Chapter: 1
Rating: PG this chapter
Pairing: Luke/Noah
Summary: Luke is the high school outcast and Noah is the new boy who needs a friend.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the cheesy plot!
A/N: This is the second story for my Nuke bingo card from the
promptslove community. The prompt was "pretend".
He’d always known that people just pretended to understand him but they never really did.
His parents tried of course, and he loved them for it, but he knows it’s hard for them to understand their baby boy suddenly changing everything about himself, seemingly overnight.
When your happy, smiling little blond boy turns fifteen and one day dyes his hair inky black with purple streaks, it makes you wonder. And when his wardrobe changes from striped shirts and khaki pants to black jeans and old t-shirts with rock band logos and swear words on them it might scare you a little.
When he came home with a tattoo that has black stars trailing from behind his ear to all the way down over his shoulder blade and a piercing in his eyebrow, they think it might be time to call in professional help. And they don’t even know about the one in his nipple yet.
At seventeen he told the obnoxious therapist to go fuck himself and walked out, telling his parents that he’d kill himself if they ever tried to make him talk to a shrink again.
The look in his eyes must have told them that he was telling the truth and they never pushed it.
He didn’t drink or do drugs and he kept up his grade point average because he knew university was his ticket out of the piece of shit town that he lived in and because it pissed off all the golden boys and girls that he was smarter than most of them put together.
Friends? Something he used to have, but they didn’t have any idea how to deal with Luke’s big change either. Some tried. Casey and Maddie had been his best friends since grade school and they held on the longest. They were the first people he’d told when he figured out he was gay and they never blinked an eyelash.
But high school is like a world unto itself and when things went pear shaped for him, he pushed them away so that they wouldn’t get tarred and feathered with the same brush as he was. There was no room in the darkness for the captain of the football team and the head cheerleader.
He knew that most people assumed that his change in attitude was due to his inability to accept the fact that he was gay and they thought he must hate who he was to be so screwed up.
They didn’t know him at all and how hard he’d tried to go back and be normal. And they sure as the hell didn’t know about that horrible summer and the nightmare he’d lived through.
He’d never told anyone what had happened in the boathouse that bright sunny day when everything he’d been had been torn away and left in shreds all around him like his clothing.
He didn’t want their concern and he couldn’t deal with the pity that would have surrounded him.
So he pretended not to care…about anyone or anything. The only affection he showed was toward his younger siblings and his family couldn’t understand his almost militant vigilance over where they were or what they were doing but he didn’t care. As long as they were safe, it was all that mattered.
So here he was, six months before graduation and sitting alone as usual outside on a picnic bench in the quad. He ate his lunch and kept his headphones in so that no one would bother him-not that they would have anyway. He was thinking about how all he had to do was get through the next six months and he’d be out of there. He could do it.
Of course, that was when his world went to hell in a hand basket for a second time.
He happened to glance up as a slender figure came running around the corner, the strangers sneaker clad feet skidding in the light snow that had fallen the week before and he went down hard, tumbling over and slamming into the retaining wall that surrounded the eating area.
He almost snickered at how funny it looked until the guy tried to get up, looking around frantically as his leg collapsed painfully under him.
The guy was terrified of something and Luke knew he should just turn and leave, but the other boy’s eyes found his and all he could see was the plea that he was sure had been in his eyes on that terrifying day two years ago. Walking away was no longer an option.
Standing up, he pulled the headphones out of his ears and he could hear the boy whimpering. “Please…oh god…someone.”
Every time he tried to stand up, he’d cry out and his leg would send him crashing back to the ground. Luke walked toward him.
“Hey…hold on, dude, I’ll help you.” Luke was almost to him when the other boy cried out.
“No…don’t…they’ll get you too.”
Luke stopped and looked around just as more boys came around the corner.
Luke recognized them immediately. Both were seniors who were on the football team and they’d regularly tried to make his life a living hell when he was younger. It had ended one day when his older brother came to pick him up as school and had seen them corner Luke.
Aaron had scrambled out of the car and sent him back to it while he’d chatted with the two bullies. Luke never did find out what he’d said, but the two boys had been giving him a wide berth ever since.
“Get out of the way, Snyder. This isn’t your business.” The taller bully snarled at him, but kept his distance.
“What did the kid do, Perez? Fuck your whore of a sister?”
“Why you little faggot…” He was cut off by his friend leaning in and whispering in his ear. He backed up and looked at his friend and they both blanched.
“Whatever, I’ll just find some other geek to do my homework then.” He glared at the boy shivering on the ground and then gave him a nasty smile. “I’ll be seeing you around, Mayer.”
Both bullies turned and walked back around the corner and Luke watch them to make sure they were gone before turning back to the kid who was still shaking on the cold cement.
He looked up at Luke like he couldn’t believe what had happened. Luke reached out a hand to help the guy up, raising an eyebrow when the boy shrunk back out of reach.
