A/N: I'm so glad people are enjoying this story!! I've gotten over twice as many reviews on this story as my other 3 combined. Thanks so much to everyone who reads and leaves me reviews!! They make me smile so much! So please remember to R&R!!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, blah blah blah
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I was just sitting in my truck in my driveway, glancing between the steering wheel and my cell phone. I really didn't want to go through with this whole plan Jonathan had came up with. It's one thing if he's homophobic, but this. This is just another complete extreme. It would be so simple to just call Jonathan, give him a few choice words, go over and play a game of basketball with Luke, and actually do what I told Luke I wanted to: just be his best friend again.
But I knew I couldn't back out of the campaign. Jonathan, along with at least a dozen others, would never let me live it down. And I'd never hear the end of it from Luke, saying that I was scared the little gay kid was gonna beat me in the election. No. I couldn't back out. Period. Now my only option was to win. And my only way to be sure I won, was to follow Jonathan's orders.
So I turned the key in the ignition, shoving my cell phone back into my pocket as I backed out of the driveway. My mind wandered as I drove. I didn't have to think about the route to get to the Snyder's house. I'd been there to often to ever forget how to get there. Though I almost wished I had. Wished I had gotten lost and had to call Luke and cancel the game. But I didn't, and I pulled into the driveway, parking farther back and to the side to give us room to play, to see the blonde already warming up in the driveway, shooting the ball at the now rust-covered goalpost that stood in the same place it had the last time I saw it.
Luke smiled slightly as I got out of my truck and waved to him, shoving my keys into my pocket and walking up the driveway towards him, "Hey Kevin," he said, his voice sounding too casual, as though he were forcing it. I just nodded a recognition, not wanting my voice to give off the same tone as his.
After a moment, I clear my throat a bit, "So, ready to get beat?" I asked with a slight laugh, snatching the ball from his hands and dribbling towards the goal.
I heard him laugh behind me, then come up beside me and steal the ball, "You wish," he said simply, shooting the ball over head into the goal. So, maybe I had gotten a bit rusty as I hadn't played in a while.
About an hour later, we were sitting on the warm cement, our breaths coming in short gasps between laughs, any past awkwardness forgotten, "You're getting slow in your old age," Luke teased me, hitting me lightly on the shoulder.
I pushed him back, laughing as well, "I'm not. I just wanted to go easy on you."
He laughed harder, "You didn't!" he said, "You can't even dunk like you used to."
I gestured towards the old goalpost, "The rim is bent, it threw me off!" I said defensively, though we were both still grinning.
Luke just shook his head, "It's been bent since we got it. Remember? You were here helping us when me and my dad were trying to set it up and it fell and hit that old oak tree."
Waving my hand as though it proved nothing, I just leaned back on my elbows, stretching out on the concrete driveway as I tried to catch my breath. I glanced over at him, and he was staring out somewhere in the distance, but I didn't try to follow his gaze.
I just stared at him. Wondering how Jonathan could want me to try and manipulate him. Yeah, he's gay, and yeah, I did threaten to beat him up when I found out, but I was mad. I never really wanted to hurt him. I know I keep saying that he was my best friend, but he was. And is the election really worth this?
Somehow, I couldn't help but wonder if we'd be in this same position, and I'd be faced with the same problem, if I had reacted better at Raven Lake that day. If I had still been his friend, maybe I wouldn't have met Jonathan, and maybe Luke wouldn't have to run against me so he could be sure the film festival was still around next year.
He noticed me staring at him and looked over at me, "What is it?" he asked, watching me curiously.
Shaking my head, I let my gaze fall to the cement again, "Nothing," I said with a shrug, "Just thinking."
"About what?" Luke asked, turning to face me. I glanced up at him, then looked immediately back down again.
I gathered every reason I had to stay in the campaign, every reason I needed to follow Jonathan's plan, before I looked back up at him sat up, resting my arms on my knees which were pulled to my chest. I repeated in my head, Don't lie to him.
