The Official Boyband Handbook

[17] The Party

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❝ I've found a reason for me

to change who I used to be

a reason to start over new

and the reason is you ❞

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Chapter Seventeen - The Party

In all honesty, the last thing on Frankie’s mind by Friday evening was the party she had promised Colin she would attend. Within the humourous chats with Louis and Zayn, cooped up in their dorm room, getting to know each other all over again, the thought had simply passed her mind. She hated when she was forgetful like she was, and despite that, she could not help it.

Frankie was standing next to Louis in the small kitchen where the residents of the student house did their cooking. In her own complicated manner, she tried explaining to him the art of making Mac ‘n Cheese from a box. Her rapid hand movements made him laugh and her explanations confused him to the point where he was forced to grab her shoulders to quiet her.

“Calm down,” he said, chuckling, “I don’t understand a thing, ya know?”

She blushed, embarrassed. “Sorry. I-I just-“

“Frankie, I’m joking.” He replied, his eyes shining with amusement. “I can boil water and pour a box of macaroni into a pot well enough.”

She smiled her body no longer tense. Just as her mouth opened to speak further, her mobile went off and she scrambled to answer it, embarrassed once again by her choice of ringtone. Frankie was one of those people who hated sticking to one thing for too long. She would rather see and feel change on a day-to-day basis than sit around for nothing to happen. Only this past weekend, she had managed to rearrange her bedroom for the second time in three months and then switch her ringtone to melody that never failed to grace her lips with a tender smile.

Louis watched as she slid open the iPhone and answered the call, turning slightly from him and the stove to speak to the person at the other end. Her eyes sent him a look of ‘just one moment’ while her face seemed highly apologetic. He could not understand why and realized that maybe that’s just how she was. Maybe Frankie felt sorry for many aspects of her life she could not control and in spite of knowing this, her ears still turned red and her sentences became stutters.

“Oh, Colin, hi,” She greeted, the ends of her lips turning up in a knowing smile. “Yeah, sorry, it slipped my mind.” Colin, whoever he was, said something in return to which Frankie grinned broadly and replied, “of course! I made you a promise, didn’t I? I’ll be there…okay. All right, bye.”

When she turned off the phone, Louis was quick to ask, “Who was that?”

“A friend,” replied Frankie, placing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She bit down on her bottom lip, contemplating her next question. Louis noticed immediately and prodded her to ask. So she did, “how do you feel about attending a party with me tonight?”

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