(Pj's POV)
*THUNK* "Fucking hell...?" I muttered as I woke up. I looked around the lounge of Dan and Phil's apartment; what the hell just fell? I heard someone moving in the kitchen. I looked at my phone; 3:21 AM. Right, let's go see who decided to rob my friends' house. I got up and quietly walked into the kitchen. I turned on the the light to see Mackenzie laying on the floor with an ice pack.
"What ho, Mackenzie," I said with a smirk.
"Hey."
"Now, what would you be doing in the kitchen at three AM?" I inquired.
"I needed an ice pack."
"For what? Or, rather, whom?"
"For me, and my wrist."
"What happened to your wrist?"
"I...er... fell off of my bed..."
"Uh huh, sure. Weren't you out with Collin? Where'd you guys go?"
"ShakeAway."
"Alright, well, I'm going back to sleep..." I could tell she was lying, but I didn't want to push it. "'Night... I mean, morning."
"Nirning?"
"That works," I said, smiling and walking back into the lounge. I watched as she headed ack to her room and close the door.
4 Hours Later
My face vibrated. Correction: my phone vibrated on my face.
New Text: Marcus B
Hey hows that kid sister of dan's doing? sam and i ran into her last night w/ her bf getting beat up by some drunk bastards
"Well then."
"What?" Chris asked.
"Just got a text from Marcus explaining some late night/early morning confusion." I showed Chris my phone.
"It's lucky that he was there."
I nodded. "You think we should tell Dan and Phil?" I asked.
"Yeah, I think we have to."
I sighed. "Not really looking forward to this, but here goes." I walked into the kitchen where Phil was making coffee and toast.
"You guys want anything?" Phil asked.
"Tea for me, please," I said, sitting at the breakfast bar.
"Same," Chris said, sitting in the other seat.
"Where's Dan?" I asked; pretty sure he'd like to know this first...
"Messing with his Hobbit Hair and Kenzie's in the shower."
"Right." I slurped my tea.
"You guys don't have the camera out right?" Dan said walking in wearing his llama hat.
"Not yet," Chris said. "Take that llama hat off and I'll turn it on."
"Wait, we need to tell you and Phil something." Dan raised his eyebrows in question. I handed over my phone.
"Shit, what'd she do now?"
"Wasn't her, it was her boyfriend and his drunk friends," I explained.
"Is she injured?" Phil asked.
"I woke up to her in the kitchen with an ice pack on her wrist around 3:30 this morning. I figured I'd ask her about it later today, but then Marcus texted me, providing me with some explanation."
"Someone should talk to her," Chris suggested.
"I will," Dan said, grabbing a coffee mug from the cabinet. Just then we heard the shower turn off down the hall.
(Mackenzie's POV)
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body and another one around my hair. I open the door slightly, checking that no one was in the hallway before quickly heading into my room. I put on a pair of white skinny jeans, and a black and purple striped long sleeved shirt. I sat on the floor, brushing out my hair, when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," I called.
Dan opened the door. "Hi."
"Hey, you can come in you know, I don't usually bite."
"Except for that one time when you were like, six..."
"That's why I said usually. Can I put my hair up, or does it have to be down and unstraightened?"
"Down and unstraightened." He sat down on the window seat. "Look, Mac, um... what happened last night with you and Collin?"
"What do you mean, we went and got shakes and then walked around a bit," I said, pulling down the sleeves down a little further.
"Well, um, Pj got a text from Marcus asking if you were ok..."
"Oh yeah, I saw him and Sam Pepper and I sorta fangirled and banged my wrist into a lampost," I lied smoothly, or at least I hoped so, "Nyan cat or Totoro earrings?"
"Totoro; but the text said something about Collin getting beat up..."
"Hmm, that's weird. It must of happened after I left. I'll ask him about it today." I said, turning my back towards Dan, acting like I was looking for something in my closet, knowing that if he saw me he would know I was lying.
