I don't see enough of this pairing so I decided to make a story about them. What would their ship name be? Cluke? Does that sound nice? Ah, oh well. This story takes place with them in high school. Luke is a Senior, Clare is a Junior. Luke and Jenna never kissed, nor liked each other. Also, Luke is very sweet in here. He doesn't have anything against Adam and he's actually okay with Adam and Becky dating. This is strictly a CLUKE story, but there will be other POV's and some mentions of Jonnor, Drianca, and Bhandallas.
This is a rated M story, because... well... you know. ;)
Alright, I think that's it.
-Read and review, please? :D
Chapter One: Don't You Cry, Pretty Blue Eyes
(CLARE)
"I can't believe he just broke up with you!" exclaimed Alli Bhandari as she walked down the halls with her best friend, Clare Edwards.
Clare sighed and shook her head, letting her curls fall in front of her face. She tossed her hair from her face and linked arms with her slightly shorter best friend. As the two walked to their locker, Clare laid her head against hers and let out yet another sigh.
Eli had broken up with her and for a terrible reason! He told her that he wasn't ready for another relationship because he still has feelings for Julia, his dead ex! When things were finally starting to go fine, he broke her heart.
The night was very memorable. It was a rainy night. Eli had called her around ten p.m., interrupting her sleep. She groggily answered her phone. He told her to come outside. It was urgent. From the sound of her voice, she could tell something was wrong. Worriedly, she pushed the covers off her body and quickly, but quietly, made her way down the steps. She grabbed her coat from the coat rack and made her way outside. Eli was standing there, his back facing her. She sighed and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around, with a sad face. Through the rain, Clare could tell he has cried. His eyes were red and puffy.
Clare stood there, wondering what was going on. Her heart was beating loudly against her chest and her hands began to sweat. She was afraid of what was going on through Eli's mind.
Neither of them spoke a word, though both had a million things running through their mind. They stared intensely into each other's eyes, wondering who would get the first word out. Eli took his girlfriend's hand and sighed heavily. Clare knew that sigh. It wasn't just an ordinary sigh. It was a sad, depressed sigh. Her heart began to pick up the pace and she could hear it pound through her ears.
"Clare, we need to talk," Eli finally said as his voice began to crack.
This was the moment Clare was dreading for. Somehow, she knew that this talk was inevitable. Lately, Eli has avoided her. He cut all of their talks and moments alone short. She always wanted to ask why, but was afraid that he'd just break it off with her. Now, that moment has come.
"W-What about?" Clare heard herself say.
"Look, I've done some thinking and I just... I can't do this anymore, Clare. You're such a wonderful girlfriend and I love you, but I'm not in love with you."
Clare's heart dropped and she could have sworn she felt it break. As Eli began to explain to her why, she felt his voice drown out. All she could her was the pounding of her aching heart. Tears filled her eyes and a lump formed in her throat. She closed her eyes and let the tears slide down her cheeks.
"...I just can't get over her, ya know? I know it's been years since she's passed, but she was my first love and it's hard to love somebody else. I tried, but I feel like I'm cheating on her," he cried, "But, c-can you just wait for me? I know that's too much to ask for, but I just need some time to get over Julia, then I'll be ready to resume our relationship."
Clare couldn't believe her ears. He was standing here, telling her to wait for him to get over Julia! How long would that take? That could be months, or maybe even years! Clare wasn't about to sit around and wait for her ex to get over his dead ex!
"I can't believe this," she said softly, "You're still in love with your dead ex! She's not coming back Eli! Sooner or later, you're going to become lonely and wished that you had me, but guess what? I won't be around! I'm not going to sit here and wait around for you to get over your damn ex! How stupid and desperate do you think I am? Goodbye Eli!"
Clare turned on her heels and walked into her house. She closed the door and shuddered, taking her coat off and hanging back on the rack. She walked over towards the window to peek and see if Eli was going to beg her for forgiveness and maybe take her back. But, she got the complete opposite. Eli was already off the porch and in his car, speeding off. She shook her head and cried, feeling stupid and humiliated.
