The Pull of Destiny (59 page)

Celsi’s
Point of View

I really wasn’t
in the best state of mind to set out and meet Luke at the Empire State
Building. My lip was still slightly swollen and the bruises were still
painfully vicious looking. I didn’t want to cover up with makeup because I was
scared it would slow the healing process, so I just went au naturel and hoped
to goodness that nobody would notice.

Aunt Kelly
wasn’t home so I wrote a note.

‘Hey auntie,
gone to Robyn’s to pick up homework. Be back soon. Celsi.’

I used a magnet
to stick it onto our old fridge, my stomach twisting with guilt at the lie I
told her. But it was for the best, in more ways than one. Aunt Kelly still
wasn’t sold on Luke, even though I’d forgiven him for everything that had
happened. All she would tell me was, “Be careful around that boy,” and I knew
what that meant. She didn’t trust him. And I definitely didn’t want Nate to
know where I was really going.

When I got to
the Empire State Building it was 3.45pm.

You’re too
excited and you’re too early.

I guess I
was
a little excited at meeting Luke- hell, try giddy. Yesterday I had been way too
emotional for my liking, but today was another day and I intended to enjoy
Luke’s company while I could. And shoot yeah, I was giddy. That near kiss still
sent shivers down my spine when I thought of it. No, I wasn’t obsessing.
Yes
you are Celsi.
Maybe a teensy bit.

Luke texted me
earlier in the day to tell me that he had already bought tickets to the 86
^th
floor (what a sweetheart) and all I had to do was show my ID at the front desk
and I could collect mine. So I marched up to the desk like I belonged there,
flashed my ID, feeling like a cop, and got on the elevator after collecting my
ticket. My heart was thumping irrationally, even though I tried to keep calm.
What was going to happen? Would we stay up there and look at the gorgeous view,
or would Luke decide that we should go someplace else? Either way, I was pumped
to spend an hour or two forgetting about my problems. I didn’t want to think of
Nate, even though he’d been unusually- good ever since our little incident.
Yesterday when he came home he bought me a crème donut. Half eaten, but it’s
the thought that counts, right?

It was windy
when I stepped out of the cozy elevator onto the observatory and I pulled my
thin hoodie tighter around me. The outdoor viewing area was almost totally
deserted, apart from one lone figure leaning against the railings. I grinned to
myself.
I’d know that toned bod anywhere.
Fancy Luke being early!

I moved towards
him just as he spotted me and started walking up to me. His green eyes lit up
in a grin as he pulled me into a long hug.

“How you
feeling?” he whispered in my ear, rubbing my shoulders. My whole body tingled.
How was I supposed to react when he touched me like that?

“I’m good.
Better,” I amended, resting my head on his shoulder as he held me loosely. His
soft hair brushed against my cheek and I shivered. “Luke, I can’t stay long. I
told my aunt I was going to Robyn’s place to get my homework.”

Luke snickered,
smoothing back my hair. “You’re such a liar but I love it,” he chuckled,
pulling his toque down over his hair. Regretfully, I raised my head and took a
step back, letting Luke’s arm fall.
Why do I never want Luke to stop hugging
me?
Grinning to myself, I heard the little voice in my head answer right
away.
Because he feels and smells amazing.
True.

“It was the
only thing I could think of. She didn’t want me out till my bruises...” My
voice trailed off as I got my first good look at Luke. I stared, almost feeling
my eyes widening involuntarily at the reddened splotch on his cheek.
That
had definitely not been there yesterday.
What the-? “Luke, what happened to
your face?”

Grinning
guiltily, Luke shrugged. “I got bad news and I got worse news. What do you
wanna hear first?”

Great. I hate
when people give me those choices.
I never know what to pick first.

“The worse
news, I guess,” I said, my hand automatically reaching out to stroke his cheek.
I felt his body stiffen and he licked his lips, staring right into my eyes for
a long second. Blinking, I let my hand drop.
Do I make him nervous too?

