When I walk into the kitchen in my pyjamas and a baggy hoodie the next morning, I see Brad staring blankly at a cup of tea as he stirs a teaspoon idly around in it, whilst my brother is sat beside him with his head resting on the table. If he wasn't making intermittent groans of pain, I'd presume he was asleep.
"Hungover?" I ask loudly in Tristan's ear.
"Go away" he mutters, lifting his head up and giving me a small shove. I just smirk to myself and sit myself down on a stool opposite them.
"Did you have a good night?" Tris asks, rather casually. I can't help but let a smile creep across my face.
"Yeah" I nod,
"Where did you disappear off to?" He asks and I shake my head at him.
"I knew that you weren't gonna let that slide" I tut but I'd been anticipating him bringing it up. There was no way he was going to be that cool about it.
"Who were you talking to?" He continues, ignoring my comment.
"A lad"
"What lad?"
"Just a lad" I laugh because I can see that he's trying so hard to act cool but his instincts are telling him to interrogate me until he has every detail about this boy, including his home address and if he has a criminal record, "he walked into me by accident and spilled my drink so he bought me a new one, and then we just got talking"
Brad scoffs to himself, before piping up for the first time this morning, "you were doing more than talking"
Bastard. He's probably going to make out that I banged this guy right there in the club.
I bit my lip and glanced over to my brother who is processing this information.
"He was really nice" I add, trying to make it not sound as bad as Brad is making it seem, "...he was really hot" I turn to Brad, "you saw him, he was really hot, wasn't he?"
Brad stares at me blankly, before flicking his hair in a rather camp manner and replying, "Yeah, just my type"
"See" I grin at Tristan again. I can't even stop my smirk. I'm still on a high from last night.
"Okay" Tristan nods coolly, "so was it just a one night thing then?"
"Erm, well, he asked for my number so..."
"Well, obviously nothing's gonna happen" Brad scoffs again, "he's a lad, he probably just wanted to get off with someone, I bet he doesn't even text you"
"He text me last night after we'd left" I inform him, feeling smug.
"And has he text you since?" He asks in a condescending tone.
"It's only half ten, give him chance to wake up" I counter.
"So that's a no then?"
"Why the fuck do you care anyway?" I scowl at him.
"Because I'll probably have to listen to you whining about it when he breaks your heart, won't I?"
"Well, no you won't because I literally only met him last night, I'm hardly in love with him, am I?" I say, rolling my eyes, "besides, it'll take more than not texting me to break my heart"
"Because it's made of stone?"
"Exactly" I grin. Brad shakes his head.
"The fact that you admit you're a bitch..."
"Hey!" Tristan warns him, though Brad has a point, "don't call my sister a bitch"
"Oh yeah, take her side" Brad scoffs childishly.
"She's my sister"
"Last night, some random guy had his hands all over her and his tongue down her throat yet you're having a go at me?"
"Okay, don't put images like that in my head and don't call her a bitch," Tristan says sternly, "she isn't a bitch"
"She's a bitch to me"
"Yeah, because you're an arsehole to me" I defend myself before Tristan can.
"You nearly stabbed me!" is his retort.
"I didn't though, did I?" I breathe as I am so tired of hearing those words, and the bastard has the audacity to call me melodramatic, "my god, man, let it go"
A very tense silence fills the kitchen for a few moments as Brad and I are glaring at each other. His nostrils are flared and I swear his eye is twitching. He wants to kill me.
"... She has got a point, mate" Tristan begins quietly, "You do go on about it a lot"
"Will you stop taking her side? She's not completely innocent either"
"I know, you're both as bad as each other" Tristan rolls his eyes, "but do you ever think about how I feel? It's not exactly the most relaxing experience in the world living with your sister and one of your best mates who are at each other's throats all the time"
I guess he has a point. It must be exhausting for him to deal with our bickering on a daily basis, especially given that Brad and I are both people that he cares about a lot. But Brad's the one who always drags Tristan into our arguments. I'll happily fight my own battles without my brother's help, thank you very much.
"Sorry for stressing you out, Tris" I say, "but in my defense, I've spent the past eighteen years doing that; as your sister, it's my main job"
"Look, I get that you both don't like each other and there probably isn't anything I can do to change that, but can you at least try to act civil with each other"
"That doesn't sound nearly as much fun" I sigh over-dramatically.
"I swear to God, she gets off on pissing me off" Brad mutters.
He wasn't far off; I mean, seeing him get so wound up is really entertaining.
