Chapter Five
Luke lay awake in bed staring at the ceiling. He'd had very little sleep the last two nights with everything that had happened since Friday. His phone had constantly beeped with messages from people he knew and didn't know, all making comments about his past. Derogatory comments. Facebook and Twitter went mad, and on Instagram, Sarah had posted a picture of them both, tagging him in it, and telling everyone what he'd done when he lived on the streets.
The things people had said made Luke feel physically sick. Asking how many people he'd let fuck him, how many dicks he'd sucked, how much he charged for either, and the worst ones were asking if he was still available, because some liked his pretty arse.
Luke had gotten fed up with deleting all the messages and emails and had contemplated closing down all his social media accounts. He didn't know how long he could keep on going. It had only been forty-eight hours, and already Luke was ready to give up. But today was Monday, and he needed to get ready to go to lectures, lectures he didn't want to attend because he knew people on the courses with him would know what Sarah had said.
It had surprised him how quickly the rumours had spread around. The number of messages on his wall from people he didn't know had astounded him.
The comments had been sickening. People sat behind keyboards making comments about someone they didn't know. Probably enjoying it, knowing that they were upsetting someone and hurting them with the words they spewed.
He'd even tried contacting Sarah on Sunday, but she hadn't answered her phone. He'd sent multiple messages asking her to speak to him, but still, there had been nothing. He wasn't looking forward to seeing her at Uni today, but he had no choice. They had lectures in the same building, so it would be difficult to avoid her.
Luke was dragged from his thoughts when he heard a knock on the door. It opened, and Tom stuck his head around the door.
"You're gonna be late if you don't get up. There is some toast and a brew downstairs waiting for you."
Luke nodded and gave Tom a small smile. "Alright, I'll be down there in a few minutes. Thanks, Tom."
Tom closed the door behind him, and Luke got out of bed. He went to the bathroom, did what he needed to do, then went back to his bedroom. He quickly changed, put his work in his bag, and went downstairs.
Walking into the kitchen, he found several slices of toast waiting for him. In the living room, Luke sat in the chair and watched TV with Tom and Seb. Matt had spent the night at Josh's, so Luke wouldn't see him until later that evening when they all came back home.
"Not long left of this semester, is there?" Tom asked.
"No, and I can't wait for it to be over," Luke admitted, sipping his tea.
"Is everything alright?" Tom asked. Besides Matt, Tom had known him the longest, and even though they weren't on the streets anymore--hadn't been for several years now--Tom still looked out for him.
"Yeah, just a few things on my mind. I've had a lot of work this semester, and I'm just looking forward to having no more exams. What are the plans for Christmas?" Luke asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Once the exams are out the way, Matt will be moving in with Josh, so that's one less in the house."Seb said.
Tom grunted. "At least it will be a lot quieter."
Seb glanced at Tom, saying, "Since he's finally admitted that he's in love with Matt, and he started counselling, Josh has improved."
"Sure, he has. Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it, does it?"
The situation between Josh and Tom was still a little tense, but had improved over recent weeks. The fact that Josh genuinely appeared to be sorry for everything that had happened in the past had appeased Tom somewhat. But Tom still had difficulties letting go, and Luke could understand where Tom was coming from.
Because Josh hadn't helped him that day--Tom had gone around to Josh's parents' house--Tom had spent four long years on the streets, selling his body to survive.
But, if that hadn't have happened, Luke wouldn't have met Tom, Ben, and Adam, and they certainly wouldn't be where they were now. All of them were at university, an opportunity none of them thought that they would have had.
"Come on, Tom. You know he's trying."
"Of course I do, Seb. Everyone seems to think that I should just forget about what I've experienced because of him. It's not that easy, but I am trying."
"You two were laughing the other day," Luke reminded him.
"I temporarily forgot," Tom deadpanned.
Seb elbowed Tom in the ribs, smiling at him. "Then you've temporarily forgotten quite a few times, haven't you?"
Tom sighed heavily. "Okay. So I remember the good times we had together, and that we used to have a laugh, and the fact that he still makes me laugh now, and the fact that he is trying... You two just shut up." Tom crossed his arms over his chest and pouted at them, sticking his bottom lip as far out as he could.
Luke laughed, almost spilling his tea over his hand. Yes, Tom liked to remind them of everything he had suffered because of Josh, but Tom couldn't deny the fact that he and Josh still got on.
Luke quickly finished his tea and toast and then got up, walked to the kitchen, and put the dishes in the sink. On his way out, he grabbed his bag and said goodbye to Tom and Seb. Tom wasn't going in until later today, as he didn't have lectures until the afternoon, so Luke would be getting the bus on his own.