"Mac, stop lying and tell me what happened. I'm not mad, I'm just worried."
"I'm not lying," I said with my back turned to him.
"Mac."
"Dan."
"Don't lie to me. Please."
"Honestly it's nothing, can we just drop it," I said turning around to face him.
"Ok," he said, sighing. "Phil's making breakfast if you want any," he said wearily.
"Trust me, if it was something big I'd talk to one of you about it," I said giving him a hug even though I only came up to around his shoulders.
"Ok," Dan said, sighing. "I just don't want you to get hurt."
"Savvy, now shoo, I need to do my makeup."
"Remember, don't straighten your hair!"
"Can I blow dry it?"
"I guess; it just can't be straight."
"Huffff fine, I'll be out in like five or ten."
"Ok." He finally left my room.
"Thanks dollface," I called after him before applying foundation, mascara and strawberry lip gloss. I decided to put my hair in a high bun even if they were going to make me take it out.
"Hey guys!" I said as I skipped into the kitchen.
"Nu-uh girl, that hair isn't going to work, take it out," Chris said it a snooty Capital like accent.
"Do I have toooooo?" I whined.
"Obviously; either take it down or we cut it off," Chris said, grabbing the kitchen sheers out of a drawer.
"You wouldn't dare," I said backing up a step.
"Don't push it; you gotta keep your hair down and unstraightened the entire day."
"Fine, but I will have to put it in a ponytail for chem lab," I said, taking my hair out of the bun and shaking it out so it fell in loose waves to the middle of my back.
"That's fine, but the rest of the day it's down," Chris said.
"I hate wet hair."
"Deal with it, Howell," Dan said, shaking his wet Hobbit Hair all over the place.
"See, you guys are lucky; you never had the feeling of like ten pounds of wetness on your head dripping down your shirt."
Chris spewed his coffee across the breakfast bar.
"OMG not like that, you pervert!"
Chris tried, and failed, to contain his laughter.
"You. Are. Perverted." I said hitting him on the shoulder with every word.
"And I take pride in that fact," Chris announced. Pj grinned.
"All of you are seriously perverted."
"Just realizing that, Mac?" Dan asked, also laughing.
"No, I just had a wish that you four would be less perverted; it didn't come true."
"Oh well. What should we do today?" Chris asked.
"I have class all day."
"Right, you're still in school," Dan smirked.
"Yeah, so...?"
"You better get going," Pj said. "Symes doesn't like it when people are late."
"Right, he is gonna be so mad at me for not turning in Blackbird-"
"I emailed it to him, like you asked," Pj said, slurping his tea. "He knows this situation. But he'll still want you on time for class."
"Thanks," I said giving him a hug, "Bye guys," I said, giving them all hugs before I headed out the door and to the lift with my backpack and laptop bag.
After one agonizing lift ride, a stop at Starbucks, a tube ride and one trek across campus, I made it to the English Language Department. I headed into the class and was the second one there for a change, YAY.
"Good morning, Miss Howell," Mr. Symes said from his desk. "Mr. Liguori sent me your final draft of Blackbird and explained what happened. I must say, this piece is fantastic!"
"Thanks, I just write what comes to mind."
"Well, I think this one is my favorite of yours so far; keep up the good work," Symes said smiling.
I nodded before setting up my laptop and my journal on a small table next to my favorite armchair near the window. That's right, we were the one class that didn't use desks, for it 'restricted our ability to think freely and be creative.'
"Hey, Autumn," I said to the other girl in the room.
"Hey, Kenz," Autumn said, not looking up from her keyboard. I leaned over trying to see what she was doing, but she exited out of the window too quickly, leaving only a blank word document open.
"Hacking more websites?" I whispered.
"Maybe... what's it to you?" she asked defensively.
"My girl, chillllllllll," I said dragging out the 'l'.
"You've gone American on me," she said with a smirk.
"It happens sometimes, I think it just confuses most people."