"Why? Does it annoy you?" I ask in an innocent tone. Brad glares at me and grits his teeth to stop himself from screaming at me. I get so much satisfaction just from seeing that facial expression and knowing I'm the one who caused it.
"Can you guys please not argue in the kitchen? We all know some of us have no issues using knives" Tristan says quickly, giving me an accusingly look that makes me scowl, "hey, Ella, why don't you tell me more about this guy from last night? Like, what's his name?"
I sigh. Mine and Brad's bickering must really piss him off if he would rather talk about me making out with a random guy in a club. I don't really want to delve deep into this topic of conversation with my brother but I know he won't let it go until he's satisfied he knows enough about this guy.
"Seb" I answer.
"That's not even a proper name" Brad cuts in despite the fact that no one has asked for his opinion on the matter.
"It's obviously short for Sebastian" I say flatly.
"How old is he?" Tristan continues, ignoring Brad.
"I don't know" I shrug, which immediately doesn't sit well with my brother.
"What do you mean 'you don't know'?" he retorts, "what if he's like, forty?"
"He's not forty" I snort, trying to hold back my laughter, "he looks in his early twenties at the most"
"He might have a baby face"
He might have a baby face.
Even Brad has to hold back a laugh at that one.
"No one is so baby-faced that they look twenty years younger" I laugh, "Brad's got a baby face but he doesn't look like an actual baby"
"I don't like the idea of you dating a guy who's a lot older than you"
"You don't like the idea of her dating a guy" Brad adds, before taking a sip of his tea. I can't even disagree with that.
"Oh yeah, take her side" Tristan mutters, imitating Brad's earlier words in a very whiny voice. His impression wasn't far off, "a minute ago, you were calling her a bitch"
"I'm merely making an observation" Brad shrugs, "you don't want anyone who is male going near your sister, no matter how old they are"
"Yeah, but I don't want her with some older guy who's gonna take advantage of her-"
I began to laugh, cutting Tristan off, "sorry Tris, it's just, for a second there, it sounded as though you thought that you had a say in who I go out out with" I stop laughing and give him a deadpanned expression, "just to clarify, you don't"
He looked down at the table sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I know" he looks up at me again, "but I'd like to be aware of how old this guy is if you're planning on seeing him again"
"Would you like to know his life ambitions too?" I say sarcastically, "and his star sign, and maybe his mother's uncle's cat's name..."
"Just the age would be nice" he muttered, "and what does he's do? For a job, I mean"
"He's a pimp" I say with a very straight face. Tris stares back at me blankly, his nostrils flared.
God, he is so easy to wind up.
"I'm joking, he's a barman" I grin, which is what Seb actually told me last night, before I casually add, "... And a part-time drug dealer"
"You're not funny, El"
"Well, he could be for all we know" I shrug. I mean, it's unlikely, but you never know.
"If you carry on, I will happily deadbolt you into this apartment so you can never leave" he mutters, narrowing his eyes at me.
"I'll have to invite him round here then, won't I?" I smirk. Tristan just continues to glare.
"Do you understand that this is why you get on people's nerves?" Brad tells me in a flat tone of voice.
"Do you understand that I don't care about anything that comes out of your mouth?"
"This is why I think you're a bitch"
"I. Don't. Care."
"So we're all going over to James' later" Tris pipes up, completely off topic, though I think he's just learning to block out mine and Brad's conflicts, "we're just having a few drinks and stuff, we might watch a film or something, if you want to come, El?"
"Why do you keep inviting her to places with us?" Brad moans.
"Well, Anastasia's going, and you asked Sophie to come" Tris replies. I start to wonder who this Sophie is because I've never heard about her before. If she's connected to Brad, I start to contemplate the idea that it might be a girlfriend or potential girlfriend. God help her if she is, poor girl's probably lonely and desperate to want to be with Brad. Though he's never mentioned her before and I'm sure he would've bragged if he was getting some.
"Yeah, well, those two don't try to make my life hell" Brad mutters, glancing over at me.
"Who's Sophie?" I ask casually.
"Oh, she's another of Joe's artists" Tristan tells me, "she's a singer-songwriter, crazy talented, he's only signed her up recently but we're hoping to get her supporting us on our next tour"
"Ah, okay" I nod.
"You're quite similar actually, El, you'll get on with her really well" My brother continues. Apparently Brad isn't happy with this because he pulls his face into a scowl aimed at Tristan.
"No, do not get Sophie into cahoots with her" Brad snaps, thrusting his index finger in my face, "if those two are on the same side, I will never win"
All of a sudden, this Sophie girl sounds a whole lot more intriguing, even if she is associated with Brad.
