AN: Sorry this is late :S My USB decided to be difficult...
Attack of the evil little things they call feelings
As we finished the last concert, we were bombarded with fans outside the door. Their insistent chants of 'Short Stack' echoed off the brick walls of the venue and rung in my ears.
"Hey!" Shaun called, greeting the flocks of girls that ran to him. Lauren gripped his hand firmly and stuck close. Bradie and Andy were greeted by fans aswell, only in lesser numbers. Bradie was all smiles, happily signing albums and posters. Someone even offered their Converse. His fans were much quieter, more civilised. Andy's fans though, were not. They clung to him and flirted in hopes of gaining an interest from the bass player. A few of the braver and extremely sluttier ones even kissed – yes, kissed – him on the cheek. This pissed me off. Pushing through the girls, I got to Andy, hugged him around his middle and smiled up at him. He grinned and winked at me. His followers backed off a little, stunned and pissed off. Lucky for me, Sam called out to us then, instructing all the fans to go away. Reluctantly, they did so and we climbed back into the van.
"I've gotta feeling that none of your fans like you anymore, Andy," I said, settling into a seat in the very back. Andy sat next to me, resting his legs on the headrest of the seat in front. Shaun swatted his feet away and swore at him.
"Shame. They were pretty good," he finally responded.
"C'mon, you've got to admit. They were a little crazy," I protested, raising my eyebrows at him.
"I don't blame them, personally," he answered mock-arrogantly. Rolling my eyes, I gazed forlornly out the window. I kind of missed my little sister, Jayme. She was two and a half years old and practically kept me sane. It was 11:10 p.m. She'd be in bed. "What's up?" I frowned and bit my bottom lip gently.
"Nothing. I'm just…thinking," I murmured. Andy laughed and cast a sidelong glance at me.
"You seem to do that a lot."
"Yeah, well. I'm full of evil and destructive plans, so it would probably be best if you stay on my good side." He chuckled and grinned at his iPhone screen. He was sending a text to someone. I knew it was rude to intrude on text messages so I peered out the window again. The passing cars and streetlights were simply streaks of bright against the inky-black surface of the night. Every one lonely and destructive, just like me.
"Okay, seeing as we have about half an hour until we get back to the hotel, you can tell me about you." He snapped me out of my reverie and I took a sneaky glance at him.
"What do you want to know?" Andy looked thoughtful.
"What's you're favourite colour?"
"Oh, come on! That's something you ask a kid in year two!"
"Aww. Just answer it," he said playfully.
"Alright! Black, silver and…red."
"Favourite…food?"
"Nutella, straight from the jar," I replied proudly.
"Hey! Me too! Okay, favourite music?"
"Uh, grunge, rock, oldies, 80s stuff, emo-ish punk, punk. Absoloutly nothing by Rick Astley or any one of those shit people who can supposedly sing." I was very picky.
"Favourite band or bands?"
"Nirvana, My Chemical Romance, All Time Low, Boys Like Girls, the old grungy Silverchair, Paramore…I have a feeling there's more. I just can't remember them." Andy looked slightly outraged for a moment.
"Aren't you forgetting one very important and influential band?"
"Oh, yeah! Fall Out Boy!"
"No," he said patiently. "Who are you in a car with right now?"
"Um…oh! Short Stack," I said with fake enlightenment. When Andy realised I was joking, he grinned and shoved his mobile back into his pocket.
"Okay. Worst habit?" This one would be hard.
"Getting expelled. And graffiting. Blasting music so loudly that I can't hear for the next hour or two. Oh, and probably sneaking out at ungodly hours of the morning to see my friends." I tucked my bottom lip under my teeth and stole a glance at Andy. He looked slightly stunned and pulled a hand through his hair.
"Jeez. No wonder you're here." Another thought occurred to him. "How many schools have you been expelled from?"
