“You, girl.”
“Yes, father?” Crystal had a great poker face. I was impressed.
“Who is at the door?” Her dad growled.
“Luke.”
“I told you not to invite that boy over again.”
“Well, what if he invited himself?” She said.
Leaving her father spluttering in anger, Crystal marched toward the door. Despite what she had said about staying near her dad, I followed her. I had to see this Luke boy for myself.
The door swung open, and I thought, Oh boy. No wonder Crystal is so intrigued by him.

-

Luke was a boy only a few inches taller than Crystal. He had dark, golden-blond hair that fell over his eyes- and then there were his eyes themselves.
They were dark, emerald green, and beautiful. You could look at them and see a whole new world.
Then there were his clothes. You’d expect a boy who looked like Luke to dress fancy, but he wore a simple blue hoodie. He looked extremely athletic.
At one glance, anyone could tell why Crystal looked up to him so much.

-

“Hey!”
“Hey, how’s it going?” Luke had a low, smooth voice.
“Um...okay?” Crystal said hesitantly. “Depends on if you believe me about the...bug or not.”
He half smiled at her. “Can I see this Specs guy?”
“Sure. Come on. You too, Specs.” I could sense her eyes darting toward Luke to see his reaction, but he remained completely calm.
Before we could get to her room, Crystal’s dad came and stood in front of them.
“Is there something you want, Mr. Chrysalis?” Luke asked in a strangely polite voice.
“Yes,” he said, glowering at us. “What are you going to do?”
“Homework,” Luke replied, looking confused. “What else?”
Wow. Luke’s poker face was better than Crystal’s.
“I was under the impression that you were going to do a project.” His voice was triumphant.
“A science project,” Crystal immediately said.
“Yeah, we were going to do something simple like a potato battery, but…” Luke raised his eyebrows at Crystal, waiting for her to finish.
“We decided to do a more complex project. We’ll let you know after we get our A,” she completed the lie.
Now I could see why they were friends. They thought the same way.
They started to turn around, but Crystal’s father said, “I know you're lying! And when I find out, you’ll get much worse than-”
Before we could finish, Luke flipped around, no trace of the earlier politeness on his face. His face was set with cold fury.
“Much worse than what? Slap her? You think I didn’t notice that freaking mark on her face? Why do you have to hurt her? What did she do to you?” He snarled.
“She is an ungrateful-”
“You are ungrateful. Leave her alone or watch what’ll happen to you! You can’t order her around anymore.”
“Oh, watch me!” Mr. Chrysalis snapped. “Who else would take this insolent, stupid girl who-”
“I would take her.” Luke said, standing up straighter. His face softened as he looked at Crystal. “Come on. Let’s go before his disabled brain is able to find another insulting word.” Casting a disgusted look at Crystal’s father, Luke took Crystal’s hand and started up the stairs.
Though upset, I could tell how elated Crystal was about what Luke had said.
Okay, I had just met the guy, but I felt like he was a great person.
And that’s coming from someone who likes to sting humans on a regular basis.