The Other Side of Hollywood | Luke Patterson

ONE✨

December 20th, 1994

Luke Patterson and I couldn't be more different; while he was a free-spirited, passionate musician, I preferred to go by the book and never stray from the path I was on. You'd never think two people who were so different could work well together, but Luke and I proved to the acceptation to that. He made me more lighthearted and was the only person I would ever stray from my perfectly planned out schedule for, while I helped keep Luke on track, keeping him grounded in reality. Our entire relationship was a massive cliché, both of us grew up next door to each other our whole life, but neither of us spoke until two years ago. Luke had been failing math, and I've always been ahead in every class; and somehow, his mother, Emily Patterson, had roped me into being his tutor. It was miserable at first; the two of us were so different we kept clashing, but after a while, we became more than just study partners; we became friends, and soon after that boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Ooh," My older sister sang, leaning against my door frame, "where are you headed dressed all nice?" I smoothed down my plaid skirt, smiling lightly at my sister through my reflection in the mirror.

"I'm surprising Luke," I informed her; because of how close we live to each other, I used to see Luke almost every single day; but lately, the two of us hadn't been hanging out as often, so I thought it'd be nice to visit him.

"He's not with the band today?" Hanna asked, stepping into my room, the band, the reason Luke and I hadn't been hanging out as much. Lately, he has been devoting almost all of his time with them, leaving barely any time for his own girlfriend. I knew I shouldn't be worried and that Luke didn't mean any harm by it; this was just how Luke was when he was passionate about something, he put it above everything else, but he wouldn't put it before me; I know that.

"Nope, I saw his bike on the driveway," I explain, walking out of the room; Hanna follows behind, shutting my bedroom door behind her.

"Have fun," Hanna sang, sitting down on the couch, her textbooks crowding the coffee table in front of her; I waved before sliding out of the house; I hadn't even made it to the end of my driveway when I heard yelling coming from next door. Hearing Luke argue with his parents wasn't unusual; his mom and dad definitely did not support his music dreams; I had my doubts too at times, but I would never tell him that it would be easier for him and the boys to figure it out themselves.

"Luke come back," Emily yelled before I could even wonder what she meant; Luke's figure flashed by on his bike, speeding away from his house; I ran to the end of my driveway quickly, meeting up with Emily, who stood at the end of hers.

"What's going on?" I ask his mom, my voice shaking; Luke had threatened to run away multiple times, but I never believed it would actually happen; he would never leave me, right?

"He... he's" Emily choked back a sob, unable to finish her sentence; Mitch pulled up before she could continue, and Emily instantly ran into her husband's arms, bursting into tears. Hanna must have heard the commotion because she ran out of the house a few seconds later, concern evident on her face.

"Is everyone okay?" She asked.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered; I refused to believe that Luke would really leave without saying goodbye to me first; his parents must have misunderstood, "we'll go look for him," I tell Emily, referring to my sister and I, "it's gonna be okay." I tried to sound reassuring, but my voice was still shaky.

"Let's go," Hannah grabbed my hand, leading me to the car parked in our driveway; I pointed to the direction I saw Luke turn, "Harper, I'm so-"

"No," I cut her off, "I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding." Hanna didn't seem convinced, but she didn't question it; we drove in silence for a few more minutes, both of us searching for my boyfriend; I begin to feel hopeless after a while until I see a familiar shaggy-haired boy riding his bike a few feet ahead. "There he is," I point, my voice full of hope; Hannah pulls over, and I rush out of the car, "Luke," His bike skids to a stop at the sound of my voice, Luke turns around to face me, his expression more solemn then I'd ever seen it before.