Adam had fallen into the drug trap, though none of them living with him had known that. They'd only found out after Adam had been murdered and an autopsy had been performed.
Shaking free from those memories, Luke watched Aafiq, who lived with Connor, try to break up the fight. Shaking his head, Luke was about to help, when Connor and Tim, who also lived there, joined in. They managed to separate the two fighters, pushing them away from each other.
"This is my fucking house, so get the fuck out!" Aafiq shouted.
"Yeah, get out," Connor also shouted, grabbing the arm of one of the fighters and dragging him towards the front door. Tim and Aafiq grabbed the other fighter and followed behind Connor.
Sitting on the sofa, the only thing Luke could do was shake his head again.
"What a bunch of idiots," Sarah muttered. "You always have to have one that tries to ruin the party because they drank too much."
Luke nodded. "Yeah. It's like they forget what the word no is, isn't it? Just carry on drinking, eventually puke up somewhere or have a fight." Standing, Luke bent down over Sarah and said, "I'm gonna grab another can. Do you want a top up?"
Sarah also stood, grabbing hold of Luke's hand. "I'll come with you."
Holding onto Sarah, Luke walked out of the living room, along the hallway, and into the kitchen at the back of the mid-terraced house. Pushing his way past the people, Luke noticed more than a few were already very drunk, leaning or slumped against walls or over furniture with a bleary-eyed look to them. Luke shook his head again. He didn't need to get drunk to have a good time, and booze wasn't the answer to having a good night out.
Passing four people sat against the wall, Luke paused, watching them pass a bong between them. One of them was busy eating custard creams, giggling inanely at something Luke clearly couldn't see. At least when they smoked a bit of pot, they didn't want to go out and fight people. They just wanted to sit down and eat because they had a bad case of the munchies.
Once they made it into the kitchen, Luke opened the fridge, searching for Sarah's bottle of wine. He eventually found it pushed at the back, and when he pulled it free, he stared at the contents. He didn't remember the bottle being quite this empty. Bending at the waist, Luke passed the bottle to Sarah, scanning the fridge. "I thought you had more than this?"
"Damn right I did! I bet you some bitch here's been drinking it. Teach me to bring my own," Sarah fumed. She snatched the bottle from him, lifting it up and staring at the liquid inside. "Are there any other bottles in there, Luke?"
Twisting back to face the fridge, Luke moved mouldy food and cans around it, but couldn't find another bottle in there. Twisting back towards Sarah, Luke shook his head. Grabbing a couple of cans, Luke slammed the fridge door shut and stood next to Sarah.
She slammed the bottle down on the counter and turned to face him. "Can't believe someone's nicked my fucking wine. It's not like there's no alcohol in the house, is it?" Sighing, Sarah unscrewed the cap and poured what little was left in the bottle into her glass. Pushing the bottle to one side, she leaned back on the counter, looking at Luke. "So, what are you doing for Christmas?"
Luke mirrored her action, taking a sip from his scan. "I'll probably spend it with Seb and Tom like I did last year."
"The two men you live with? They're partners, aren't they?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah. Been together for over three years now. Matt, who also lives with us, will be moving in with his boyfriend, Josh, after the exams. So, there'll just be the three of us living together."
"Doesn't it make you feel weird?" Sarah asked, frowning.
Luke returned her frown. "Feel weird? What you mean?"
"Living with two gay men. Have you ever seen them looking you up? Have they ever asked you for a threesome?" Turning, she leaned on her side against the counter. "I've heard all about gays. They don't give a shit who they fuck, do they? That's how AIDS started, isn't it?"
"I can't believe you just asked me that, Sarah. You of all people should know the history of HIV and AIDS. Your friend's gay, isn't she? Do you ask her about AIDS?"
Sarah's mouth dropped open. "Of course I don't ask, Luke. She's not like that. She's been with her girlfriend since the beginning of last year."
"So, it's just men then?"
"Just forget I said anything, please? I don't want to argue about this. I know it must be very hard for you, because you live with two gay men, and I don't have a problem with gays. I just don't want it in my face."