"Why? Does she hate Brad too?" I ask a little too eagerly. Maybe me and this girl can be best friends.
"No, but you're both quite, erm... Feisty, when you want to be" my brother tells me, "and you're both quite blunt"
"But you're more of a bitch" Brad adds, which Tristan elbows him for, though let's be honest, it's probably true.
"So do you wanna come with us tonight then?" Tristan asks quickly. I smile and nod, much to Brad's dismay.
* * * * * * *
"Welcome" James grins as he lets the three of us into his apartment that evening. The noise coming from inside suggests that there's already people here, which is clarified when we follow James into his kitchen. I see Connor in there leaning against the countertop with a beer bottle in his hand and two girls sat at the kitchen table. I instantly recognise one as being my brother's girlfriend, Anastasia, who I've become pretty good friends with since her and my brother have been in their relationship. The other girl looks unfamiliar to me but she's pretty with messy brunette hair. I make an educated guess that she is this the Sophie girl. The more I take in her features, the more she looks vaguely familiar, but if Joe manages her as well as The Vamps then perhaps I've seen her hanging out at one of their gigs or something.
My brother instantly makes a beeline for Anastasia, saying a quick hi to the Sophie girl before his arms are around his girlfriend and he's smattering kisses across her face.
As lovely as it is to see my brother happy and in love, I don't particularly want to watch their petting. Luckily, Connor bounds over to me and pulls me into a hug.
"Y'alright Pumpkin?" he says, the smirk clear in his voice
"I'm good, Sugartits" I grin as we pull away, making him chuckle.
"Any news on the side-hoe front?" I he asks quietly, "or Seb, as you call him"
I smirk, shaking my head, "I think the whole point of having a side-hoe is that the main hoe doesn't know about them"
"Well, you said that our relationship just felt 'so right' so I guess I'll have to deal with it" he shrugs, before pestering me for more information, "so any updates?"
"We've texted a few times today" I tell him. I'd also made a point to mention it in front Brad earlier too, after he was so adamant that Seb wasn't going to bother with me at all after last night. Connor's eyebrows raise suggestively. I roll my eyes, "that's all you're getting, do you have any gossip for me in return?"
"No" he grins.
I roll my eyes.
"Do you want a drink?" he asks, to which I agree and he goes to the fridge to get me one. Whilst Connor and I were talking, it seems that Tristan has finally left Anastasia's mouth alone and is now talking to James. Anastasia catches my eye and waves me over.
"I haven't seen you for ages, babe" she smiles as she stands up to pull me into a big hug.
"It's good to see you"
"Yeah, same" she replies and pulls away, just as Connor appears next to me and hands me a drink.
"It's vodka and coke, if that's alright" he tells me.
"Yeah" I nod, "thanks"
"Oh, you won't have met Sophie yet" he adds quickly, putting his arm around my shoulders and pulling me towards the brunette girl, "Sophie, this is Tristan's sister, Ella"
"Hiya" she beams, and I notice she has a northern accent to her voice, "it's nice to meet you"
She seems nice enough, so I hope to god the poor girl isn't romantically related to Brad like I first thought.
"Hi" I reply, "I've been told that we're very similar, but I'm more of a bitch"
She laughs at that, "who said that?"
"Tris said we're similar, Brad said I was more of a bitch"
"Fuck you, Brad" she says to the he-devil himself, "I can be a massive bitch"
We're still in the first minute of meeting each other and she's already told Brad to go fuck himself. I like her already.
"You haven't met her properly yet" Brad replies to her in flat tone, gesturing at me nonchalantly.
"That was really mean, Brad" I say innocently, a slightly sad pout on my face, "what have I ever done to you?"
"What have you ever done to me?" He breathes in a very theatrical manner, and I can tell I've instantly wound him up, "what have you ever done? Well, we can start with the time you nearly stabbed me"
"I didn't nearly stab you" I reply calmly, "I only threatened to"
He lets out a loud breath through his nostrils and grits his teeth, "that's still classed as assault!" he seethes, before turning to my brother, "Tris, I'm gonna kill her, I'm not even joking"
"Was that a threat, Brad?" I continue my innocent act, "you do know that's still classed as assault?"
"Stop messing with him" Tris groans, stepping in front of Brad to create a barrier between the two of us, "mate, just ignore her"
"I didn't know it was this easy to wind him up" Sophie comments with an amused expression on her face, before she jokingly adds, "here, Tris, pass us that knife"
I can't help but laugh and Brad throws me a death-glare; he looks ready to explode.