"I can't believe he's still not over his dead freaking ex! You're so much prettier than her and you're all... alive and crap. What does she have that you don't?!" Alli said, huffing in annoyance.
"Apparently his heart," Clare mumbled.
She put in her combination and opened her locker. After grabbing a couple of her books, Clare closed her locker and started off down the hall.
"Hey, where are you going?" Alli called out, "Class doesn't start for another thirty minutes!"
"I'm going to the library! I need to finish my English assignment."
Alli nodded as Clare turned on her heels. Truthfully, Clare had finished her English homework when she had gotten home from school. She really wanted to go to the library to cry. That was the only place people rarely go. She could be alone and cry without being bothered.
As she made her way into the library, she made sure no one was watching. She went to the back of the library and began to cry. She began to shake uncontrollably as she cried. Clare felt so stupid! She actually thought she could change Eli's mind. She thought that she could be the one to take his mind off Julia. Sadly, she was wrong.
Clare heard some shuffling of the feet so, she hurriedly scrambled to her feet. Before she could leave, she bumped into an Ice Hound. Her breath hitched when her eyes locked on his.
(LUKE)
Luke's parents dropped he and his sister, Becky, off at school. As soon as they had gotten out of the car, Becky skipped off to be with Adam. Luke, however, went to find some of his Ice Hounds buddies.
As he walked into the school, they were all standing by the door. Owen walked over towards Luke and smacked him on the shoulder. He shook his shoulder slightly and gave him a small smile.
"A few of us are going into the library to have a drink. Want to come?"
If Luke would've said no, the guys would tease him and call him a wuss. So, giving in to the peer pressure, he said yes. They cheered as they all made their way to the library.
"Where are the drinks?" Luke finally asked.
"In my book bag," Dallas said, smirking.
"Cool."
The gang made their way to the library. As they walked to the back of the library, Luke heard crying then feet shuffling. As he got closer, a body bumped into him. When she looked up, he saw her pretty blue eyes. They were filled with tears. She mumbled a sorry and ran out of the library. Luke called out after her, but she was already gone. He sighed and wondered if he should go after her.
Though Luke and Clare didn't have the same social circle, he still knew things about her. When he'd go to the Torres' house to hang with Dallas, she would sometimes be there to see Adam, her best friend. Luke would always watch her from afar, admiring her beauty. He'd love when she laughed and act silly with Adam. As the days went on, he began to develop a crush on her, but he knew he couldn't ask her out because she was dating that Emo kid.
Seeing her today, in tears, made him wonder if the two of them had finally split up. He shrugged the thought off and turned to face his friends, who were all staring at him.
"What?" he asked curiously.
"What was all that about?" Owen asked.
"I-I just wanted to make sure she was okay, that's all," Luke stammered.
"Good, because you know she's dating that Emo kid, so she's off-limits," Owen said.
"Actually, they broke up," Dallas spoke, "I overheard her and Adam talking about it when she came over yesterday. He dumped her because he's still in love with his dead ex."
Luke felt sad for her. Such a beautiful, smart woman like her shouldn't be dumped. She was far too beautiful for that. If he was with her, he'd never break her heart. He felt that she deserved the world and he was going to be the one to give her that.
Luke dismissed himself from the guys and went to find Clare. He looked at the time on his watch and saw that he had fifteen minutes left until first hour had started. He was going to use those fifteen minutes to find Clare and talk to her. He hoped that he could stop her from crying and actually put a smile on her face before she went to class.
He spotted her walking out of the bathroom. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying. She carried her books in one hand and had some tissue in the other. Luke nervously gulped and made his way over towards her.
"Uh, hi Clare," he said nervously.
"Um, Luke, hi. Sorry about bumping into you earlier. I wasn't watching where I was going and-"
"It's okay. No need for an explanation. Care to talk about why you're crying?" he asked sweetly.
"I don't want to burden you with my problems. I'm fine."
"You're not fine, you're crying and I hate to see such a beautiful woman cry. Come on, let's find somewhere to talk," Luke said, grabbing her hand.
