Chapter 26: Experiment ~Bianca's POV~ "Do you know what it feels like to have the guy you love, turn your back on you?" I asked her. I dragged my suitcase back into my house, throwing it down on the living room floor. I can't believe I spent the last forty minutes of my life packing the cutest outfits for a weekend that didn't even happen. It's humiliating. "No, I haven't," Jamie said, "And I don't know why you called me. You have a lot of girl friends-" "I called you because you know Luke," I snapped back, "Whether you like it or not, you and I have been through this before." "You mean the time we almost released that photo of Millie to the whole school? That was not my finest moment," Jamie replied, standing uncomfortably in my living room. She dressed like a boy, with baggy shirt and jeans. I know her dad's the basketball coach, but why didn't she make an effort? "Can you at least call Oma?" she asked me, "She was with us-" "No," I insisted, walking up to Jamie so her dim little head would get it, "Oma is too righteous for this and all my friends think I'm staying at Luke's cabin this weekend." "Bianca, we aren't really friends," Jamie said, "You never talk to me at school." I glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was almost 3PM. My parents would be home in two hours and the fighting would begin. They've decided to get a divorce and it was getting ugly. I suppose I could just lock myself in my bedroom this weekend. Maybe even take a sick day on Monday so no one would ask me about it. Why did I call Jamie? "You're probably not used to hearing someone say no to you, huh?" Jamie asked me. Obviously not. She sighed. "I used to feel that way about him too. Like a normal day would become amazing if he told me he liked my outfit-" I snorted at that. Luke would never say that to her. Jamie ignored me, "And some days he'd forget I exist. Those weren't good days." "You don't know him like I do," I told her, a little patronizing but she deserved it. She was a naïve girl who idolized Luke. He came over to her house every week for dinner with her and her dad. She thought they had a bond. How cute. "Luke and I are a match," I informed her, "He and I... we're popular. We've dated other people and we've dated each other. I mean, look at us. We're the perfect image." Why has he changed his mind? We're cut from the same cloth, him and I. We're both shamelessly superficial, overly confident, sometimes aggressive and always good looking. He doesn't need to pretend like he's a better man when he's around me. I wasn't lying when I told Millie that he will grow tired of her. That's what he does. He finds a new plaything, plays... and then chucks it. "I'm sorry Bianca," Jamie said to me, "It hurts and it sucks. Luke doesn't belong to one girl and he never will. That's the problem with a boy like him. He's too handsome for his own good." He can't handle it. Unattractive people always say that jocks peak in high school. Luke throws that stereotype off. He's popular, life is easy for him and he's got a chance at getting into the NBA. I've been with him through it all. I can see myself sitting front row at one of his NBA games in the future. Now that he's gotten accepted to his dream school, that dream is a step closer. "That's OK, Jamie. Seeing you reminds me that things could always be worse." I didn't mean that as an insult. It was just the truth. Jamie was the type of girl who would secretly pine for Luke and stay trapped in the friend zone with 0 chance of getting him. Luke is experimenting right now. His thing with Millie is an experiment. He dated a model this summer. Now he decided to dip into the opposite end of the spectrum. He went for the shock factor. And I'm sure she's doing whatever he wants. She wears hair ties around her wrist. But he'll come back to what he knows best. "See you Jamie," I waved her off, already picking my phone up. I know why I called Jamie. I felt a bit lonely and embarrassed and I couldn't tell anyone else because it would hurt my image. No one should believe Bianca Rodriguez can be lonely. My DMs are permanently lit, and I have half the school on my phone. Well, the half that counts. That's why I called Jamie. As unfashionable as she is, we share one thing in common. A tie to Luke. But now I'm over it. Luke still hasn't realized that I've grown feelings. He just thinks I want to keep things light between us. I know he's been waiting for us to mature, so that when we date, we don't mess it up. I picked up my phone. Sometimes, all you have to do is forget what you feel and remember what you deserve. The person I was calling picked up. "Surprised to hear me?" I flirted on the phone, "Remember at the grotto last year, when we made a mistake and I told you it would never happen again?.... Yeah, well, how about we make another mistake?... You have a fancy car. Why