"See, I told you this would happen" he whines at my brother, "two minutes and they're already ganging up on me"
"Oh my God, El" Anastasia chuckles, "I haven't seen you annoy someone this much since Brittany"
I simply shrug and hold back a smirk at the sight of Brad's red cheeks.
As the night goes on and the lads have more to drink, the tipsier they appear to get. Eventually, Connor decides that the apartment is too quiet and connects his iPod to the sound system, turning the music up loud. He starts dancing on his own in the middle of the living room, whilst the rest of us sit across the sofa and try not to laugh at his terrible moves. For someone who has a career in music, he has a considerable lack of rhythm.
Though maybe the alcohol has something to do with it.
"Guys, come on and dance" he whines, swaying his hips completely out of time to the music.
"No thanks, Con" Brad calls.
"Yeah, we're having too much fun watching you" James adds.
"God, you guys are so boo-ooring!" Connor drawls, before stumbling over to me and grabbing my hands, "you'll dance with me, won't you, Pumpkin? You're supposed to be my girlfriend, you have to dance with me"
He pulls me up and into the centre of the room, whilst I roll my eyes but let him move me around with him anyway. He lets go of one of my hands, lifts his arm up and twirls me around in a circle. I can't help but laugh at him when he's in this state.
"See, Ella's cool, Ella's dancing with me," he tells the others matter-of-factly, poking his tongue out at them.
"Well, I have a real girlfriend to dance with, not a fake one" Tristan argues, standing up and pulling Anastasia up out of her seat, making her giggle. He slips his arms around her tightly and starts swaying her gently from side to side, even though Connor's iPod is playing some upbeat dance track.
"Well then" Sophie pipes up, "looks like Brad and James are gonna have to fight over me"
That makes everyone laugh and Brad very quickly grabs her shoulders before James gets a chance.
"Gods sake" James groans, pouting at the prospect of being the loner of the group.
"You snooze, you lose" Brad shrugs.
"Great, now I'm the..." He pauses a moment to count, "seventh wheel"
"S'okay James" Sophie pouts, grabbing a hold of his arm, "we can make it a threesome"
"Look what you've started, Connor" I tease, poking his shoulder, "it's bloody mayhem in here"
"Nah, Sophie's got a boyfriend so Brad and James will just have to get it on with each other" he explains as I glance over to the three of them to see Brad and James are wrapped in each other's arms, slow dancing with each other whilst Sophie is stood nearby chuckling to herself. At least if Sophie has a boyfriend, she isn't with Brad.
I mean, not that I care. Obviously. Just for her sake because she seems nice.
"JADLEY FOREVER!" my brother shouts loudly, causing a few laughs. He gets so hyper when he's drunk.
Eventually, James announces that he wants to play Fifa and all of the lads immediately agree. Within moments of switching the console on, the four of them are intensely focused on the TV screen. Meanwhile, myself, Sophie and Anastasia go in the kitchen out of the way which I think is a much smarter move because we're closer to the fridge and the alcohol supplies.
Clearly, we made the better choice.
"So what's the deal wi' you and Brad then?" Sophie asks, "is it just banter? Or do you genuinely hate each other?"
"No, we genuinely hate each other," I say with a shrug, making her chuckle.
"Yeah, Tristan's spends half of his time moaning about it to me" Anastasia adds, before imitating Tristan's deep voice, "Ella and Brad were arguing today, Ella and Brad were shouting at each other today, Ella and Brad were throwing things at each other today"
Sounds like a standard day in the flat.
"It's not like it's completely my fault" I mutter, "Brad's a prick"
"He's actually alright, you know" Anastasia replies.
"Yeah, that's what everyone says, it seems like he's nice to everyone but me"
"I think you just got off on the wrong foot" she adds as she stands up to go and pour herself another drink, "you know, with the whole, erm, knife incident"
"Did you really threaten to stab him?" Sophie grins wildly, "'cause that's hilarious"
"It was two in the morning" I sigh, "I thought he was a burglar"
The two girls chuckled to themselves, just as Tristan walked into the kitchen.
"What are you lot giggling about?" He asks me as he wanders over to where Anastasia is stood, sliding his arms around her
"Ella's violent side and how Brad seems to provoke it" Anastasia comments.
"You know, Sophie and Brad are really good mates, you should get some tips," my brother tells me, before turning his attention back to his girlfriend, nuzzling his face into her neck and making her giggle. I pull my face at the sight before I turn to Sophie.
"So you and Brad are bezzie mates, huh?" I say, "I feel sorry for you"
"He's not my bezzie mate" she chuckles, "I'm good friends with all four of them, though I'm probably the closest with Brad, I guess we've had a few heart-to-hearts that we've bonded over"
I cringe at the thought, "eugh, bonding with Brad, I couldn't think of anything worse"
Perhaps bonding with Brittany...