Luke gritted his teeth, his lips thinning. He wanted to correct Sarah and tell her he knew all about gays and what they did, but he chose not to. His past was that. Past. The less Sarah knew about it, the better. In fact, the less anybody knew about it, the better. The last thing Luke needed was people to find out what he'd had to do when he was living on the streets.
"So, won't you be seeing the foster parents this Christmas?" Sarah asked, sipping her wine and avoiding Luke's stare.
Sighing, Luke shook his head. "No. I haven't spoken to my foster parents since Matt and I ran away."
Sarah's eyes snapped to his. "You and Matt ran away?" Shit, he shouldn't have said anything. Now she was going to ask questions about it, and it was another subject he didn't want to discuss. "You ran away from home, Luke?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah. Our foster father wasn't great, so in the end, me and Matt left."
"What, did he hit you?"
Luke glanced around the kitchen, looking to see if anybody was paying attention to their conversation. When he noticed that everyone appeared occupied, he glanced back at Sarah, shaking his head. "No, he liked me, Sarah." That was all he was going to say on the matter.
Sarah gasped, her hand covering her open mouth. "He liked you, liked you?"
Luke nodded. "Yeah."
"Oh my God. Did he... Did he touch you?"
Luke sighed again, looking at the can he held in his hand. "No. When I told Matt what was happening, he slept in my room which pissed Frank off." Luke raised his eyes to Sarah. "It was Matt that Frank hit."
"Because he was in your room?"
Nodding, Luke answered, "Yeah."
"Why didn't you report it?"
"Who would believe me? I was just a foster kid. No one believes foster kids."
"So, you and Matt left? Where did you go?"
Luke rubbed his forehead, watching Sarah. "We lived on the streets, Sarah. Me and Matt, together."
Sarah opened and closed her mouth several times before asking, "What did you do?"
"I survived, Sarah." Putting the can down, Luke stepped away. "I'm not gonna talk about it. It's in the past now. Let's enjoy tonight, Sarah. We came here to have a good time."
"You did, didn't you?" Sarah whispered.
Luke frowned, barely hearing her. "Did what, sorry?"
Sarah glanced around the kitchen before looking back at Luke. "Sex. You had sex, didn't you?"
Luke's chest tightened, a fine sweat developing over his skin. He clenched his hand into a fist, his jaw hardening. He wasn't doing this. He wasn't going into the past. He did what he had to do, to survive, and he wasn't going to apologise for it, but he certainly wasn't going to discuss it either.
Luke decided to change the subject. "So, you're going to your parents this Christmas then?"
Sarah tilted her head at him. "Why won't you answer the question, Luke? I need to know."
"What do you need to know?"
"What if I have to get tested? What if I caught something from you? All those people were paying you for sex."
"You have no idea what you're talking about." Luke scoffed. He desperately needed to change the subject. "Just drop it please, Sarah. I don't wanna talk about my time on the streets."
"No! I'm not gonna drop it. I'm your girlfriend. You should be telling me shit like this. I shouldn't be finding out weeks after we've been together."
Luke shook his head. "You know what, Sarah? I'm leaving. I don't want to talk about it. It's in the past, let it go." Luke put his can down on
the counter, and pushing past Sarah, he walked out of the kitchen. He barely glanced at anyone as he walked down the hallway towards the front door. Stepping outside, he paused on the pavement, rubbing his hands over his face.
"How much did you charge, Luke? Fucking slut!"
Chapter Three
Closing his eyes, Luke dropped his head, pushing his hands into his jeans pocket. Why couldn't Sarah let it go? He'd walked away. Surely, she understood he didn't want to talk about it.
Turning around, Luke raised his head, opened his eyes and stared at Sarah. "What was that you just said?"
Sarah took a step back. "What did you do when you were on the streets, Luke?"