"Well, there was the first primary school I went to. Got thrown out of there in year three for graffiting a teacher's car – I started young. Then there was the next one I was at for two years until year five. Kicked out of there for starting a food fight in the canteen. Then the one I was at until year eight. Started a punch-up there and got expelled. My parents then sent me to prison for troubled teenagers. They didn't want me after I fucked up an assembly by accidentally lighting the curtains. That's where I met Sophia and Lauren," I explained.
"How long were you there for?" Andy asked.
"Two weeks. Then I went to another school for two years but they decided not to like me after I set the staff room on fire. That was the second last school. I missed half of that school year because my parents sent me to another prison. Sophia and Lauren didn't go with me though. Then there was the school I was most recently at. There we tagged the wall, trashed a teacher's car and kind of flooded all of the bathrooms. We did more then just tag a wall. Actually, we tagged the front office as well. And the principal's office, every classroom in the school, the bathrooms, staff room, locker bays, auditorium, sports hall, canteen, library – we taught the librarians a few new words, swimming pool, playground. And we also set fire to the oval. I think that may be it…" I trailed off and racked my brain for any other incidents.
"Shit," Andy admitted, nodding his head in awe. "Hey, Shaun. You hear what these guys actually did to the rest of their school?" Lauren turned round and gave me an aggravated look.
"Ashli! You didn't tell him did you?" Sophia looked a little pissed as well.
"Aww, c'mon! They were gonna find out sometime! Plus anyway, you've got to be proud of what we did!" I protested.
"That's not the point though. You promised Louise we wouldn't tell anyone – "
"Don't," I hissed, "talk about Louise." My warning came out harsher than I'd wanted it to. Sophia looked slightly hurt and surprised.
"I'm sorry. I thought you were over it," she whispered gazing at her hands, which were interlocked in her lap.
"I won't ever be over it. It was my fault she – "
"It was not your fault! We all had a part in it. Not just you – "
"How about we calm down, okay?" Lauren said, cutting Soph off mid-sentence. We all fell silent until Shaun began to launch into conversation with Bradie, Sophia and Lauren. There was a barrier between Andy and I now. A sheet of awkwardness that had instantly been shot up.
"So," he started. "How did you meet Sophia and Lauren?"
"Like I said, we went to the same prison. Well, it wasn't a prison; just a very, very, very strict school," I replied.
"What were you there for?"
"I threw a party when my parents were out and my friends did some crazy shit. I got sent to that 'prison' and met Sophia and Lauren. We were all let out at the same time and were sent to the same school after."
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen."
"And you already have a criminal record?"
"Yep. It's pretty big too."
"Hmm…" In that silence, I liked to think he was mulling over the fact that I was ten times cooler than he was and had much more experience in the Real World then he did. I knew that wasn't it though. He was probably trying to find ways to get away from me. "Who's Louise?" It felt like everything came crushing down on me. No one had spoken of Louise since the fateful day. It was a massive secret locked in all our hearts.
"I…I don't…can't…no," I stammered, running a nervous hand through my loose hair.
"You don't want to tell me?" I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
"We're here, guys!" Shaun called, spinning the video camera to face us. We all made obscene gestures and faces at the camera and laughed as Bradie failed an attempt to get out of the van. As we all jumped onto the blacktop, Sam informed us that he would go and park the car while we went up to our room. Doing as we were told, we entered the darkness that was our hotel room. As Bradie flicked on the light, we all gasped. The room was trashed. The table was overturned and glasses were shattered on the floor.
"Fuck…" I whispered. Shaun had moved forward towards the bedroom I shared with Sophia and Lauren.
"Hey, you might wanna come see this," he said to us. Lauren, Sophia and I shared a worried glance before hurrying towards him. He'd turned on our light and was scanning the mess that was our bedroom. All the contents of our suitcases were thrown over the carpet, our makeup and hair products thrown onto the bathroom floor. Then, as my eyes traveled upwards, I saw the words that made my blood boil. We payed you a visit. Stay away from our boys. Kara. It was painted in bright red ink above the mucked up beds.