"You know, when Tris first mentioned you, I thought you were like, Brad's girlfriend or something" I mention, just so I can clear up that there really isn't anything going on with her and Brad.
Not because I care. Like I said before, she seems like a decent person, and Brad just isn't.
"Oh, Christ no" she pulls her face, before adding, "I mean, Brad's an alright guy and everything, but I wouldn't wanna date him"
Well, I cannot disagree.
Tristan lets out a snort from across the room.
"Bit harsh" he teases.
"Well, I don't want him to be my boyfriend, I already have one" Sophie retorts, "just 'cause you're in love with him, doesn't mean everyone else is"
"Ssssh!" He shushes in an over-the-top way whilst placing his hands over his girlfriend's ears, "she doesn't know about Tradley"
Anastasia just hit his stomach playfully with the back of her hand and shakes her head at him.
"So no, Brad is not my boyfriend" Sophie clarifies, before looking at me with a smirk, "so no need to worry, you can have him all to yourself"
I throw her a deadpanned glare, though honestly, I was quite appreciative of the banter that Sophie and I were having. It was nice to know that I had a girl like myself nearby to hang out with from time to time. I enjoy spending time with my brother and two-thirds of his bandmates, but sometimes, you just need a girl to chill with who understands girl things. Tristan turns awkward if I so much as mention my period.
"So how long have you been with your boyfriend then?" I ask, out of interest.
"Erm, well, technically four years" she informs me, "but we've known each other since we were fourteen, and we dated at school as well so it feels much longer"
"Aw, that's cute" I smile at the thought of two people wanting to stick around with each other for that long, "what's your secret?"
"He's my best mate, I guess" she muses, a small smile creeping on her face, "we annoy the shit out of each other but we know when to draw the line, he's put up with me for this long so it's too late for him to get rid of me now, he's stuck with me forever" she tells me with a twinkle of amusement in her eye.
Whatever she had with her boyfriend sounds great. When can I have a relationship like that? Whatever I had with Jamie two years ago could barely be classed as a fling, never mind a relationship. It was more like 'following him around and drooling over him for a couple of weeks until he got bored'.
"Are you with anyone at the moment?" she asks.
"No," I say "I met a guy when we were out last night and we've been texting today so maybe something will come of that, but yeah, still single for the moment"
"Saving yourself for Brad?" she grins.
"In Brad's wet dreams" I scoff, "what's your boyfriend's name?"
"Nathan," she tells me, before pulling her phone from her pocket, "that's him"
She holds her phone out to show me her lock screen, which displays a photo of Sophie herself with her arms wrapped around an attractive guy with dark brown wavy hair and large eyebrows. Initially, I just think that they look really sweet together, and then the more I stare at the picture the more familiar he seems to look.
"He was in a band, The Wanted," she tells me after seeing my inquisitive expression, "they sang Glad You Came"
"Glad You Came was my jam when I was in year 9" I grin, "I'm pretty sure I saw them at a festival once"
"Yeah. he's doing his solo stuff now" she explains, "if you ever wanna see one of his gigs, just let me know, I'll get you in"
"I'll keep that in mind" I nod, "what about you? Tris said Joe's managing you"
"Yeah, he's trying to book me some gigs and I'll be supporting the lads on some of their upcoming gigs" she replies, "I might see you there"
"Probably, Tris keeps dragging me along to their rehearsals because I think he's worried that I'll get bored if I'm stuck in the flat all day," I tell her, "I don't mind because my presence annoys Brad"
She laughs, "you really don't like him, do you?"
"No, I don't" I say flatly, taking a sip of my drink.
"Do you think that maybe if you two just sat down with each other and said 'let's forget what's happened so far and just start afresh', then maybe you could start to get on?"
"Theoretically, maybe" I reply, "but in reality, I think we're both too stubborn to back down. Plus, your option sounds a lot less fun; pissing Brad off is usually the highlight of my day"
She smiles, placing her hand over her chest, "I think me and you are gonna get on"
Thanks for reading guys, sorry that this was more of a filler chapter but if any of you have read my previous stories, I hope you like having Sophie's character making an appearance.
New chapters will be up in the new year. In the meantime, I hope that you all have a lovely christmas and just want to say thank you so much for every read, vote and comment on this story, it honestly means so much to me that you guys are reading and enjoying this story. I have big plans for the story and the relationship between Brad and Ella so please keep an eye out for new chapters coming up soon.