Luke sighed and crouched down in front of him before speaking. “I’m Luke…Luke Snyder. I’m not gonna hurt you, dude. I just want to get you up off the cold ground, okay?”
The boy looked at him for a minute before nodding briefly. “I’m Noah Mayer.” His voice was soft…way too quiet and shy for Luke’s comfort. “I don’t think I can get up. My ankle hurts.” His pale skin and red eyes indicated just how much pain he must be in and Luke felt another wave of hatred for the bullies that had done this.
“I’m going to help you up and then we can get you to the nurse. You can lean on me, I promise. I won’t let you fall Noah.”
Noah looked at the ground for a moment before nodding and reaching out his hand. Luke stood and walked over carefully, not wanting to spook the boy any more than he already was.
Instead of taking the offered hand, he squatted down and slid an arm around Noah’s waist before pushing himself back up and taking Noah with him.
Noah cried out when he tried to straighten his leg and would have fallen, but Luke kept a good grip on him. Noah grabbed the front of Luke’s coat and hung on for dear life.
On his feet, he was actually a few inches taller than Luke, but he was so slim that Luke had no trouble holding him up and if he had to, he was betting he could pick him up and carry him.
However, as much as Luke didn’t give a shit what people thought, things would only get rougher for Noah if he was seen being carried through the halls like a damsel in distress.
“So, how about you sit here and wait while I go get the nurse and the wheelchair that she has in her office?” He tried to steer Noah toward the bench so he could sit, but was stopped by Noah gripping his wrist.
“No…please don’t leave me here. They might come back.” Luke shook his hand free and scrubbed it over his face as he growled in frustration.
The noise seemed to break something in Noah and he shrank away from Luke and tried to move toward the table. “I…i..It’s okay. You don’t need to get into more trouble for me.” His lips turned almost pure white as he put weight on his injured leg and tried to hobble away from Luke, but it didn’t stop him from trying.
Luke tightened his arm at the last second and pulled back carefully. “Don’t be stupid Noah; I was just trying to make it easier on you. I’d carry you if I didn’t think you’d get more shit for it from the idiots.”
Noah frowned. “You couldn’t carry me.”
Grinning widely, Luke bent and slid one arm behind Noah’s knees and lifted him into his arms. Startled, Noah quickly threw his arms around Luke’s neck and held on tight obviously afraid of being dropped.
He may have been a little shorter than Noah, but hours of hard work on his family’s farm had left Luke with strong arms and a muscled chest.
And Noah was unnaturally thin for someone his height. “Dude, you need to eat a burger or something.”
Noah blushed and looked down at the ground. “I’m not that skinny.”
Luke bounced him in his arms and grinned when Noah gripped him tighter. “Yeah, you really are.”
Luke started towards the school but stopped before he got to the door. “If we go in there like this, they’ll never leave you alone. I don’t really care what they think-I’m already the gay freak to them-but you’re new. You might still have a chance for normal if I just let you limp alone on your own in there.”
Noah shrugged. “I’m pretty sure my fate’s already been sealed.” He swallowed hard. “I don’t care if you don’t care.”
Luke smiled and took Noah at his word. Striding to the door, he waited for Noah to grab the handle and pull it open before catching it with his foot and pushing down the doorstop. Once he was sure it wouldn’t try closing on them, he angled them through and started toward the nurse’s office.
People stopped and gaped at them, but Luke ignored them. Noah just turned his face into Luke’s chest and held on and Luke tried to notice how good it felt.
“So, what did you do to piss of the lunk heads? I’m guessing I was wrong about the sleeping with the sister thing?” He was trying to distract Noah-and himself-from the people watching them.
“Yeah, you really couldn’t be much more wrong about that.” Luke decided to ignore the possibilities in that answer and waited for the rest of it.
“It’s my first day, you know. The teacher stood up in the beginning of physics class and introduced me to the class. She went on and on about how smart I was and how I’d already been accepted to MIT and stuff.”
Luke winced. He wondered how teachers who were in the school every fucking day had no idea how many times they made things so much harder for the kids in their classes. “And those two?”
“She also made a point of reaming them out in front of everyone and telling them if they didn’t get their grades up there would be no football for them for the rest of the season.”
“Let me guess. They decided that you should help them get their grades up whether you wanted to or not.” His arms were starting to get a little tired, but he just tightened them a little and kept walking.
“If by helping you mean do all their homework and basically be their bitch, then yes, that’s exactly it.” He spoke so quietly Luke wouldn’t have been able to hear him in the noise of the hall if he hadn’t been speaking almost directly into his ear.
“Fucking morons.” Luke hated people like that. The ones who thought they could just take what they wanted without repercussions. An idea hit Luke involving the school yearbook and some pictures he could whip up in Photoshop and he grinned to himself. That was something he’d work on after he got Noah fixed up.
They’d reached the nurses office and it was empty, but fortunately the door was open so he walked right in and set Noah carefully on the bed. It was hard to relinquish the warmth of having the boy in his arms but he knew it was for the best. He stood and stretched his back before turning and walking over to the phone.