Forty minutes later, Luke stood at the bus stop looking over at the building where he had his lectures. Taking a deep breath, Luke slowly walked towards it, glancing at people as he walked past them. His heart pounded in his chest, and Luke could feel sweat breaking out over his skin. He gripped the handle of his bag tighter while wiping the palm of his other hand on his jeans.
Maybe it was his imagination, but Luke was certain that people were looking at him. As he approached his building, he saw Sarah stood outside with her group of her friends. Luke slowed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to walk past them. He quickly scanned the area but couldn't see any of his friends, so he took a deep breath and sped up, hoping to be able to walk past quickly, without them noticing him.
Luck wasn't on his side.
"Hey, look! It's that cock-sucking slut. I've got forty quid, mate. Drop your pants and bend over and let me fuck ya!"
"Dirty motherfucker!!"
"Disease-riddled fag!"
Luke tried to tune the comments out, dropping his head to stare at the ground as he continued walking towards his building.
"Hey, Luke."
Luke bent his head to stare at Sarah, who was running towards him. "What do you want, Sarah? Haven't you caused enough damage?"
"I just wanted to remind you that it's over."
"Of course it's over. Why would I want to be with you after this? All because I wouldn't answer some questions." Luke turned to Sarah giving her a hard stare. "Did it ever occur to you that I didn't want to be reminded of my shitty past? That I didn't want to go over all the shit I went through? That my foster father wanted to rape me? No, all you could think about was you not getting what you wanted. I used to think you were great, but I was fucking wrong, wasn't I?"
"At least I'm not some used up whore!" Sarah retorted.
Luke took a step closer to Sarah, bending close. "I would rather be a used whore than be with someone like you."
Luke stepped back, glaring at Sarah, and then walked towards his building, ignoring the shouts from Sarah and her friends behind him.
As he entered the lecture hall, Luke was aware of the few stares in his direction, and he heard his name mentioned a few times. Obviously, some of his fellow students had noticed the rumours Sarah had spread online.
He saw Jack and Toby, and sat down next to them, pulling his work from his bag.
When he felt Toby nudge him, Luke turned his head to look at him. "Have you seen this?" Toby handed him his phone and Luke stared at the screen, his mouth dropping open.
Just because Toby was his friend, he was receiving messages asking if Luke gave him free sex.
Luke looked at the phone and Toby several times before handing it back to him. "I'm really sorry, mate. I never thought you'd get dragged into this."
"It's not your fault, mate. Sarah's a fucking bitch. Why did you split up?"
Luke leaned back in his chair, sighing. "You know I told you how I was in foster care and had to leave my last place?" Toby nodded. "Well, Sarah was asking questions about it, and I told her how I ended up living on the streets for a couple of years. Well, next thing I know she's asking me whether I was a prostitute just because I'd been on the streets. She wouldn't believe anything I said."
Jack leaned forward. "You're well rid of her, mate. I told you not to get with her, didn't I?" Jack hadn't hidden the fact that he didn't like Sarah, and had told Luke on several occasions, but Luke had ignored him.
"Yeah, I know." Luke sighed. "Not much I can do about it now, is there?"
All three turned when they suddenly heard laughter coming from a couple of rows behind them. The three women were staring intently at Luke and then glancing down at the phones.
"Hey! You shouldn't believe everything you read. Ever thought that the bitch is lying because they split up?" Jack shouted up at them.
"Stop it, Jack," Luke muttered. "Just let it go. This time next week it will be someone else. You know what it's like here."
"Doesn't mean I have to sit here and listen to that lot makeup shit about you. You're my mate, and I'll stick up for you."
Luke turned away, his stomach churning. If only Toby and Jack knew the truth. That he had been a rent boy and had sold his body. Would they still defend him? Would they still want to be his friend? He bit his lip hard until the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He breathed deeply, trying to control his pounding heart.
He looked up, glancing around the lecture hall, noticing more than a few stares in his direction.
"Ignore the fuckers," Jack told him, leaning across Toby so he could get close. "You know the truth. Let them believe what they want. Me and Tobes, we've got your back."
Luke didn't say anything. What could he say? The rumours were true.
At that moment, Prof Stapleton took to the stage and clicked on the overhead projector. He ruffled his papers and then coughed, attracting the students' attention.
As he began talking, Luke looked down at his pad, picked up his pen and began taking notes. This was only the first lecture of the day, and he dreaded what was to come.