Chasing After Summer

chapter four

hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving and safe black friday shopping! happy december! enjoy the chapter :)

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summer's chapter

four.

My eyes widened slightly. I was a bit taken back, I'll admit. I just met this guy and he was already requesting my help. I wasn't going to volunteer for anything that I didn't know what I was getting in to. That would be like volunteering for the Hunger Games.

Maybe it was rude of me, but I didn't shake his hand. He awkwardly coughed then scratched behind his neck. Even then I didn't feel so sorry for him.

"What would you need my help with, Niall?" I inquired.

"You, eh, met my friends earlier, right?" Niall nodded.

"Mr. Gatsby and his bunch?"

Niall gave me an odd look, but I challenged him to correct me with a look of my eyes.

"Sure. Yes. Isabelle, what did you think of them?"

I wanted to say beautiful, but he'd think I'm crazy if I called his best mates beautiful. I bit my lip and settled for the next thing that came to my mind.

"Restricted," I whispered, only loud enough that Niall could hear me. "They don't seem very happy. I mean, they do, but it's not true happiness. It's like they're constantly holding back." I slowly met his eyes. "Does that make sense?"

Niall straightened up a little, not leaning on the car so much in the deserted parking lot. "You took the words right out of my mouth." He cocked his head to the side and looked me up and down. I didn't feel intimidated when he stared at me. It wasn't like how Harry was. It was just like he wanted to get a good look at me. Not for my body, but trying to figure out who I was, almost.

"You're smarter than you look." He admitted and suddenly he grew very bashful. "D-Don't take that the wrong way, but - "

I laughed, for the first time since we began to talk. "No, no. I get it. I look like a prostitute."

We both burst out into laughter.

"This isn't the real me." I said, gesturing to myself and my flashy clothing. "Honestly, I just want to get home after I throw these heels into the Atlantic Ocean."

"We can talk at your house if you'd like," Niall offered politely. "I kind of want to see the real you."

He said it in a friendly way, so I replied in a friendly way. A smirk appeared on my lips as I kicked my heels off. I quickly bent down to pick them up and looked at Niall again.

"You are so going to regret that, Niall."

"Oh man."

"JOSHUA!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"WHAT?!" He yelled back, tearing his eyes away from the beach and back at me and Niall.

"I'M READY TO GO HOME."

"BYE THEN."

"FINE. SEE YOU LATER." I broke out into a grin as I waved goodbye. "You ready to go, pretty boy?"

"Lead the way." Niall shoved his hands in his pockets as we trekked down the beach and towards my humble home.

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"And that was the time I climbed onto my roof." I wrapped up my story as Niall and I sat in the kitchen. I pulled out some pints of ice cream as he turned beet red from my stories. I got him laughing so hard, I was amazed that he was friends with the rest of the boys. "As you can see, I made it off the roof or else I wouldn't be here. I also almost broke my jaw. I jumped off the diving board backwards and my jaw just completely hit the diving board's edge. Thought I was going to die. Man. I was like six."

"How are you still alive?" He laughed as I pulled out two spoons. I handed him one with a laugh.

"God's only kept me alive for His entertainment," I opened up my ice cream as Niall did the same with his. We had tons of ice cream around so I didn't mind sharing. "I've had one too many near death experiences, you know." I let the creamy goodness melt on my tongue as I closed my eyes and let out a dramatic moan.

"You're insane." Niall laughed, sitting on a stool at the counter.

I winked at him and with a mouthful of ice cream I managed to say thank you. Once I swallowed, I started to ask him some questions.

"So, what did you do in the UK for fun?"

Niall frowned as he sucked on his spoon. He spoke with ice cream in his mouth too, making me smile.

"Nothin' really." He swallowed. "The boys and I used to pull all kinds of pranks and play football and go to late shows, but things have changed. The boys have changed."

"Oh."

"They've gotten all serious. And maybe it's me being immature but I hate the fact that they're so uptight."

"There's nothing wrong with being immature. You never have to grow up."

He smiled sadly and it hurt me to see his mood change so dramatically. "See, Louis used to be like Peter Pan. Biggest kid out there. Now, he's all sad and doesn't crack jokes like he used too." Niall sighed.

"Probably because he's got a whiney brat for a girlfriend." I mumbled.

Niall almost choked on his ice cream, and I shot him an innocent grin, batting my eyelashes.

"You just met her and you already think so lowly of her?"

"She seems sweet, but just looking at them I can tell she's bringing him down in some way."

"You're right." Niall whispered. "So, why do you think I needed your help?"

"You had a really bad craving for some Ben and Jerry's ice cream?"

"No."

"I'm clueless then." I said, resting my chin in my hand. "What do you need?"

"The boys have lost their fun and your friend Josh told me if anyone can break them it'd be you. So I need you to help the boys learn to live again."

"Big request." I bit my lip. "What makes you think I can help you with that?"

Niall snorted and we both started to laugh at that. He chose me because I knew how to have a good time. He chose me because I was the only one who just might bring the old boys back. The ones from the X Factor days. The young boys with big smiles and even bigger dreams.

"I'll do it. I'll fix your boys."