"Bitches!" I hissed, leaning down to clean up our things.
"Who is Kara?" Bradie asked.
"She's the girl who did this," I said, pointing to my patches. Understanding flickered in everyone's eyes as they bent to help me. Sam arrived back then, calling to us from the front door.
"In here!" Bradie yelled. Sam moved to the bedroom, his silhouette framed in the door.
"What happened?" he asked.
"We were…ransacked. I don't know if anything has been taken," I explained, biting my lip.
"Shit!" Sophia's voice rang through the room.
"What?" I asked, moving towards her.
"This." She pointed to the balcony outside. My shirt was fluttering against the railing. Throwing open the door, I exploded onto the concrete and almost fell over the rails. Our clothes were in a heap on the street below. It was then I spotted them. Kara and her two friends. They were standing over the clothes, grinning.
"Stupid bitches!" I screamed, spinning and running for the door. Andy grabbed for me but I neatly dodged his outstretched hand. Thundering down the corridor outside our room, I ran straight for the stairs and skipped them three at a time. Once I reached the bottom floor, I was almost out of breath. As I tore through the lobby, I slammed into the doors so hard that I was momentarily stunned. Eventually, I got outside and rounded the corner. Kara was still there. She and her friends had their backs to me, yelling up at Lauren or Sophia. I slunk into the shadows, trying to control my breathing. Carefully, I snuck up behind Kara then as she breathed in, took her arms and shoved her against the wall. She screamed and kicked out at me but I pulled her forward and slammed her back against the wall.
"You bitch!" I screamed at her face, glaring. She struggled against my grip but then smiled.
"Oh. I didn't realise it was you!" she said sarcastically.
"Like hell you didn't." I saw her two friends advance towards me and I gripped Kara by her curly, flame red hair. They stopped in their tracks when they saw me drag her delicate face closer to the bricks.
"You wouldn't," she sneered, pulling against my hold. In response, I just dragged her closer and tugged her hair sharply. She screamed and screwed her eyes shut.
"How did you get into our room?" I growled.
"My…my dad works…at this hotel. He gave us…the card," Kara responded.
"Why did you trash our room?"
"Because you stole…them from us…"
"Stole who?"
"Short Stack you cow…"
"They were never yours."
"Yes, they…were. Please let go…" Growing irritated, I sighed exasperatedly.
"Don't ever let me see you again. Got it? If you ever come near me or my friends in the near or distant future, you'll know about it," I hissed in her ear. She nodded in fear and dropped to her knees when I let her hair go. Keeping an eye on her and her friends, I snatched the clothes from the ground and backed away from them. As I got around the corner, I bolted. I could hear their feet slamming against the pavement as I ran for the doors. Freaking liar! I growled in my head. They were getting closer. Slamming into the doors, I ran for the stairs. Taking them three at a time, I slipped and hit my knees and shins a few times but continued on none the less. When I reached my floor, I was almost panting and could barely move another step. I could hear their feet though; that pushed me onwards. It was stupid of them. One or two should have taken the elevator instead of all three pursuing me up the stairs. As I thundered down the corridor, I banged on my door frantically. The stair door swung open and Kara began to get closer.
"Open up!" I screamed, banging and kicking at the door. I wouldn't be able to take on all three girls. Not after what they'd already done to me. "Open the fucking door!" she was way closer now. Suddenly, Andy responded to my screams and opened the door with a very confused look on his face.
"What the heck is going on – " I threw myself inside and slammed it shut behind me before twisting the lock. Sinking to the ground, I chucked the clothes to the side of me and closed my eyes. My heart was pumping, threatening to burst out of my heaving chest.
"What was that?" Andy asked as Kara began to thump on the door. I waited to catch a little of my breath back.