Luke may have looked brave on the outside, but in the inside he was nervous. Normally, he wasn't nervous about being around a girl, but Clare made him feel very nervous. With her hand intertwined in his, his heart began to thud against his chest. He bit his lip to prevent him from smiling like an idiot.
He dragged her to an empty classroom and looked around to make sure they weren't being watched. He let her go in first, then he went in after her, closing the door behind him.
(CLARE)
Never in her lifetime would she think that she would be alone, and in an empty classroom, with Luke Baker. They had different social circles, so they hardly crossed each other's path. The only time they had actually seen each other out of school was when they both were at the Torres' house. They would exchange a few words, but that was it. Clare admits, she thinks he's super cute, but why on earth would he want to talk to her and make sure that she was okay? He even called her beautiful and if she wasn't so sad, she would gush at his compliment.
"Now, want to tell me why you were crying?" he asked.
"Eli, my ex boyfriend," she said bitterly, "broke up with me because he's not over his dead ex. Then, he told me to give him some time to get over his dead ex. I actually loved him and I thought he felt the same, but I guess not."
Luke shook his head and he grabbed Clare by the hand. She felt her heart skip a beat as she looked into his eyes.
"Don't cry over his stupidity. You're far too beautiful to even deal with an asshole like that. If he doesn't want to be with you because of his ex, who's dead, then forget about him. You deserve someone who will treat you like a queen, someone who will never leave you," Luke said, calmly.
"Too bad I haven't come across one of those guys yet," she mumbled.
"What if you already have and just don't know it?"
Clare looked up at Luke and stared into his green eyes. She wasn't sure what came over herself, but her lips were latched on to Luke's. When he didn't quickly respond to the kiss, she broke away and gasped, covering her hand over her mouth. She felt embarrassed.
"I should go," she said quickly.
"No!" Luke called out.
Clare turned around and gave Luke a puzzled look. Before she could question him, he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to him. He cupped her face with his muscular hands and pressed his lips softly to hers. Clare instantly melted into the kiss as she closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Without breaking the kiss, Clare backed away and sat on a desk. She wrapped her legs around his waist to bring him closer. Clare slightly parted her mouth, giving him permission to let his tongue enter her mouth. His tongue darted in her mouth and their tongue began to explore each other's mouth for a few minutes.
Clare finally broke the kiss, leaving them both to pant. Luke pressed his forehead on Clare's and smiled at her before pecking her lips once more.
"That was interesting," Clare said, gushing, "We should-"
Clare was interrupted by the bell ringing. She hopped off the desk quickly and raked her fingers through her curls.
"I have to get to class," she said quickly, "Maybe we can, um, go out sometime?"
"Sure thing," Luke said pulling out his phone, "Quickly put your number in my phone so I can talk to you."
Clare grabbed Luke's phone and punched in her number. Smiling, she handed him his phone and ran out of the classroom.
(LUKE)
"Where did you disappear to?" Dallas asked, as soon as Luke made his way into his first hour.
"I was talking to Clare, making sure that she was okay," Luke said with a smile.
"And was talking all you two did?"
"Of course. Why would you even ask that?"
"Because with a smile like that, there's no way you two just did some talking," Dallas said, smirking.
Luke shook his head and took a seat at his desk. Ms. Oh walked into the classroom and the class began its session. Luke spaced off, thinking about Clare. That heat of the moment made him a little rowdy. He tried to get her off his mind so his little "problem" could go away, but he couldn't seem to get her off his mind. He kept thinking about her smile, her soft lips, and the way her tongue felt in his mouth. He groaned quietly. Dallas looked over at him to make sure he was okay. Luke nodded his head. Could class be over any quicker?
(ELI)
He noticed that Clare was a little happy when she came into first hour today. He wondered what, or who, had put that smile on her face. Eli knew that he told Clare that he needed time to get over Julia and he was hoping that she would put some thought into it and respect his decision. He was hoping that Clare would wait for him, which meant that she wouldn't find anyone else during that time. Seeing her looking giddy means that she has already found someone. He knew Clare all too well to know that giddy, gushing look.
