The Set- Up || 5SOS ||

Chapter Twenty Three

"Wait." I cut her off, pressing the keys into the door. "Where on earth did you get the idea that I hated you?"

Bree gave me a puzzled look, before letting out an exasperated yell.

"Why the heck are you being nice to me?!" she wailed. "Just, stop it, seriously! You're so, I don't even know- weird? Why the heck can't you just be normal and hate me for goodness sake? I deserve it." She grasped at the roots of her hair, shaking.

"Bree, stop. Stop!" I grabbed her forearm, forcing her arms back down to her sides. "Stop it."

I held onto her cold hands as the trembled inside mine. I looked up at her her, and she blinked back bloodshot eyes. 

"I'm sorry, Sophie." her raspy voice cracked at my name.  "And please, don't even think about saying that, 'it's okay'."

I shook my head, letting go of her hands. "I wasn't going to." I admitted. "Because what you've done, simply put, it wasn't okay- and I'm not going to give you the benefit of telling you that lie." 

I reached into my back pocket, pulling out a couple coins. "There's no way on earth I'm letting you walk home in this state." I said, blankly, stuffing the money into her palms. "I'm going to call a taxi, you're going to go home, you're going to wash and you're going to change."

Bree's mouth wobbled as her breaths hiccuped. 

"You're going to eat and then, after that you can do whatever the heck you want- read, watch TV, it really doesn't matter. What does matter, is that you stay away from here for now. Until when, well- I don't know." I folded her finders over the coins. I turned, opening the door and stepping in.

"I'll come to you when I feel like it's right to finish this conversation. But for now, you need to stay away from here and you need to stay away from the boy's." I began to shut the door, "And if you do that- then we can finish talking." I gave her one last smile, "Take care." breathed, before shutting the door.

I pushed the door closed, feeling satisfied at the reassuring click of the lock. Walking over to the elevator, I couldn't help but steal a glance back at the door, debating whether of not to check if Bree was still there. I pressed the button, a blue ring illuminating around the metal circle as I did so, and a subtle ping sounded as the elevators opened.

I racked my brain thinking of excuses to tell the guy's. None of which were appropriate nor believable. In desperation, I slapped my palms against the walls of the elevator, banging my head against the metal panel just as the door opened. I jumped, startled. A middle- aged man in a brown hat stepped into the elevator beside me. He gave me an acknologing tip of his cap and I smiled back.

This is it, the is the last human I will see before I get pounced on by a group of band members who will undoubtedly bombard me with questions I simply don't have an answer to.

Door doors slid open and I stepped out into the hallway. Pulling my phone out, I typed in the local taxi's number and held it to my ear and walked until I reached the doors of the hotel room. I shooved my hone between my shoulder and my ear, craning it in the dent of my neck.

"Hi, yes, I'd like to book a taxi please.. yes..." I mumbled into my phone as I fiddled with  my wallet, pulling out my keycard and pushing it into the lock.

My hands trembled as I swung the door open, quietly doing my best to make as little noise as possible. I turned round to shut the door, gently twisting the handle. Maybe I got lucky. Maybe the guy's wern't back yet.

"Hey."

I jumped, startled at the sound.

"Gah!" My back slapping against the door as my hand found it way to my chest. "Ani, for goodness sake." I whipped my hand back down to my side, straightening my self up. "You frightened me."