"Those…girls…that trashed…our room…" I panted, leaning my head back against the door. Lauren appeared from the bedroom and laughed at me.
"Well, don't you look like a picture of health?"
"Fuck…off." She ignored that.
"What did those sluts want?"
"Apart from…wanting me dead…they wanted…them." I pointed and accusing finger at Short Stack as the rest of them assembled in front of me. Sophia laughed and fell against the wall. We stared at her blankly until she finished.
"You right…there?" I was regaining my breath and could breath a little easier. Kara and her friends began pounding on the door again.
"Shut up!" Lauren yelled, kicking the door. They began to scream at us, demanding that we go outside so we can 'sort it out.' When the Earth freezes over.
"This is so ridiculous!" Sophia exclaimed, beginning to crack up again. Bradie glanced at her, questioning her mental stability.
"No shit, Sherlock," I muttered.
"Hey!" Shaun addressed the girls outside. They screamed as they heard his voice. "What do you want?" he asked.
"The stupid slut. That's what we want," Kara replied, arrogance clear in her tone.
"Well you can't have her," Lauren yelled. "But if you want, I can come and sort you out!" There was a mumble from the hall.
"Fine. Come out here and prove how tough you are!" Lauren gently pushed me aside and was about to enter her doom when Shaun stopped her.
"Don't. It'll only make them even more…" he searched for a word.
"Persistent?" I supplied, looking up at him. He grinned and nodded. Andy held out a hand to help me to my feet. Gratefully, I took it and he hauled me to my feet. Bradie caught me as I stumbled and fell against him.
"Thanks," I mumbled.
"No worries. First one's free." Kara thumped on the door again.
"What happened to you little act – "
"Oh my God!" I screamed, cutting of her rant. "You are so bloody annoying! Piss off and go back to your homes under railway tracks where you belong!" There was a stunned silence both in the room and outside.
"I'll have you know my dad is the – "
"I don't give a donkey's arse who your dad is! Just go the heck away!" Shaun cracked up and slapped me a high five.
"You stupid bitch! I'm going to get my dad up here and you are going to be kicked out of the hotel! I'll make sure you are escorted by some of my dad's really good friends and – " She had just snapped my last nerve. Throwing open the door, I took them by surprise and shoved Kara backwards.
"What did I tell you?" I growled, pushing her again. Now, let me tell you. I'm not a bad person. I'm more of an insult person. I'm never physical with someone unless they really, really, really piss me off. This was one of those times.
"What did I tell you?"
"I don't care what you told me! I want you to take your slutty ass friends and get lost!" I yelled, holding her against the wall.
"Ashli," Sophia said from behind me.
"What!" I snapped, not taking my eyes off Kara.
"You might want to – no you don't!" I heard her growl. Turning a little, I saw her grab Kara's blonde friend by the back of her shirt and force her down to her knees. Blondie had been about to attack me. Lauren and the brunette exchanged a glare before running at eachother. Andy, Bradie and Shaun watched from the door as we six girls fought eachother in the hall. Lauren punched The Brunette on the cheek as she straddled her. Kara lunged forward, sending me sprawling backwards onto the ground. She kicked at me, striking my ribs and legs. At one stage, her foot caught my nose and made it bleed onto a new t-shirt.
"You cow!" I shouted. "You got blood on my shirt!" Leaping to my feet, I slammed her in the stomach with my fist. She gagged and fell to her knees. Sophia was winning her fight and had Blondie against the wall. Lauren had The Brunette on the floor and was effectively making sure she stayed there. A warm trail spread down to my upper lip as I shoved Kara down. She kicked at my leg, making me go down on one knee. She leapt at me, landing on my ribs with a crack. I screamed and clutched at my aching ribcage. Kara straddled my waist and wound her hand into my hair. She tugged sharply and laughed as I winced. My hand came up and slapped her fiercely on her right cheek. She gasped and I took the moment to throw her off me. I crawled over to her and pulled my fist back.