Anger rose through Eli's body as he seen Clare take a seat next to Adam. The two began to converse and he wondered what the two of them were talking about. Since their desk is close to the teacher's desk, Eli decided to grab his pencil and walked to the teacher's desk so he could sharpen it while eavesdropping.
"...then we kissed! Adam, it was so amazing!" he heard her gush.
"Wow, I cannot believe St. Clare and St. Luke are messing around," Adam joked, "But what about Eli? Are you over him, already?"
"Ew, please don't call us that and you know that I'm not over him. I love Eli, but if he's not over Julia then I need to move on. I refuse to sit around and wait on him to get over Julia," she said, gritting the Julia part through her clench teeth.
"Someone is still a little acrimonious about the break up."
"Of course I am! He woke me out of my peaceful sleep to break up with me."
Eli sighed sadly and walked back to his seat. He sat down and placed his head on the desk. Clare has found someone else already? She was talking to Luke Baker? The guy on the Ice Hounds team? How could she mess with another jock? Didn't she learn her lesson after she was with K.C.? Jocks weren't faithful to one girl, because they had a lot of girls falling for them. Clare was setting herself up for yet another heartbreak. He had to tell her that Luke wasn't right for her, but how?
When the bell rang, Clare and Adam were the first ones to hop out of their seat and leave the classroom. Eli followed them at a respectable distance. As soon as Adam parted from Clare, Eli decided to make his move.
"Clare, can I talk to you for a second?" Eli asked.
Clare whipped her head around and stared wide-eyed at Eli. She shook her head and turned on her heels. He could tell that she didn't want to be bothered with him, but he needed to talk to her.
"Clare, please," he said, trying again, "I know you're upset with me, but I just need to talk to you. Please."
"What do you want, Eli?" she asked harshly.
"I-I need you to understand that just because we broke up, doesn't mean that you can go on and date a jock!"
Clare stood there flabbergasted. She shook her head furiously and let out an angry laugh.
"You can't tell me what to do, Eli! You have no right to tell me what to do! You broke up with me, remember? Who I date is my business! Not yours!"
Clare turned on her away from Eli and before she could take off. Eli grabbed her arm.
"Let go of me, Eli," she gritted through her teeth.
"No. I need to tell you that you're setting yourself up for another heartbreak. If you go out with Luke, all he will do is cheat on you. That's what those jocks do. They cheat and try to get any whore they talk to to open up their legs and you might be stupid enough to do the same!"
Clare smacked Eli's face which made him loosed his grip.
"Go to hell, Eli!" she screamed loud enough to make everyone in the halls stop and look at the two.
Clare turned away from Eli and stormed off, leaving him stunned. He held his hand to his stinging cheek, trying to figure out why the hell Clare had smacked him. He punched the nearest locker as hard as he could and stormed down the opposite hallway.
(CLARE)
School was finally over and Clare made sure she left without talking to anyone, including her friends. She hopped into her car and drove off. Now, she was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling when her phone went off. She looked over to see that she had a text from an unknown number. Grabbing her phone, she opened the text message to see who it was. Her face lit up and began to turn a dark shade of red.
Luke:Hey Clare! I heard what happened earlier and sorry that I didn't get to talk to you after school, I had a quick meeting to attend. Are you okay?
Clare: I'm fine. Eli is just a jerk! God, I hate him!
Clare kept her phone tightly in her hands, waiting for her phone to go back off. She began to question if she should talk to Luke about her ex. Maybe if they continued the conversation about Eli, he would become uninterested in her. She decided that when he replied back, she was going to switch the subject.
Luke: Hate is a strong word, Edwards. I think you just have a disdain for him. Anyways, what are you doing Saturday? I would love to take you out!
Clare squealed as she held the phone to her chest. She bit her lip and decided to wait a few minutes to reply back. She learned a few tricks about flirting with guys from Alli. One of those tricks just so happened to be that she shouldn't always respond so quickly to a text so quickly. It made her seem like she was desperately waiting for his reply, even though she was. She just couldn't let him know that.
Clare: I'm not doing anything Saturday! I would love to go out. Where would we go?
Luke: I was thinking that we could go to the movies and dinner. How does that sound?
