The Nine Boys - Vanoss Crew

Eight

(Delirious POV)

I wave goodbye to Dad as I enter the school gates and into the busy playground. I look around, on the look out for the boy with the bright red jacket, his short tuft of black hair and deep brown eyes. I miss him, and Tyler too, with his bright blue eyes, pig hat and potty mouth that no ten year old should have. 

"Johnathan! Over here!" I turn and see Marcel waving me over to where the other boys were standing by the bike shed. I wave back and make my towards them.

"Hey guys!" I smile.

"How's Evan and Tyler doing?" Brian asked.

"I'm not really sure, we had to leave them there over night, but they got in touch with their parents before we left. Craig wasn't happy to leave though."

"Well, Craig pretty much follows Tyler everywhere, they're the closest friends out of all of us." Daithi said with a small smile. I looked around, and that's when it hit me.

"Hey, where is Craig?" I asked. Our eyes scanned the playground, but there was no sight of the pink haired boy.

"I guess he's not here yet." Brock stated. "I'll call him." He took out his phone and began dialing the number before bringing the phone up to ear. He took a step back away from us as he waited.

"Anyway Johnathan, you wanna come over to my house later tonight?" Marcel asked. "We're having a massive slumber party at my place and it just wouldn't feel right if you weren't there."

I stood there for a moment, a little overwhelmed. "I-I've never been to a slumber party before."

"WHAT?!" They all cried. I felt so stupid, my Dad never let me go round any friend's house to sleep. He was always very protective of me, which was good but also got quite annoying.

"Well then you have to go! It's gonna be so much fun! We're each bringing treats for us to eat while we're there." Said Brian.

"Erm, I'll have to ask my Dad, but I don't know if he'll let me." I say.

"We live on the same street, I highly doubt he'd say no to that!" Marcel laughed slightly. "But it's okay if you can't come, we wouldn't hold it against you or anything."

"Thanks." I smiled. It felt weird, I had only known them for a day, and now they were inviting me to a slumber party.

"He's just coming in now." Brock said, joining the group again.

"We just asked Johnathan to Marcel's slumber party, he said he's never been to one before." Lui said.

"Really?!" Brock exclaimed looking at me. "Well you're gonna love it! We have slumber parties every month at each others house. Last month was at mine, and Tyler found my Dad's beer and got so drunk that he passed out in the bathtub. It was hilarious!" He laughed. Soon everyone was laughing and I giggled under mask.

"Hey guys!" We all turned to see a boy, large glasses, piercing blue eyes and soft brown hair. He looked like ...

"Craig! You dyed your hair!"  Lui cried. Craig ran his small hand through his hair.

"I figured it would be better than having a bright pink head all the time." He smiled. "Has anyone heard from Evan or Tyler yet?"

My face fell, thinking back to me and Craig crying in the hospital bathroom, having to leave them behind all alone.

"No, sorry." Marcel said, saving me from having to.

Craig's smile faded. "Oh, okay." He sighed.

"Hey Craig, are you going to the slumber party tonight?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yep! I'm bringing in something special this time!" Craig said, his sweet smile returning.

"What is it?" I asked, curious.

"It's a secret." He said, pressing his finger to his lips. The school bell rang and we headed to class. I sat down in my seat and looked over at the empty seat next to me. I sighed with a frown.

"Hey Johnathan!" I heard a familiar voice call out ...