I'll get the film going."

Lucy grinned and left the room. It was tradition, when they couldn't go to the mall, for them to eat a tub of ice cream in front of a film. Usually the same romantic flick they'd seen dozens of times. And Lucy had admitted she enjoyed these moments as much as when they spent an entire afternoon in Angel Central. She soon came back, a large tub of chocolate ice cream and two spoons in her hand.

They sat on Katie's bed, tub of ice cream between them, and watched the characters struggle with their feelings and complicated lives. But the male lead, a tall, dark haired character, looked surprisingly like Luke to Katie.

Monday arrived, with the usual excitement that came with it. Katie found Lucy waiting for her, rubbing her gloved hands together.

"Morning, Lucy," Katie said as she reached her.

"Hey, Katie," Lucy smiled.

"How did it go with your mother, last night?"

"Oh, well... she had heard of the party, and had guessed I'd gone, so she was pretty mad that I'd lied... so she grounded me for a week."

"Sorry..." Katie said.

"She was even madder that I'd had you lie for me... I only just kept her from calling your parents."

Katie shuddered. If her parents had found out, they wouldn't have been happy. But it wasn't like she could have told them the truth anyway, because, honestly, they would never have let them go out if they'd known Mrs Benson was against it. The bell rang at that moment, so they went off to their class. Everyone was bustling around their table as usual, chatting with their neighbour. The teacher called for attention. Katie sat down and started pulling her things out of her bag.

"Morning everyone, I trust you all had a good weekend, but now let's turn to algebra..."

Katie heard a few groans, Lucy among them.

"Before we start, however, allow me to introduce our newest student."

Katie, who was bent over her textbook, hadn't looked up. Just then, Lucy elbowed her. At first, Katie thought it was unintentional and didn't pay much attention, but Lucy then nudged her again, more insistently.

"What?" Katie whispered, looking at Lucy.

Lucy just nodded towards the front of the room. Katie looked up, holding back a sigh. It was probably some cute guy she was already targeting... but when she saw who it really was, she froze. Tall, dark hair falling down the side of his face, dark eyes, a black jacket over a light blue shirt and jeans. There was no question, he looked handsome.

"... Luke?" Katie whispered, eyes wide.

His eyes scanned the room while Mrs. Jacobs explained that he had just transferred from a school in Oxford. Eventually, his gaze fell on Katie, and she was almost sure his eyes widened slightly. It appeared he hadn't expected to see her here either.

"So, I trust you will make Luke here feel welcome. Oh, there's a seat right there, why don't you go sit down and we can get started."

Luke nodded in thanks, his bag hanging loosely on his shoulder and he took the seat in the row next to Katie and Lucy. He pulled out a notebook and some pens, leaning back into the chair. Katie turned back to the front of the class. Lucy suddenly gave her a slight nudge with her foot. Katie looked up at her. What was it now?

He's looking right at you, she mouthed.

Katie frowned.

No he's not, she replied, rolling her eyes.

Lucy tilted her head slightly. Katie sighed and looked carefully towards Luke, who, sure enough, was looking at her. They stared at each other without a word.

"Mr Devon," came Mrs Jacobs's voice. "Perhaps you can tell us the answer?"

They all looked ahead. He glanced at the board, where an equation had been written.

"The answer's three over twenty," he said after a moment.

There was a surprised silence.

"That's correct," she admitted grudgingly. "Mr Devon, while there are admittedly more ladies than gentlemen in the room, I would rather you keep your attention directed to the lesson instead of your female classmates."

There were a few giggles at that. But Katie found it a bit unfair. Most of the girls were looking at him, most barely trying to go unnoticed.

"Yes, ma'am, sorry..." he said meekly.

The rest of the class went on, with the slight shift in the students's interest due to Luke's arrival. But Katie was sure Mrs Jacobs was just as relieved when the bell rang as the students were. Lucy had another class than Katie, so she walked away with a wave. Katie was about to head off to her own next class, when someone caught her arm lightly to stop her. She paused and turned, already having a hunch as to who it was going to be. And sure enough, it was...

"Luke," she said without thinking.

"Fancy seeing you here," he commented as he released her arm.

"The odds are slim, yes," she admitted. "So you just moved here from Oxford?"

"Yes. Now that we're older, my parents thought we should be closer to the action," Luke shrugged.

"Oxford's a good city, it has one of the best universities," Katie reminded.

"Yes, but we can still go there." Luke shrugged.

Katie wasn't sure what the logic there was. And unless she was hopeless at reading people, Luke didn't seem to get it either, but she didn't comment.

"So, you got home in one piece," he noted.

"As you can see."

"Good."

There was a silence.

"... I have to admit I wasn't expecting to ever see you again..." Katie said.

"No, neither did I," Luke said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "But it maybe means we weren't meant to just cross one another."

It reminded Katie of what Lucy had said after the party about fate.

"... Maybe," she conceded, though she wasn't sure if she really believed it or not.

They walked along the corridor, ignoring the curious glances they got as they went.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"... Go on, but I reserve the right not to answer it."

"Fair enough," Luke conceded. "You clearly weren't enjoying that club, the other night. Why were you there, if that's the case?"

Katie, a little surprised by the question, took a few moments to answer.

"I... Lucy loves those places, but she hates going alone."

"I see." Luke said.

"What about you?"

"It's actually almost the same thing." Luke told her. "My youngest sister wanted to go, but she's only fifteen, so my parents wanted me to go with her and keep an eye on her. Of course, I would have anyway, but still."

"Youngest? So you have more than one?"

"Yup. Selene, that's the party girl, and Raven, who's more reasonable."

Something about those names made Katie frown ever so slightly but she made no comment as they reached the classroom they were supposed to have their next class in.

"And you're the eldest?" Katie asked.

"I am," he nodded. "You have any siblings?" he inquired, leaning against the wall.

"Yes, Hurricane Hazel, she's twelve," she said.

"Ooh," he said, hissing sympathetically. "Selene was horrid at that age."

"Hey, my sister is fine, thank you very much!" Katie retorted with a smile. "And then there's Gideon, he's in university."

"Three as well, eh?"

Katie paused, unsure what to think about him pointing that out like that.

"Yeah... I guess so..."

They were ushered into class, just then, and didn't have a chance to discuss the topic any further.

**********************

Curiouser and curiouser, wouldn't you say?

If you enjoy this story, please feel free to vote and comment. It is also a 2015 Watty entry, so please share the love on twitter with #MyWattysChoice. Thanks so much!

What will Katie find out about Luke? Will he learn who she is? Let's find out!