Picking up the receiver he punched the page button. “Miss Watkins to the nurse’s office. Miss Watkins.” He slammed the receiver down when he was done; taking pleasure in the loud clunk that went out over the speakers before it cut out.
“You’re gonna get in trouble for that.” Noah’s soft voice cut through the silence.
Luke shrugged. “They aren’t gonna give me too much grief. I’ve got the highest grades in school and I’ve applications into the top five schools in the country with an almost guaranteed in to all of them. I look too good on their records…even if I don’t look good in the halls.”
As he turned to look out the door and down the hall, he heard Noah’s quiet voice once again. “I think you look good.”
Luke whipped around and looked at the other boy…finally taking stock of what was in front of him.
Noah wore a brown long-sleeved sweater with a white t-shirt underneath and faded jeans that were muddy and wet from his fall. The clothes were too big and too small at the same time. The sweater hung off him to the point that you could have almost fit two of him inside it.
The jeans were cinched at the waist with a belt to keep them from falling off, but they were a couple inches too short. His runners were old and worn and he could see at least one hole in the bottom of one of them.
He also noticed that now that Noah was sitting alone on the bed he was shivering so hard his teeth were chattering. With an impatient huff he stomped to the bed and grabbed the neatly folded blanket from the bottom. He shook it out and wrapped it around Noah’s shoulders before reaching down and gently pulling off his wet shoes and socks. He grabbed another blanket from the rack by the wall and put it over Noah’s lap, smoothing it carefully over his legs and feet.
“Jesus Christ, kid, what this hell is your mom thinking letting you wander around dressed like that in this weather?”
Noah just gaped at him as the irony of his words hit Luke and they both started to laugh.
Something in Luke’s chest seemed to untwist a little as he looked at the vulnerable boy in front of him and it scared the living shit out of him. He was just about to bolt when Noah’s voice found him once more.
“I don’t have a mom. Guess that’s the problem, huh? Just my uncle...”
Way to make assumptions, Snyder. “I’m sorry Noah. I didn’t mean-“
“Don’t about it. You didn’t know. And saving my life gets you a little leeway.” Noah was still shivering, despite the two blankets and Luke couldn’t stop himself from sitting down beside him and rubbing up and down his back. It was like trying to ignore a puppy.
“Where is that fucking nurse?” He was starting to get mad. Noah was obviously still in pain and someone needed to fix it.
“The fucking nurse is right here Mr. Snyder.” The voice from the door startled them both but Luke just smiled at her.
“Sorry Miss Watkins. You know I don’t have a lot of patience.”
“I’m well aware Mr. Snyder…I’m well aware.” She moved into the room and patted his shoulder before looking at Noah. “And who have we got here?”
“This is Noah, Miss Watkins. He took a little tumble outside and I think he hurt his ankle.” He reached down to pull the blanket up so that the nurse could see Noah’s leg.
“And is Noah incapable of speaking for himself?” She looked down at the two boys, a little smile curling one corner of her mouth.
“No ma’am. Luke’s just louder than me.”
Miss Watkins chuckled. “Yes, he is.” She reached down and lifted the leg of Noah’s jeans to look at his ankle and Luke saw Noah digging his fingernails into his palm in anticipation of the pain.
Without thinking, he took one hand in his and held it, letting Noah squeeze as the nurse poked and prodded at his leg.
When she was done, she straightened up and went to the small fridge that stood in on corner. She opened the freezer compartment and pulled out a cold pack. She took it to Noah and laid it over his ankle.
“It’s definitely sprained at the least. I don’t think anything’s broken but I’d like you to get some x-rays to make sure. Who can I call to come and take you to the hospital?”
Noah looked panicked for a moment before sighing and shaking his head. “No one. I’ll take a cab.”
Luke looked at him and saw the truth in his eyes. If he got into a cab, it wouldn’t be taking him to the hospital. “I’ll take him.”
“Luke no, you have classes this afternoon.” Noah looked desperately worried but Luke ignored it for a moment.
“It’s okay. I’m way ahead in everything anyway. It’ll be fine if Miss Watkins here will let the teachers know for us?” He looked at her hopefully and she didn’t disappoint him.
“Of course Luke. And thank you.” She turned walked over to the wheelchair that sat against the wall and brought it over to Noah. He looked at it like it was trying to ruin his life and Luke smiled at him.
“As much as I enjoyed carrying you through the halls, I think this might be better to get you out to the parking lot.” Noah looked like he was going to protest again, but after a second, he let Luke and the nurse help him into the chair.
“Actually, Luke, why don’t you run and bring your car up to the door and I’ll wheel Noah out to meet you.”
Luke looked at Noah and he waited until the boy nodded his agreement before wheeling and practically running from the room.
Noah watched him go before looking up at the nurse. She squeezed his shoulder and pushed him out the door. “Don’t worry Noah. You’re in good hands with Mr. Snyder there. He’s a better person than he knows.”