Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Two
We're A Boy Band Now
"Princess!"
"What the hell?" I was very lost when I was standing in my kitchen eating yogurt when a pair of arms wrapped around me, hugging me tightly as Luke's cheery voice rang through my ears.
"Luke," I exhaled, turning around to look at him smiling brightly. "Should I even ask what you're doing here?"
"Hey now, don't look more excited to see me," he mumbled sarcastically, grinning. "And no, you should be used to me being around. You weren't at school today...neither was Noah but he was hungover so where were you?"
Leo, Charlie, Kai and Ezra walked into the kitchen.
"Hey, Tiff," Leo smiled. "Where were you today?"
"I woke up late and didn't feel like coming for half the day," I shrugged lightly. Ezra came over to me, looking at me with suspicious, narrowed eyes.
"What?"
He shrugged, "Nothing. You look tired."
"That's because I didn't sleep," I grumbled, picking my yogurt from the counter as I continued eating it.
"Is everything okay?" Ezra asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Yes," I rolled my eyes before turning my attention to the other boys who were heading to the basement. "What is the whole boy band doing here anyways?"
"So we're a boy band now?" Charlie laughed. "I thought we were just the soccer stars."
"Oh please," I rolled my eyes again. "You aren't all that amazing. Couldn't possibly compete with One Direction."
"You're a Directioner?" Luke looked at me in amusement, holding back laughs.
"Technically we're missing a member," Leo mumbled as he opened the cabinet to grab a bag of chips.
"Nah, Noah's on his way over now," Charlie said to him. "He said he'll grab some pizza too."
"Oh thank God," Kai muttered, a dreamy look in his eyes as he thought about pizza. "I am starved."
"I am not a directioner," I gave Luke a flat look as he continued looking at me in amusement. "The band is basically broken at this point."
Luke lifted an eyebrow, "You keep up to date with them, huh? Must mean you're a Directioner. So tell me, were you devastated when Zayn left?"
I narrowed my eyes at him, "Clearly you are the one keeping tabs on them. Which by the way, I am not doing. I just happen to have this thing called Twitter."
"Hey," Leo grinned as he spotted the chips he wanted. "Send me a follow."
"Will do." I mumbled with a smile before turning to Luke again. "So, Directioner, huh?"
Luke came over and swung an arm around my shoulders, "I'll admit it but only because it's to you, princess."
"Wow, I have never been this flattered, Luke. I appreciate your trust in me," I muttered sarcastically, a un-heartfelt smile on my lips which Luke accepted anyways.
"So, you didn't come to the party last night." Luke said as he followed me into the lounge room although all the others went into the basement.
"You're not going to join your boy band?" I asked, raising my eyebrows as I took a seat on the couch and crossed one of my legs in my lap. I wasn't really surprised because it was Luke and he had shown interest in being my friend since we first met.
Luke shrugged as he sat with me on the couch, both of us turned so we were facing each other, "Nope. I much rather hang with you. So, why didn't you come?"
I gave him a flat look, "If you haven't noticed by now, I am not really the party type."
"Hm," he looked at me in thought. "Ezra was always at parties in Saratoga. I mean when he hardly came to school here in Long Grove because he was always visiting back and fourth to Saratoga in the beginning when he first moved here. He'd always show up at school after the weekends spent there, hungover."
Luke was observant. "Just because Ezra parties doesn't mean I have to." My voice was firm, no emotion. I think my point was quite solid.
"I know," Luke nodded, leaning back on the couch. "I just meant that there seemed to always be a party going on in Saratoga Springs. When I first met you I assumed you liked to party since you Ezra hang out a lot."
I looked at Luke. Luckily for me, the doorbell rang which gave me a solid excuse to not have to further say anything to him about the topic.
I got up and rushed to the door, confused for a moment when I saw Noah.
"Hey, again." He smiled, a box of pizza in hand as he walked in. "Hey, Luke."
Luke grinned, "Hey, Noah. The rest of the guys are in the basement."
I walked back to my spot on the couch, silently hoping Luke would drop the subject.
"You guys want pizza?" Noah asked as he came into the lounge room to Luke and I instead of heading to the basement.
Luke smiled brightly as he helped himself to a slice. Noah looked at me with a questioning look on his face but I simply shook my head 'no'.
"Aren't you going to head down?" I asked Noah when he took a seat on one of the couches, deciding to stay with Luke and I instead of joining the other boys downstairs.
"Well, unlike every other teenage male, I for one am tired of playing fortnite so the guys can wait," Noah shrugged, a grin on his face as he took a slice of pizza and closed the box. "What are you guys doing up here anyways?"
"Charming here wouldn't leave me alone, ruining my plan to re-watch Breaking Bad." I said dryly, shooting the boys an aloof smile.
Noah chuckled while Luke smiled innocently, "Come on, you love hanging with me."
I titled my head, "No... not so sure about that."
Luke feigned a look of hurt, placing a hand on his heart, "I'm emotionally unstable because of that, princess. I thought what we had was real."
I scoffed, "Only in your dreams."
"Oh, you can be in my dreams anytime." He shot me a wink, only joking but I scrunched my face up in a dramatic look of disgust anyways.
The rest of that evening Luke, Noah and I sat in the lounge talking about random things and watching a few episodes of Breaking Bad until the others came upstairs wondering where Noah was.
I was starting to get used to this group. I guess they weren't all that bad.