After devouring a takeaway pizza generously paid for by Brad as an apology for leaving me with 'potential smack headed rapists that scared the shit out of him', I began to rethink my argument with Emily. We'd been best friends for so long and it was amazing how we'd managed to be accepted into the same unviersity. I guess being around someone that long is suffocating, and it was pretty much inevitable. I did feel incredibly guilty about calling her out on stuffing her bra in front of Callum. Even though Callum was a nice guy, he had a mouth like a foghorn and I could guarantee all of our friends would know about it within the next 24 hours. In my defense, she picked on the point that she knew would get to me the most. My insecurity.
My self esteem wasn't great admittedly, and I was always paranoid about the way I looked or people looking at me for a second too long. When I looked in the mirror it made me want to cry. It made me ache, and made my skin itch. What I saw in the mirror was a miserable girl with an ugly round face and shitty ratty long hair that previously made her feel like a mermaid but now made her look like a witch. I hated myself, and I didn't blame people that hated me too. Emily knew this, and was always trying to make me feel better, trying to fix me. This is why she told me about stuffing her bra. She made the point that everybody has insecurities and people do different things to deal with them. This helped a little I suppose and I'm grateful for that. Emily wasn't stunningly beautiful but she wasn't hard on the eyes, and knowing that someone so composed as Emily had things she hated about herself too was relieving.
"You feeling any better now?" Callum asked, snapping me back into reality. He was eating the last piece of his pizza, dangling it into his mouth as he threw his head backwards.
"Yeah, are the claws away now or will I be expecting another apple to the neck?" Brad laughed, shoving me slightly.
"The claws are gone for now." I smiled, taking my pizza box to the recycle bin. "I just had a stressful night that's all, London scares me."
"Me and you both, and I've lived here for 12 years." Brad smiled, putting his feet up on the table and folding his arms behind his head.
"It's a good job Matty walked you home. What even happened then?" Callum asked, brushing the final pizza flour off his hands.
"Not a lot really. We just spoke about the band and how he was originally the drummer and stuff. They used to have loads of band names before they settled on The 1975." I shrugged, leaning on the counter top. Callum had thankfully cleaned up the mess whilst I changed into my pyjamas. Dalmations were now decorating the fluffy pink fabric covering my legs instead of tea stained jeans.
"The 1975? That's unsual, I like it though. Why are they called that?" Callum raised his eyebrow, before shoving Brad's feet off the table top.
"Something about being given a book with a date in it that said '1 June The 1975' and how he thought the use of 'the' was interesting. They were all trying to think of a new name and he remembered it and said it was perfect." I smiled, remembering my previous conversation with Matty. "That's an odd name, unusual. I like it." he had smiled as I'd told him my name - my full name. The fact he'd asked such a thing and asked 'who I really was' was mysterious, just like him. It made me feel as if he was actually interested, rather than just making polite conversation. I don't know, he was confusing me and I'd only spent a couple of hours in his company. I just hoped I'd be given the chance to spend some more.
"So when do you think Emily'll come back? I rely on her ironing my clothes every morning." Brad yawned.
"Depends when she manages to detangle her tongue from Noah's." Callum shrugged before walking towards his room. "Goodnight losers."
--------
Emily still wasn't back in the morning which was slightly concerning, but truthfully we were all a lot happier without her bossing us around or barking about what time it was and how we were all going to be late to class. I'd managed to get up early, shower and dry my hair so that it was it's normal caramel coloured bouncy curls rather than dark brown strands clutching to my forehead. I silently thanked Mrs Rowbuck's surgery so I wouldn't have to awkwardly sit next to her in Writing later, even though I knew avoiding her would be short lived. I changed into my work uniform and headed downtown to the vintage record store for my morning shift. My job just consisted of placing records in alphabetical order and genre and working the till. I got paid a lot which was a bonus and my boss was a total babe, but really the music they played there was just amazing. Oasis, Rolling Stones and Blink-182 paired with the odd shitty song from the pop charts to entice 'hipster' teenage girls into coming into the shop made it worth it all.
"Hey Doug." I shouted to the back room as I slung my bag over the checkout counter and removed my leather jacket and hung it up on the coat hanger by the door.
"Avery!" Doug's voiced boomed as I heard a crashing sound before he emerged from behind the curtained doorway. He was a large man but small in height and he had to turn sideways to be able to walk through the narrow doorway. "There's a new employee back there and truthfully he's making a mess. Can you go talk him through everything? I really need a coffee and a scone. Or three."
"No problem." I laughed as he smiled thankfully before exiting the front door, making the bell above it chime as he opened it. I made my way to the back, adjusting the hem of my shirt before turning the corner and seeing a guy bent down on his knees surrounded by scattered record sleeves. He looked up and I froze.
"Adam?!"
YOU ARE READING
You (Matty Healy)
Fanfiction"You're a good girl, do you know that?" He exhaled deeply with a disbelieving smile, pulling me to lie next to him. "Which is probably why I find you so hot. Those innocent eyes, fuck. I was done for. I always have been." "You don't mean that." I l...