Clare was smiling really hard! She couldn't wait to call Alli and let her know that she had a date with Luke Baker! Though she had put in her mind that all jocks were the same, she couldn't help but get a good vibe about Luke. He was extremely sweet and knew how to make her smile. If the date went well, she was going to give Luke a chance. With a personality like that, she couldn't let him slip away and she wasn't going to ruin any chances with him.
Clare: That sounds perfect, Luke! I have homework I have to do. I'll talk to you later?
Luke: Sure! I have homework I have to do, too. I'll text you later tonight. :)
Clare immediately dialed Alli's number, hoping that she wasn't too busy with her boyfriend, Dallas, to answer. Clare was very happy that Alli had finally gotten with Dallas, but she was annoyed that the two rarely hung out after school. Alli was always busy spending time with Dallas and when she wasn't with him, she was talking to him on the phone. When she wasn't talking to him on the phone, she was talking to Clare, or Jenna, about him. It was cute, but in an annoying way.
After the third ring, Alli decided to answer the phone with a giggle. Clare rolled her eyes in annoyance. She knew that Alli was with Dallas now.
"Clare, hi. What's up? I heard what happened between you and Eli. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Alli," Clare said with a happy sigh.
"I know that sigh from anywhere. Clare Edwards, who's the lucky boy?"
Clare laughed and bit her lip as she said his name, "Luke Baker."
"Oh my gosh, Clare! You're talking to Luke Baker? When on earth did this happen?"
"Today. We have a date on Saturday, which is why I called you. I need you and Jenna to come early Saturday to help me with my outfit, hair, and makeup. I want to look very sexy for our date," Clare gushed.
"Say no more! You know we'll help you. I'll tell Jenna once she get's home."
"Okay, now have fun with your boyfriend. Tell him I said hi, okay?"
"Okay, bye."
Clare hung up and smiled once again. She couldn't believe that she had agreed to go on a date with Luke. She grabbed her book bag and decided to start her homework. Halfway through it, she stopped because she couldn't get her mind of Luke. This was definitely a crush!
(LUKE)
After he had finished his homework, Becky had walked into the room. She sat on the bed and smiled at him. He admired his little sister. She was always so happy and full of energy. She always turned a negative situation into something positive.
"Word on the street is that you have a date with Clare Edwards," she said giddily.
"How'd you-"
"Adam told me. You know that she tells Adam just about everything that goes on. I admire their friendship. They're so cute. Anyways, where are you taking her?"
"Movies and dinner. Do you think she'll like that?"
"I'm sure she would. Oh, maybe you should bring her a gift along! Like some flowers or something."
"Yeah, that'll make her smile even more. First, I have to find out her favorite flowers without asking her."
"I can get Adam to ask her or maybe he already knows."
"Thanks Becks, you're the best."
Becky laughed and flipped her long hair from her shoulders. "I know. Good night, Luke."
"Good night, Becks."
Becky stood up from the bed and walked out, closing the door behind her. Luke laid on the bed and checked the time. It was going on ten o'clock. He had no clue that time had went by so fast. He grabbed his phone and decided to send Clare a good night text before he headed in the shower and went to bed.
Luke: Hey, Clare. I just wanted to tell you good night, beautiful. I hope you sleep well. I hope to see you in school tomorrow... with a smile on your face. Don't let that asshole ruin your day tomorrow. He doesn't even deserve to see you shed a tear for him.
He sent the text, feeling satisfied with the message. He hoped that the text would put a smile on her face. Seconds later, his phone vibrated and it was a text from Clare. He smiled, shaking his head at what she had sent.
Clare: Goodnight, Luke and don't you worry - I'm done crying over Eli. He's the last thing on my mind. Thank you for putting a smile on my face. You sure do know how to make a girl feel good. Sweet dreams. Try to dream about me. ;)
Luke already couldn't wait until Saturday. He was going to show Clare that all guys weren't jerks. He was going to make sure that Eli would never cross her mind, again. If he showed her that she deserves the best, she would fall for him in no time.
How'd you like the first chapter? Good? Bad? Let me know! The next update will be on Friday, taking place with their first date.
Review and let me know what you all think!