"Andy," Bradie said. "You might wanna restrain Ashli. She looks about ready to kill that girl." Shaun had Lauren in an unbreakable hold and Bradie was calming down Sophia. Andy looked worried and ambled cautiously over to me. He grabbed me around my waist and dragged me backwards. I thrashed in his grip and aimed to launch myself back at Kara. He hauled me up and pulled me against him. Kara lay on the dark blue carpet, breathing quickly. Blondie and The Brunette were attending to her, sneering and hissing at us. My chest rose and fell rapidly as I glared at them. Eventually, Kara sat up and glared back.
"You stupid son of a fucking bitch. Just wait till my dad finds out!" She was helped to her feet by her friends and strode over to me. I kicked at her but missed entirely. Her friends wrenched me out of Andy's grip and held onto me tightly. Attempting to hurt them, they just tugged my hair and told me to shut-up. Kara gave me an evil look and turned to Andy, placing a hand on his cheek. She reached up on her toes, grinned again and kissed him. For a moment, I stood still, shocked. Then reality kicked in. Thrashing, I flew out of my captor's grip and at Kara, smashing us both into the wall. My fist came up and hit her cheek, jaw, eyebrow. I was dragged backwards again and watched as Kara grinned evilly at me.
"Get the fuck off me!" I screamed at Andy, attempting to shove him away. The three girls turned and strode down the hall, throwing a few names and insults over their shoulders.
"I said: Get. The. Fuck. Off. Me!!!" I screamed again, shoving at him harder. When he didn't let go, I kicked at him, scoring one in the shin and the knee. He let go of me like I'd electrocuted him. He looked hurt and angry but I glared defiantly at him.
"You stupid bastard," I hissed, looking directly into his eyes. He opened his mouth but I turned on my heel and started for the room. His hand came out to grab me but I pushed past it and went into my bedroom. It was still a mess but I didn't mind. I slid through the curtains and opened the sliding doors to the balcony, careful to slide the curtains back over the doors once I was outside. Little flashes and balls of light from the buildings lit the city. I curled against the railing and brought my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. Tears trickled from my eyes and mixed with the blood from my nose. I began to grow cold in my shorts and t-shirt.
It was around one o'clock in the morning and I had been sitting outside for a good hour or so. No one had bothered me, which was good. They probably knew where I was though. The tears had dried, leaving salty trails down my frozen cheeks. I found some water and cleaned all the dry blood off my face, attempting to make myself look a little better. After five minutes, someone slid open the doors. I looked up and glared.
"Get lost," I growled, turning back to the city.
"No." Andy was firm and slid the doors shut again. He leant against the railing in front of me.
"Fuck off. I don't want to talk to you." I clipped my words, pouring as much venom into them as I could.
"That's too bad then." We were silent. "What did I do?" I laughed without humour.
"What did you do? Are you kidding me?" When he gave me a look that said 'I'm dead serious' I laughed again. "You must be thicker than I thought. What do you think you did?" He thought.
"Nothing that would've made you so pissed off at me." I shook my head in disbelief.
"That slut kissed you. And you let her," I hissed, shaking my head again.
"Why do you have a problem with that?" I looked him in the eyes for the first time.
"Because I don't want her to." He gazed at me in disbelief.
"Why not?" I stood abruptly and stared at him.
"Because she doesn't like you." With that, I climbed up onto the railing. I'd found a way to get up onto the roof in the past hour and made my escape. I hooked my feet onto a balcony a metre off and used that to get up onto the ladder that was bolted into the hotel wall. I wasn't afraid of heights and was glad for that because I was seven storeys off the ground and climbing a very old rusting ladder.
"What the heck are you doing?" Andy called from our balcony. I looked across at him and glared.
"Getting as far away from you as possible. And while I'm at it I might find a way to forgive you. Don't count on it though."
"Get down! What the hell are you playing at?"