Luke shrugged. "Me and Matt survived. Sleeping in doorways and alleys. Begging for money so we could eat. Does it make you happy, Sarah? Knowing I had to beg for money so that I could eat? That people would walk past me and look at me like I was some stain. Like I was shit on their shoes." Taking a step closer towards Sarah, Luke continued. "I was just a kid, Sarah. I had nothing, and no one was willing to help me."
"What else did you do?" Sarah looked Luke up and down. "You're so fit. I bet you made a shit tonne of money." Shaking her head, Sarah glared at him. "You're nothing but a fucking slut."
"You're jumping to conclusions. Do you really think I want to talk about it? That I want to remember it? I told you I'm not talking about it." Luke slashed his hand through the air. He could feel his heart pumping rapidly in his chest, his blood pounding in his ears. His skin flushed with heat. "Look, we'll talk more in the morning once we've both sobered up."
"No, we fucking won't. It's over now, Luke. Fuck, I'm gonna have to go home, have a shower and scrub myself clean, and then I'll have to go to the clinic and get tested, won't I? Dirty motherfucker."
Luke swallowed, reaching a hand out towards Sarah. "Look, Sarah –"
"Stay the fuck away from me," Sarah took several steps back before turning and walking hurriedly away, pulling her phone free from her pocket.
Luke groaned. He knew exactly what Sarah would do now. Straight on the phone to friends telling them everything that had just happened.
He watched Sarah walk away until she turned at the end of the street, and then Luke also turned and walked home. He wasn't looking forward to Uni on Monday but she didn't know anything, and Luke wasn't going to say anything to change that.
❊❊❊
Luke woke up late Saturday morning. He blinked several times, clearing the sleep from his eyes. Once he could see clearly, he stared up at the ceiling, remembering the events from the night before. Sighing, Luke closed his eyes, breathing deeply for a few seconds as his heart started to pound in his chest. What had Sarah been doing while he'd slept? Who would she have been calling and what would she have said?
Sitting up, Luke reached for his phone and switched it on. After a few seconds, a long series of beeps emanated from it. Luke groaned. So, it had begun. She'd probably gone straight out telling all her friends that he was a rent boy and that he'd sold himself for sex. It was the truth, not that she knew it. She was only guessing and spreading rumours.
Staring at the phone, Luke bit his lip, wondering if he should reach over and open it. After a few more minutes of debating, he picked up his phone and opened it. Sure enough, his phone lit up as messages appeared. Facebook and Twitter went mad, alerts coming to him from everyone he knew. His phone buzzed again as emails came through. Dropping the phone on the bed next to him, Luke closed his eyes again, rubbing his face with his hands, and then grabbed his hair, pulling at it.
Exhaling hard, Luke picked up his phone and opened his text messages. Lots and lots of messages. He opened the first one from Neil, read the message, and quickly dropped the phone back on the bed.
'How much do you charge?' the message read.
When his phone rang, Luke jumped in surprise. Picking it up, he glanced at screen, noticing that the call was from Matt. Swiping the screen, Luke answered.
"What the fuck is going on?" Matt asked immediately.
"What do you mean?"
"What do you mean, what do I mean? I put the phone on this morning, and it lights up with messages asking me what I did on the streets with you. What the fuck have you been telling people?"
Luke groaned, closing his eyes, dropped his head to his chest. "I haven't said anything! All I told her was that we lived on the streets and that we begged until we found a place to live. She didn't believe me and immediately started asking whether I'd sold myself. It didn't matter what I told her, she believed I was a hooker and no sooner did we split up, then she was on the phone with all her mates. I never mentioned you, Matt. I wouldn't do that to you, not after everything we've been through."
There was silence on the phone for a few seconds, then Matt spoke. "No, you wouldn't, but I gotta tell you, Luke, the shit people are sending me, I don't know what to do."
"I'm so sorry, Matt. Just tell people that Sarah and me broke up and that she's spreading shit about me as a way to get back at me."
Matt grunted. "I've got to tell them something because Josh wants to go around there and beat every fucker up. His words, not mine."
"I'm really, really sorry, Matt. I thought she'd just mention me. I never thought she would bring you into it."