"HI! OMG Mackenzie I heard what happened, that must be so hard for you. I'm always here if you want to talk or something," May gushed as she sat down in the other armchair next to Autumn. We both glared at her.
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe I wanted some space?" Autumn asked her coldly.
"Oh no she didn't," I said snapping my fingers in a zed formation.
"I told you, there is a hint of Haromony (harryXhermione) in the books, and the movies! And Rowling said herself she thought about killing Ron. I personally think he should have died in the first year!" Tommy argued as he walked in with Melanie.
"If Ron died in the first book, then I would never have read the rest. Imagine what would have happened to the Weasley clan! Devastated! Percy would've blamed himself and committed suicide-"
"He should have, he was a freaking twat!"
"No argument there, but still - you can't kill off Ron."
"He was absolutely useless, a total wanker if you ask me."
"Fine, you keep thinking that," Melanie said, "you're such a Hufflepuff," she muttered.
"Hey, no Hufflepuff discrimination," I called across the room to them.
"Sorry, but he's such a devout Ravenclaw he takes it as an insult," Melanie explained.
"What's a Hufflepuff?" May asked, earning her glares from all over the room.
"Hufflepuff's are particularly good finders," I said, standing up before sitting down again. Melanie clapped her hands over her mouth to stop her laughter.
"High five for awesome quoting," she said.
"I don't get it," May said.
"I want her out now! Just leave!" Tommy said.
"I second that," Benny said, entering and whipping off his scarf.
"I third that," Caroline agreed.
"Play nice, children," Mr. Symes said, not looking up from his newspaper.
"But professor, she doesn't know what Harry Potter is," Melanie whined in an extremely posh accent.
"The books are on the bookcase if she wanted to read them; and she never said she didn't know who the Boy Who Lived was, she just doesn't know what a Hufflepuff is. There is a great difference, my dear."
"Hufflepuff's are particularly good finders," I said again, but this time John said it with me.
"And now she knows; shall we start class, everyone?"
"Tim and Abby aren't here yet," Caroline said.
"Good point; we'll wait for the lovebirds to arrive." Mr. Symes went back to reading his paper.
"Not to be awkward or anything," Benny started, "but how gross was the body? Where are you living now? Did you get any pictures? Were you arrested? Can you lick your elbow? Were you interrogated? Are you going to write a story about it?"
"Really gross; with my brother; nope thank god; no, but close; no; yes; maybe, I'm still recovering."
"What the hell Benny, you just can't go around asking people stuff like that!" Autumn said.
"It's cool, any last question or the topics closed FOREVER!"
"Why is your hair down?" Abby asked, walking in hand in hand with Tim.
"Er, I lost a dare with my brother and his friends and me Dan, Phil and Chris have to leave our hair unstraightened all day and I can't put it up."
"That must suck," Caroline commented.
"Okay, enough about Miss Howell's hair. We are starting a new topic today. Due on Christmas Eve, I want a 50 page story that must contain magic, a new type of animal, three movie references, a cat, a holiday, time travel, and a happy memory from your childhood," Mr. Symes said writing the requirements on the board. Everyone was either typing what he said, or writing it into notebooks like I was.
"You will also need a broken relationship, a working relationship, a needy child, a character with an addiction, and a mary-sue who you may not kill off," he added, giving Tommy a stern look at the end.
"I want a rough outline by lets say... Thursday, Friday by the latest," Mr. Symes said before picking up his newspaper and going back to reading. After a few minutes he looked up and said, "all of your mentors are out of class right now if you would like to discuss things with them."
We took that as our cue to leave. Everyone packed up their computers and headed out to find their mentors. I texted Pj: New assignment where r u?
And in less than five minutes, I got a reply
"Still at dans place editing stuff"
"C u in 10"
I got back on the tube and retraced my steps from the morning, except foregoing the Starbucks this time.
A/N so hey guys! Tell me what your thinking! yeah, good so review review review lovies.