"No." He disappeared from view and I let one hand go, swinging perilously. Andy returned with Sophia and Lauren, Bradie and Shaun tagging along too.
"Ashli!" Lauren screeched. "Get the hell down from there!" I shook my head and let one foot go.
"You idiot Ashli!" Sophia exclaimed. "Get your ass back down here!"
"No." Shaun hid a grin of admiration behind his hand.
"Please, Ashli. Get down," Bradie tried, giving me a puppy dog look. I almost gave in but thought better of it.
"No." I climbed another two rungs, stopped and looked back at them. "I'll see you on the roof." I continued up the ladder, growing less confident with every rung. Finally, I reached the top and clambered over the edge of the roof. Everyone was already there, sitting around one of the tables. They stood as I stepped over the barrier and leant against it.
"I'm alive. Anyone surprised?" I said, crossing my arms.
"Surprised? No. Extremely pissed is what I am!" Lauren exclaimed, striding over to me.
"You have no need to be." I said, irritated.
"My friend just climbed eight storeys up a rusty old ladder which was barely clinging to the hotel wall. Is that enough reason to be pissed?" She looked at me angrily and stepped back, shaking her head.
"You guys mind giving us some privacy?" Andy asked, addressing everyone. They shrugged, stood and went back into the elevator, disappearing as the doors slid closed.
"Do you want me to climb back down that ladder?" I growled, glaring. He gave me an annoyed look and moved towards me. I swung my legs back over the edge and dropped onto the top of the ladder.
"Don't you dare," Andy warned, grabbing my arm.
"Don'ttouch me," I hissed, fixing my eyes on his hand. Reluctantly, he let go. I maneuvered myself around and lowered my body down onto the ladder a little more.
"Please just let me talk to you," he sighed, sounding defeated. I was about to refuse but saw the desperate glint in his eyes and brought myself up to the barrier. It was made of stone and I picked at the chipped areas, waiting for him to start.
"I didn't know you liked me that much. Honestly." I didn't reply but kept picking at the stone. "I thought you were just…being a crazed fan. I guess I was wrong?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry." His voice was soft and held no lies.
"I don't know if I can forgive you. It's not like I wasn't being subtle or anything. But you know the worst part?" He shrugged. "You let her kiss you and I watched the whole thing. You didn't even try to stop her," I whispered, pain tearing my tough-girl image to shreds. He looked mildly shocked and looked down at his hands.
"I didn't know," he repeated quietly.
"You really hurt me…"
"Not physically," he said.
"No. Not physically. But here." I put a hand to my chest, looking at him through wet eyes. He swung me round so I was on the roof and moved a little towards me. He put his fingers under his chin and gently forced me to look up.
"Looked to your eyes can't remember whether or not that I wish this night would last forever." He dipped his head forward slowly.
"No…" I growled gently. He pulled away a little and blinked at me. When he saw me smile apologetically, he pulled me into a hug.
"I hope you know I haven't fully forgiven you yet," I whispered, twining my arms around his waist.
"You will one day."
"Don't count on it…"
"Alright, let's go in." Andy opened our hotel room. We'd stayed up on the roof for another hour, just sitting and talking. Everyone was in bed. There was the lounge room light on but nothing else. I peeked into my bedroom and saw Lauren and Shaun lying on top of the sheets of one of the beds. Sophia and Bradie were curled up next to eachother on the couch. They resembled cats so much I had to stifle a laugh.
"Well, where do we sleep?" I asked.
"There's another bedroom. With two beds," he added after catching my look. Nodding, I followed him into the boy's room. Too tired to get changed, I kicked off my Converse and flopped back onto the bed. Andy obviously felt the same and flicked off the light. He felt his way to the other bed, cussing when he hit the bedside table. I laughed and turned on my side.
"Andy?"
"Mm?"