I knew it was close to impossible to not lie through this whole ordeal, but I was determined to try my best; he still wouldn't appreciate that I hadn't lied to him in the end, but I felt like I at least owed him that much, "About Raven Lake," I said simply.
He looked away from me, back out into the space he'd been staring in, now glaring at some tree in the distance, "One hell of a camping trip," he said sullenly, "So why suddenly thinking about that?"
I chewed my tongue, choosing my words carefully as I proceeded, "Just wondering about how things turned out," I said. He looked back at me, curious, and I continued, "I've always kind of wondered, what if I hadn't reacted how I did then? I mean, what- what if, I had given you a chance?" the last part was almost inaudible. Alright, I will brag a bit; I'm a damn good actor when I need to be. It felt like it was making me sick to my stomach at that moment, but he bought every word.
"What do you mean?" he asked, his tone sounding as though he dreaded hearing the answer. I had to hide a grim smile at his reaction; Jonathan at least would have been proud at how quickly this was going.
I closed my eyes and buried my face in the crook of my elbow, trying to choose my words carefully, so I didn't lie to him, but still implied what I needed to, "What if I had given you a chance? What if I hadn't completely freaked out when Jade said that you were in love with me?" I gave a humorless laugh, pulling my face from my arm to look at him. He looked almost scared of me at this point. I didn't blame him. Hell, I was scared of me by now, but I continued with probably the last line I'd speak before he tried to knock me out, "I even wondered the other night; If I had given you a chance that summer, would you have been there at the meeting with Noah, or would I have been the one with my arm around you?"
Ok, first off, I did not lie. I actually had wondered that. Admittedly, I had to keep myself from gagging a moment later, but I felt that part wasn't important for Luke to know. Second, I'll never forget that look on Luke's face. For as long as I live. Ever. The most odd array of sadness, hurt, surprise, anger and fear lit up his features like I'd never seen on his face before. Third, yeah, I know I went too far. I shouldn't have said that. Hell, I shouldn't have agreed to Jonathan's stupid plan at all. I will never forgive him for this. But, well, with so few weeks left to the election, I could hardly wait and try and ease into this whole stupid plan of his. Waiting a day wouldn't make it any easier.
He stared back at that stupid tree in the distance for a few long, agonizing minutes until his voice broke silence, "Leave," he said, his voice dead and emotionless. I looked back at him, and his face was just as expressionless.
"What?" I asked, looking at him in slight shock. Ok, I know he was probably annoyed at me for saying it, but come on! Some kind of emotion would be, well, not 'appreciated,' but helpful to the cause here! He was apparently in love with me, and now he's completely impartial on the subject? Ok, I'm trying to decide if that's good or bad. Good- he might not be in love with me anymore, and we can be best friends again like we used to…Except I just ruined it. Bad- Jonathan will kill me if I can't accomplish this the way he wants it done. Great. it's a lose-lose situation for me.
"You heard me," Luke replied, still not looking at me as he stood, scooping the basketball into his arm, "Just leave."
Whether because I didn't want to lose him as my friend, or because I couldn't lose him because of Jonathan's stupid plan, I'm not sure; but either way, I jumped up after him and grabbed his arm to stop him, "Come on, Luke, wait a sec-"
My voice broke off abruptly as he jerked his arm away from me, swinging around to glare at me, the kind of glare he'd always reserved for others, but never directed at me. Tears glistened in his eyes, threatening to fall, though I was sure they were more from anger than sadness, "Get the hell away from me," he said darkly, then turned and walked into the house, leaving me standing in the driveway, dumbfounded.
I didn't really know what to think. I just stared as the door slammed behind him. Well that ruined any chance of winning the election, as well as ever getting my best friend back. Again, lose-lose situation.
So I just shoved my hands deep into my pockets and made my way slowly back to my truck, off to tell Jonathan the wonderful news.
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A/N: So, what did you think? I hope it didn't seem like Luke overreacted too much. I didn't actually mean for it to end on such a sour note, but somehow, it did….Well, anyways, tell me what you think!! Just click that little button below and leave me a review!! I love them so much!!