“Uh,” Luke
started, and then cleared his throat, shaking his head slightly. I hid my hands
behind my back to keep myself from touching him again.
He’s not tense
because of you, don’t be silly!
Was he? “Worse news- here goes.” Another
sheepish smile. “I got expelled today.”

If it had been
anyone else, I would have bent over double laughing, spluttering out ‘you
fooled me!’ But just one glance at Luke’s handsomely serious face and I knew he
wasn’t joking. He couldn’t be joking because he actually looked embarrassed.
And when Luke got embarrassed, it was for a big deal, which meant-

“You got
expelled?”

No, I wasn’t
intentionally echoing him; I just didn’t know what else to say. What
do
you say when someone tells you something like that? Gee, I sure am sorry?
Nuh
uh.

“Yeah.” He
grinned wryly, tugging off his toque abruptly and letting his hair fall into
his eyes. “God, you shoulda seen Principal Herman. He was practically dancing
when he told me. I swear, he hates me as much as my dad.”

He
was
serious. And, oh God, what would his dad do and say when he found out? I
couldn’t imagine Mr. Astor being happy about this turn of events.

“Oh, my God Luke,
really?”

“Well, he’s
been on my ass for ages,” Luke started, massaging his temples with his spare
hand. “Claims he didn’t want to expel me because he owes my dad, but you should
have seen his face! Dude was happy to be rid of me. He was always saying how
the PA thing was the last straw and I guess this just –pushed him over the
edge.”

I put my hand
up to stop his long winded explanation, shaking my head in an attempt to clear
it. “No, I didn’t mean are you serious about Principal Herman hating you, I meant
are you serious about getting expelled?”

I knew he had
to be, but I still wanted confirmation. To me, even though Luke had been
Dalton’s bad boy, he had appeared untouchable. His dad was on the school board,
for Pete’s sakes! They couldn’t really expel him, could they?

My heart sank
as he reached into his full backpack and pulled out an official Dalton School
envelope with our school crest on the front. He handed it to me.

“The proof is
in the letter. Trust me, I didn’t forge it.”

I skimmed it
then looked up at him, knowing I had a worried look on my face. What was Luke
gonna do now? More importantly, what was his dad going to say once he found
out?

“Have you told
your dad yet?” I asked nervously, scuffing the toe of my boot against the
concreted floor.

Luke’s lips
twisted in a cynical smile and he shook his head. “Hell no. Can you imagine?
He’s gonna go crazy!” He ran a hand through his windswept hair, shooting me a
cute side glance. “I just- I guess he’s heard by now but I don’t want to deal
with it till I get home.”

“What were you
expelled for?”

Luke heaved a
huge sigh. “Fighting.”

“Oh, Luke...” I
couldn’t believe it. Why’d he been fighting? He knew full well that Principal
Herman drew the line at fighting, and he almost always suspended and expelled
fighters. Luke must’ve known he was on thin ice, so why...?

“It’s okay,
trust me.” Luke slid both of his hands onto my shoulders and drew me closer,
squeezing them slightly. “If I had to get expelled for anything, I’m glad it
was for this,” he said. The reassuring tone of his voice and the confident
manner in which he spoke did nothing to alleviate the sadness I felt knowing
that my friend had gotten kicked out of school.
Poor Luke.

Blinking back
tears, I looked up at Luke. “What’s the bad news?”

Shooting me a
crooked smile, Luke said, “I beat up Ahmed today.”
Okay, this is definitely
turning out to be a trippy day.
My mouth dropped open as Luke continued. “I
knew I shouldn’t be smiling about it, but the ass deserved it.”

“Luke- I-
you’re joking.”

He had to be
playing games.

Matter-of-factly,
Luke pointed to his cheek. “Where’d you think I got this from?”

Realization
slowly set in. “Wait- you got expelled because you beat up Ahmed?”

“Bingo.”