"I'm sorry for getting angry before. I was kind of overreacting. Sorry." All I got in response was a small noise and heavy breathing. He was asleep. That guy was crazy. As my eyes drooped, a dream flooded into my head.
I woke with a start, tears running down my cheeks.
"Ashli?" Andy's voice cut through the dark. "You okay?" A sob escaped my lips, triggering a fresh round of tears. I heard his sheets rustle and then his warm breath on my cheek. "What's wrong?" I didn't trust myself to speak. Instead, I tried to calm down.
"I just…it was a dream. Can I sleep with you?" I whispered pathetically.
"I guess." He took my hand and guided me across the small gap between the two beds. He climbed in first, making space for me. As I slid in, I pulled the cover over me and turned on my side so I was facing him. He was closer than I thought, a little less than a quarter of a metre away.
"Feel okay?" I nodded as my eyes adjusted to the dark. His hand found mine and he gave my fingers a reassuring squeeze. "I'm here. It's okay." He hummed the tune to 'Counting the Stars' and before I knew it, I was asleep.
I stretched and rolled over, expecting to find empty space. Instead, I hit something hard and human. My eyes flew open and I rolled back from Andy. His mouth was hanging open, his eyes still closed. I gazed at him and smiled.
"Why are you looking at me?" he mumbled, smiling a little. I jumped and laughed at myself.
"You scared me! Because you're very cute when you sleep." Yep, tough-girl image straight out the window. He beckoned for me to move closer to him and I shifted, bringing my face closer to his. It tasted like something died in my mouth so I tried my best to keep from breathing on him. He opened his eyes, placed a hand behind my neck and brought me closer. Before kissing my forehead and releasing me.
"Hey, lovebirds. You want breakfast before we – Woah! Woah!" Shaun barged through the door and almost fainted at the scene.
"You dickhead!" Andy exclaimed, throwing a pillow at his head. "We weren't doing anything!"
"Like fuck you weren't!" He retreated, swearing some more before slamming the door.
"I better go get ready," I announced, swinging my legs out of the bed.
"Good idea." Andy followed my example and moved towards his suitcase in the corner of the room. As I reached for the door handle, Andy called out to me.
"Ash, don't tell anyone about last night. I don't want fans trying to murder you. You're too precious." With that, he winked and grinned.
"I can take care of myself!" I protested, crossing my arms over my chest. His eyebrow rose.
"Tell me when you can get that piercing back in," he said simply. Giving him an exasperated look, I peeled open the door and went into the living room. Shaun was lounging on the couch with Sophia, watching True Blood.
"Sorry I disturbed your little…adventure," he said as I walked in. I shoved him playfully and sat on him.
"And I'm sorry your itty-bitty brain isn't big enough to comprehend the fact that nothing was going on!" Sophia looked perturbed and shifted uncomfortably.
"Coffee?" She asked, standing.
"Please," I grinned. Shaun asked for some too and she disappeared into our kitchen. I stood and spun to face Shaun.
"You tell anyone and you won't be playing guitar for a long, long time. Got it?" I hissed, crossing my arms.
"Oh, come on! I know you're joking. As if you would beat me up."
"I wouldn't doubt her if I were you," I heard Andy say from behind the couch. "Look what she did to my knee." He pulled out his phone and showed us a picture of his knee. Sure enough, there was a great blue and green bruise practically covering his knee.
"I'm so sorry! Did I really do this?" I cried, staring at the picture in horror. Lauren walked in then, wringing out her wet hair.
"What's up?" she asked, wandering over to us. My eyes dragged themselves away from the photo and to my friend.