don't you come pick me up and take me back to yours?" I smiled as I hung up. That was too easy. I didn't need to ask my friends if I could stay over. They'll ask me. Jamie left my house and it felt a bit too quiet. My confidence was rising and falling. I knew deep down that Luke and I were ideal together. But Luke has this unpredictable side. A side that does and says things I never expect - and I don't know how to deal with it. With so many guys falling over me, why is it the one I wanted may not want me? I was better than her in every way. I stared at myself in the mirror and wondered what part of me wasn't attractive enough. I put on a lot of make-up today: foundation, lip gloss, mascara. He hadn't said anything about that. She ruined it for me. But revenge is a familiar friend. I picked up my phone again. I had one more call to make. ** ~Millie's POV~ This was the end of our weekend in the forest. A momentary escape from reality, sheltered from judgement and change. Annika was in good spirits about her twisted ankle and Jake joined her with a wounded leg. They hobbled into the car they came here with and got ready for the journey home. Luke chucked our duffel bags in the back of his black jeep wrangler. While he did all the work, I checked that the air freshener was working. Yep. Working. "Let's talk when you get back," Mr Dawson told him, "You need to sign that LOI." I'm guessing that meant Letter of Intent. I had googled it after Luke told me about the Kentucky Wildcats. I wanted to learn more about the pressures of his basketball-shaped world. "I packed you some sandwiches for the road," Mrs Dawson said, handing him an orange cooler bag. His parents may be overbearing and overprotective, but they loved him. I think my mom does too, but she has an odd way of showing it. "Let's go Minnie," Luke tilted his head in the direction of the car, ignoring the sentimental moment, "You're DJ." ** If anyone thinks I'm afraid of dancing in a car, they are wrong. Luke was driving and I didn't care if he thought my dancing looked like jello shaking. He was meant to be focusing on the road anyway. Otherwise, I know a great driver who can take over. AKA me. "You want me to drop you off at home?" he asked, as the familiar streets started to come into view. I saw the horizon lined with gray pavements and plain detached houses. We were back. "Uh... yes please. Where are you going?" I asked, finishing the last of Mrs Dawson's delicious sandwiches. She'd put chicken, avocado, crispy lettuce and sauce between toasted bread. Some serious Masterchef moves. "Aren't you meant to be seeing your dad?" I chewed and swallowed, "You know, for the LOI thing?" "My dad and coach have been pushing me to sign ever since we received it," he sighed, turning the music down, "But there's one more person I want to speak to first." "Who?" I asked, curious to know who he'd say. Maybe me? His dad's opinion and his coach's opinion were big forces to reckon with. "Chris Hayes." ** If there was anyone who knew what Luke was going through, it was Christopher Hayes. They were both star athletes, desperate for their chance to make it. And competitors... Turned friends? I'd like to think that deep down I had a little something to do with that. Luke dropped my duffel bag at the entrance of my home. "Hi Mrs Ripley," he called out to my mom who was giving herself a pedicure on the dining room table. "Luke!" she exclaimed, throwing her bare foot off the table and fixing her hair. If only his parents would approve of me as quickly as mine did of him. She called out to him again, but he very gently and subtly closed the door on her. Luke and I stood at the threshold of my front door. His hands softly caressed my face and he kissed me. "I'll see you later, Minnie." "Will you let me know what you decide?" I asked him, touching his hand as it pulled back from around me. He was facing a big decision and I wished I could help. Luke is withdrawn when it comes to the future: his basketball games and the pressure of college. He keeps it all to himself. I wanted to share in the burden. He's always offered to take on mine. All my complaints, he finds them out and makes them go away. "I will," he promised. Maybe he was trying to open up. I didn't want him to leave. Luke was a comforting force. Standing there in his hoodie with his blue eyes vibrant from a weekend out in nature, I was struck by how much he calmed me. I knew the mystery blackmailer-turned-cat-killer was out there and probably plotting a new move. Bianca certainly was. And I was going to have to face my ex-boyfriend this week, at our mathlete competition. Julia would probably be there too. I guess Luke had his burdens and I had mine. So, all in all, this weekend was a break before a week full of events I didn't want to face. I would do anything to go back to sharing a shower with Luke.