Boy Next Door (Michael Clifford)

Chapter 6: I Told You So

Chapter 6: I Told You So

I turned off the lights and hopped into bed with my phone in my hand, just in case Michael texted me back. After a few minutes, I heard something at my window. I knew it was Michael, which worried me because he usually only comes over during the day. I rushed to let him in.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"What? Nothing's wrong, I just have news and I had to tell you in person." I dragged him over to sit on the bed and flipped the switch on my bedside lamp.

"Well, go on," I urged.

He just grinned and stared at my pajamas, which were just an old t-shirt that said "I love boys with accents" and Soffe shorts. I hit him in the shoulder as I whisper-yelled "stop it," trying to keep quiet so my parents wouldn't hear. "Just tell me."

"You know that email we got and we all thought it was fake?" I nodded, the One Direction email. "Turns out, it's real."

"I told you so," I said, trying to be smug. "Oh, my god, so you're really going on tour? When do you leave?"

"A few days," he said carefully, like he was trying to weigh my reaction.

"Oh," I said, trying not to sound disappointed. "That's so cool, your dreams are coming true."

He whispered something so quietly I'm not sure he meant for me to hear. It sounded like, "not all of them."

"What?"

"Nothing," he quickly recovered. I wonder what he meant, but I didn't want to push it.

"What about school?"

"Me and Cal are dropping out."

"Not Luke?"

"No, his mom is making him get a tutor," he rolled his eyes.

"What a nerd," we laughed. Luke has always been the smart one of them all. "I'm gonna miss you guys."

"I'll miss you, too." We just looked at each other for a moment before he leaned in to kiss me. It was the first time we kissed since The Night Of The All Time Low CD, which was about a month ago.

My hand went up to his cheek and he put his hands on my waist. He leaned into me and I rested my head on my pillow. He laid on top of me and I lightly tugged at his faded blue hair. It all seemed so fast and so slow at the same time.

His fingers found the skin under my t-shirt, making me shiver. "You okay?" he said and I nodded. He rolled over onto his side, facing me, and kicked off his shoes.

"Fuck, Ev," he whispered. I looked at him questioningly. "What am I gonna do?"

"You're gonna go on tour," I said. "And have the time of your life."

He looked at me sadly, as if it was the worst news he's ever had to break to someone.

~~~

I woke up to the sound of my window opening. I looked over to see Michael swinging his leg over.

"Hey," I said. I glanced at my alarm clock which read 6:13am.

"Hey," he said back. "I fell asleep." He just stood there awkwardly with one leg out the window and I giggled, thinking of what it must look like from outside. "I have to start packing."

"What day are you leaving?" I asked.

"Monday." Today is Saturday. "See you later," and he ducked out the window. It's way too early to be up on a Saturday, I thought, and went back to sleep.

When I woke up again, it was almost 11. I checked my phone and saw texts from Luke and Michael.

Luke: Hey, we're all hanging out at my house.

Michael: Come to lukes

Michael: Eva wake up

That was only twenty minutes ago, so I'm not that far behind. "Let me shower first," I texted to Michael.

Michael: You shld probably wake up before you shower

I rolled my eyes and got out of bed. When I got out of the shower I picked out an outfit to wear. A long-sleeved black top and black shorts. The top was supposed to be a crop top but I'm too short so it only shows about an inch of my skin.

I walked into the kitchen to grab a granola bar.

"Where are you going?" mom asked as she poured a cup of coffee, noticing I was wearing my shoes.

"Luke's," I responded.

"How are you getting there?"

"Walking."

"Stay safe," she said.

"Always am," and I walked out the door.

I sent "on my way" to Luke and Michael. And after a moment I sent "who's there?"

Luke: The squad

I'm guessing the usual. It took about fifteen minutes to walk there. When I arrived I just walked in and Luke's dog greeted me, wagging her tail.

"Molly!" I exclaimed and crouched down to pet her. This is why I like Luke's house. That, and his mom Liz is like my second mom.

"I swear you love my dog more than me," Luke said from the doorway to the living room.

"Well you're not wrong," I said. I wish my parents would let me get a dog. They say when I move out I can do whatever I want. Lame.

I slipped my shoes off and followed Luke into the living and everyone was there already, picking out their characters for Smash 4 on the Wii.

"Hey, guys," I said. "So are you guys done packing?"

"Packing?" Jaycee asked. She and Kristina looked equally confused.

"Eva, that was supposed to be surprise," Michael said.

"You told her!?" said Calum.

"Well you didn't tell me that," I defended.

"What's going on?" said Kristina.

"We're going on tour!" Ashton exclaimed.

"With One Direction," Calum added.

"Shut up!" the girls squealed.

"You have to tell me if Larry is real," Jaycee said.

"Jaycee, you're a Directioner and you never told me?" I said. "You made fun of me for years."

"Oops," she said.

"What's a Larry?" Ashton asked.

"Oh you will find out soon enough," Jaycee said.