"I'll let the kids explain. I'm having a shower," I said, striding towards my bedroom. Once I'd washed my hair and dried it, I straightened it and pulled it into a high, messy ponytail. Applying some black eyeliner and mascara, I carefully peeled off the patch that concealed half my eyebrow. Luckily, it didn't tear off any of the hairs. There was a small white scar slicing through the end of it and it was still a little red. I also took off the patch below my lip. That one was worse. It was red and scabbing a little. It wasn't so bad that I had to cover it up, so I left it. I had a few black bruises over my left eye from where Kara punched me, and the left side of my ribs was green and yellow. My knuckle had split and was swollen from when I'd punched Kara and I wrapped a small white bandage over my hand. Apart from all that, I slipped into my new pair of torn skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. After I got out of the shower, I packed everything into my suitcase and dragged it out to the lounge. Shaun grinned as I walked in. Suddenly, my sight was gone and I was being carried somewhere.
"What the…?" I laughed, relaxing as I was put down on something soft. I tried to peek, but someone put a blindfold over my eyes. "No fair!" I protested, crossing my arms. They laughed and told me to hold out my hands.
"No," I grinned, shaking my head. Someone gripped my wrists and forced me to open my palms. I recognised the smell of them instantly.
"Bradie, please let me go," I said sweetly.
"Sorry Ash. I can't," he apologised.
"Aww! Why not?"
"Because Andy said I couldn't." I groaned.
"Of course he did! Andy! Get your butt over here!" I felt his presence close by. "You mean little ass. Don't bully Bradie," I reprimanded him. He leaned close to my ear and I felt his hot breath tickle my cheek.
"What are you going to do about it?"
"When I get out of this, I'm going to kick your ass so bad you're not gonna want to show your face for a very long time."
"I'd like to see that!" Shaun exclaimed from close by.
"Stop saying ass, you ass!" Sophia cried. Suddenly, everyone went quiet and something cold was pressed into my hands. So cold, infact, that it burned.
"Shit!" I yelled. "What is this?"
"Don't drop it!" Lauren screeched, steadying my hands.
"What is it?" I repeated. Someone tore off my blindfold and I stared at the object in my hands. It was medium sized and rectangular. A box. I cautiously peeled off the lid and gazed at the contents. There was a snow-globe the size of a tennis ball, a scene of a city built in the middle. Little flakes of glitter littered the bottom of the globe, acting as the bright city lights.
"What…what's this for?" I whispered, blinking in awe at the glitter-globe.
"It's for your birthday. And for everything else. You've gotten us here and we're really thankful," Lauren whispered, hooking her arm around Sophia's shoulders.
"I don't deserve this. I've been a bitch to you guys sometimes."
"Yes you do," Sophia smiled sadly. "We know you need something to remind you of where you belong."
"Thankyou so much. I love it." I stood and ambled over to them, engulfing both into a hug.
"Hey, what about us?" Shaun cried. "We helped pick it out!" I looked towards my friends for verification and they nodded. I hugged Shaun, Bradie and then Andy. While I was in Andy's arms, I whispered in his ear.
"Thankyou." He grinned and held me for a second longer.
"No problem." When we pulled apart, all eyes were on us. After a moment, I broke the silence.
"Wait, you're eighteen?" Shaun asked, completely perplexed.
"Yeah, these two turn eighteen in like two weeks though," I replied.
"Hmph. You're all gonna be older than me…" Bradie sulked. We all laughed then fell silent.
"So…uh why did you guys freeze the box?" The glitter stirred as my hands shifted restlessly.
"Shaun's idea," Bradie said. "He thought it would make it more deceiving."
"Why would you want to make it deceiving?"
"So you wouldn't know what it was." I rolled my eyes.
"Of course I wouldn't know! It was in a box!"
"That wasn't the point!" Shaun interjected. "I wanted to make it more interesting."
"Well, Shauny, you did. And thank-you for burning all the skin off my hands. I appreciate it very much." He looked very proud of himself and gravitated towards the kitchen. Sophia followed, then Bradie and Lauren. This was planned. I swear it. Andy and I were alone.
"What…why did…how can…thank-you," I stammered, smiling at how pathetic I was.
"No problems." He leaned closer, brushing a finger across my cheek before moving away from me and towards his bedroom.