Luke heard Matt's sigh. "Well, I guess it just gives them someone else to have a go at, doesn't it? Both of us on the street at the same time. You don't have to be a genius to believe we were doing the same thing. That what Sarah's saying is true. She's a bitch, Luke. What the fuck did you see in her?"
"Look, she's hurt. That's why she's doing this."
"She's hurt? That doesn't give her the right to go around spreading that shit about us. We left the streets years ago, and we don't need her dragging all that shit back up."
Luke could hear Josh shouting in the background and winced. Josh had a temper and Luke wouldn't be surprised if he turned up at Uni and had a go at Sarah.
"Don't know what else to say. I don't know what to do about this, Matt. I woke up this morning, put the phone on, and it danced around the room, there was that many messages and emails and texts on it. I'm scared to open and read them. The only one so far was from Neil, and he was asking me how much I charged! I don't know what to do." Luke's voice broke on the last word, and he took in a shaky breath trying to calm himself. His eyes itched and his throat felt scratchy, as he tried to hold back tears that threatened.
Why would she do this to him? It wasn't like they'd seen each other that long. They'd barely seen each other over the summer break.
"... Help you."
Luke hadn't heard what Matt had been saying, too busy caught up in what Sarah was doing to him.
"Look, I've got to get going. I need to do some damage control," Luke muttered.
"Okay. But I'm coming over tonight, and we'll talk."
"I don't want the others to know, Matt. Please promise me you won't tell them."
Luke heard Matt's sigh. "Okay. I'll see you later."
Matt hung up, and Luke threw his phone on the bed next to him.
What was he going to do? And what else was being said about him?
Pushing the covers back, Luke swung his legs out of bed and sat on the edge. He picked up his phone and opened it, glancing through the messages. He winced at some of them asking how many times he'd let someone have sex with him, how many blowjobs he'd given, or how much he charged. Some even asked if he was still going, and if he was, how much for them to fuck him. But other messages said they didn't believe what Sarah was saying, and that they knew she was only saying it because they'd split up.
Luke didn't want to look at Facebook, Twitter or any of the other apps and he wasn't sure he wanted to open his emails either.
Putting his phone back on the bed, Luke stood and left his bedroom, slowly walking downstairs. In the kitchen, Luke put the kettle on, leaning against the counter as it boiled. He chewed his lip, his foot bouncing on the floor. Once he'd made his coffee, Luke went back to his bedroom
. He needed to clear his phone and accounts, a task he wasn't going to enjoy. He could easily imagine what people were saying about him. The Internet and social media made it too easy for certain individuals to create fake accounts and pick a victim to bully and harass.
Cyberbullying. That's was what people called it.
Luke switched his laptop on and changed while it powered up. By the time he had jeans and a jumper on, his laptop was ready to go. Checking his emails wasn't too bad, once he emptied out his social media folder without looking at it. The rest were the usual ones he received.
Closing it, he opened up Facebook and Twitter and grimaced. Shit. So many people had posted or shared Sarah's original post. Messenger was overflowing. Luke didn't want to look at Snapchat or WhatsApp.
Closing his eyes, Luke slumped back in his chair, opened them and stared at the laptop screen. Monday was gonna be shit. In fact, the next few weeks were gonna be shit. The only bright light was that they would be breaking up soon from Uni, and hopefully, everyone would forget about it.
Sighing, Luke leaned forward and started opening his social media accounts. He wasn't looking forward to going Uni on Monday.
Chapter Four
Krish Bashir took the pathway towards his parents' home. It was Sunday, and they always had a roast.
Walking in, Krish closed the door behind him, calling for his parents as he made his way to the living room. The house was full of noise; his brothers and sisters were all home.
Krish had three younger brothers and two younger sisters, and even though he loved them all, he was more than happy that he didn't live at home anymore. He was studying his master's degree and lived with two other students who he'd met at university.
Walking into the living room, Krish saw all his siblings and parents sat together. The room was crowded, which it always was when the whole family was together.
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