Feeling
dull-witted with all the different info that was pouring in, I asked, “Why were
you fighting with Ahmed? He used to be your friend!”

“Key word is
‘used’,” Luke told me, not seeming too upset about anything. Actually, I
appeared to be more worried about the whole situation than Luke himself.
Continuing, Luke said, “He’s a mega douchebag, and he should be glad I didn’t
mess him up more.”

I scratched my
nose. “But- how’d the fight happen?” I asked curiously. “He didn’t want to talk
to you, remember? Who swung first?”

A guilty light
shone in his eyes as Luke pointed to himself. “Me.”

I sighed,
looking up at him. “Luke...why?”

“Because- he
was talking shit!”

And that’s
always a good excuse to start a fight. Boys will be boys, alright.

“But Luke-
Ahmed’s always running his mouth about something or other!”
I should know, I
spent tons of weekends at the El Hamed’s penthouse.
“You know this, and you
always brush it off! Why’d you snap now, knowing you were on your last strike?”

A slight smile
on his face, Luke reached out to touch my cheek. “Because he was talking shit
about you, and I wasn’t going to have it.” He shrugged, once again managing to
look incredibly adorable as he gazed at me. “Maybe I could’ve handled it
differently but I just did what came natural, I guess.”

Mouth dry, I
managed to croak, “Talking about me? Why?”

I thought Ahmed
and I had gotten past – whatever animosity he had towards me. I mean, ever
since the gala he’d made a point of saying ‘hey’ to me whenever I passed him in
the school hallways. What could he possibly have said to laidback Luke that
would have sparked a fight?
Do you really wanna know, Celsi?

“Because he’s a
tool.” Luke squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I took care of it. I fought for
your honor and I won.”

In a daze, I
whispered, “You got expelled just because Ahmed was talking about me?”

“It’s no
biggie.”

Look at him,
looking as pleased as punch.

“Yes it is!” I
wrung my hands. How could I make him see just how serious this was? Getting
expelled
was
a big deal! Other schools wouldn’t touch you if you had a
tainted record. “Your dad is gonna be furious and it’s my fault!”

Luke shook his
head, looking uncharacteristically serious. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine.
I’m the one who hit him. If I recall, you weren’t even at school today.” He
gave me a cute smile. “There’s no way this is your fault.”

“Yes, it is,” I
whispered, looking up at him. “If he hadn’t been talking about me, would you
have beaten him up?”

Getting a
bit carried away there, ain’t you Celsi? He would probably have beat Ahmed up
if he’d been talking smack about anyone!

Not.

My heart
thumped as Luke hesitated. The voice in my head was right. I really didn’t mean
that much to Luke, I was just reading too much into the whole situation. “No.
probably not.” A wry smile. “But I guess it just goes to show- I hate when
people say negative stuff about you, CiCi. Ever since we started talking- ever
since we’ve been friends, you’ve been nothing but sweet to me and - nobody’s
gonna talk shit about you when I’m around. Seriously.”

Sounding (and
feeling) like all the wind had been knocked out of me, I managed to say,
“That’s sweet of you, Luke, but I’m not worth getting kicked out of school
for.”

Simply and
sincerely, Luke said, “To me you are,” as I blinked up at him.
Oh no he
didn’t just say that.
“Don’t worry. School’s overrated anyway.”

“Your dad would
beg to differ.” Oh God, what would he do when he found out that an
insignificant ghetto girl was ultimately responsible for his son getting
expelled? “Luke, you’re going to be in so much trouble!”

“I know.” Luke
shrugged. “I’ll deal with it when the time comes.”

My cell phone
vibrated in my pocket, startling me. I fished it out.
Aunt Kelly.

Luke’s Point
of View.

As CiCi talked
on the phone with her aunt, I obsessed about what we’d just been talking about.
There was no way I was gonna tell her what really went down between Ahmed and
me, or about the jealousy I felt when Ahmed started talking his ‘I could have
Celsi whenever I want’ crap. No sir.