Mended Hearts | Johannie

Chapter Tweleve

Lauren's POV

"You two know there is this thing called talking, right?" I say as I climb in the car. John glares at me and mouths, shut up dummy. He waits impatiently while I buckle my seatbelt.
Emily looks out the window and John focuses on the road, tightly gripping the steering wheel. I shake my head and turn up the radio, hoping it will make the silence more bearable.
Unfortunately, it happens to be one of Annie's songs. My brother frowns and I sink lower in my seat, wishing I could just disappear. Good job, I think, You just made thing so much better.
When we get to the studio, John gets out and glances at Emily, "Do whatever you want while you're here. Lauren will entertain you or something. I'll be busy working on my new song." He looks away and then walks towards the front doors, without waiting for us.
Emily turns to me and tilts her head to the side, "Did I do something wrong? I mean it's not like we're best friends or anything, but I didn't think he hated me that much." She looks confused and slightly annoyed.
"No," I say, "He's just moody. And his ex girlfriend who he hated, who also happens to be his ex best friend, and our old next door neighbor, well, she broke his heart. Again."
I pause, "Plus he's just like that. It's a John thing. One minute, he's totally fine and the next minute he wants to snap you in half. I think he has some problems. Except when I told him that and suggested therapy, he told me to shut up and get a life."
Before I can continue telling her all of my brother's problems, I get distracted. A car door slams shut and I see Carson getting out of his black BMW. He doesn't see us, as he's busy talking to someone on his phone.
Uh oh, I think, This isn't going to be good. I grab Emily's arm and drag her towards the studio. "Where are we going? And why are we running?" She asks.
"To prevent someone from getting murdered," I calmly reply. Her eyes widen as I drag her inside and look around for my brother. Or for Carson. And more importantly...for signs of life.

Asher's POV

The recording studio is empty when I walk inside. [a/n: I already warned you this would be a chaotic mess. At least it'll be a drama, tea filled, one!] And then I hear shouting and occasionally a stomping noise.
I glance at my mom and she only shrugs, "I have errands to run. See you in a few hours." She smiles and blows me a kiss, "Have fun." With that, she turns and walks out of the studio.
As I walk down the hallway, I see the Orlando siblings on one side and the Lueders/Bartels siblings are on the other side. Neither pair looks happy or even somewhat calm.
Emily Skinner stands behind them, watching as they shout at each other and wave their arms. She looks as if she doesn't know where to stop them or join them.
When she sees me though, her eyes widen and she hurries over. She starts shoving me back down the hallway, "Go. Don't let them see you! Save yourself!" She murmurs.
"So no hello?" I jokingly say. Emily rolls her eyes and huffs, "No. I like you enough to try and save you from a cruel and painful death."
I raise my eyebrow, "Huh?" She glances behind her and then sighs, "Too late, they already saw you. I mean I thought I'd do you a favor since we worked together but you wouldn't let me. Now, it's your problem, not mine."
Before she can say anything else, the other four turn on me. Johnny's eyes narrow as he crosses his arms, "So. You're the other guy."
"Asher Angel," I coolly reply, "That's my name. And I'd prefer that over 'the other guy'. I do have a name for a reason."
His sister cuts in, "Like we care. All you are is just another person standing in the way of John and Annie's redemption." She glares and I take a step back. She's scarier than her brother.
"Excuse me," Jayden angrily interjects, "Your brother is the one who broke Annie's heart. It was my brother who picked up all the pieces. They were doing just fine until your brother came along." She glances at me, "And you."
Carson doesn't bother to add anything, as his sister continues. "So maybe, I wasn't exactly happy at first, but I know my brother is the better option. He would never hurt her. The same couldn't said about your brother."
Lauren snorts, "So, you had a sudden change of heart, huh? You were furious when they'd wanted to date, but as soon as my brother showed interest in her, you're suddenly team carsannie." She rolls her eyes, "That says a lot about you."
Man, that Lauren Orlando is savage. She glares at me as if she could sense what I was thinking. "And don't even get me started on you, Mr.Angel."
I take another step back, as she takes a step closer and crosses her arms. "What's her favorite color? Her favorite animal? Favorite song? What did she want to be when she grew up? What's her favorite food? How old was she when she started gymnastics? Who were her best friends growing up? What's she scared of?"
While I struggle to remember how to talk, she narrows her eyes, "Thought so. You know nothing about her. Why would she want to date someone who doesn't even know her?"
"You're not going to be some night in shining armor. Why she added you to this mess, well, only she knows. If she's going to pick anyone, listen to me closely, it will be John or Carson. But not you. Definitely not you."
Jayden picks up right where Lauren left off. "And where did you even come from? You've known her for what, three months?" She emphasizes the last part, her eyes gleaming triumphantly.
"My brother has known her for three years." She adds. "Big deal. John has known her since she was five and he was six. He's known her for a whole eleven years. Ha." Lauren retorts.
If it weren't for the fact, I was being personally attacked, I'd find the whole situation amusing. The fact that John and Carson step back and let their sisters tear me apart. That they don't bother saying anything, but instead, they let their sisters handle it.
  Though, maybe they're just as terrified of their sisters as I am. "I've known her for three months and I'm still getting to know her. Maybe I don't know every single little thing but she's ok with it."
I cross my arms, "Seriously. I've known her for three months. I'm still getting to know her. What do you expect? Do you expect me to everything I've missed in her last sixteen years?"
Lauren barely reacts, "No." She smiles wickedly, "But eleven years is a lot better than three months. John's got enough memories to last a lifetime. And you've got enough to last you...three months."

Hayden's POV

"Was it really necessary for me to be here?" I ask. Dylan merely shrugs as she ushers me inside, taking the 'Chick-fil-A' bag from me.
I walk into their living room and see Caden laying on the couch, watching Netflix. He lazily lifts his hand in greeting before looking back at the tv. "Hey dude."
Another person wanders into the room, and I realize it's Annie. She's wearing an oversized hoodie and a pair of leggings, her hair up in a messy bun. Her eyes light up when she sees the 'Chick-fil-A' bag. "Did you bring that?"
I nod and she grins, "I love you." Dylan hands over the bag and then leads us over to the couch. She tells Caden to move over or get lost. He groans and switches off the tv, reluctantly scooting aside, to make room for the three of us.
He reaches over and steals one Annie's fries, earning a glare from her. "Don't touch my food," she says. He only laughs and settles back, closing his eyes, "Relax. It was one fry, Leblanc."
She brings her fries closer and glances at him suspiciously. She hands me back the bag and I take out my lemonade, as Dylan begins to talk.
"So, I thought I would try and help you out." She says with a smile, "And I came up with an idea. Ever heard of the Bachelorette?"

ꕥ 𝚒 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚏 𝚍𝚢𝚕𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎'𝚜 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍...𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢! ꕥ
♥︎ 𝚡𝚘, 𝚋𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚊 ♥︎