My alarm clock went off at 7:30 sharp. I groaned. I'd forgotten about my job I had every Sunday morning to walk the neighbors' dogs. I shut the alarm off quickly so I wouldn't wake Darcy up. I reluctantly got out of bed and lazily pulled my hair up into a pony tail. I knew the weather would be warm, so I pulled on some denim shorts and an orange tank-top. I skipped breakfast (since Darcy would have to serve it to me later this morning) and headed out.
My first stop was next door. I knocked on the door, and Mrs. Muck opened it. She is a nice old lady, although her name is rather unfortunate.
"Good morning, Mrs. Muck," I said cheerfully. "Is Lil' Bit ready?"
"He is, Paige darling," she said with a smile. She held out her small Chihuahua and his leash.
"I'll be back in an hour," I promised.
"Thank you, dear. You're very kind." She shut the door, and I left for my next customer.
Pretty soon, I had six dogs on five leashes in my hands: two Chihuahuas, a bull dog, a poodle, a beagle, and a large husky. They were all pretty well behaved. The only time they were troublesome was when they passed by other dogs.
Basically, my job was to walk them around the neighborhood for an hour and return them to the owners. I was always done by 9 am. And I got paid for it. I'm saving up money for when I leave for college because my senior year just ended, and I don't want to have to be so reliant on my parents. I had planned on moving out this summer, but I haven't found a place yet. Besides, I like the house I'm in, and my parents aren't around much. I basically live alone already.
We passed a kid with a black lab, and my five dogs pulled on their leashes, barking like mad. But I was prepared for this. I took out a clicker and clicked it a few times to divert their attention from the passing dog and spoke soothing words. Pretty soon, the black lab was gone, and I continued the walk. It was actually kind of nice to get some sun and feel the morning breeze.
Five minutes until nine o'clock, I started taking the dogs back home. First, I returned the husky. The owner was very wealthy and gave me fifty dollars. Next, I dropped off the beagle. The owner gave me twenty dollars. Then I dropped off the female Chihuahua. Just like the stereotypical Chihuahua owner, this dog's owner was a very dramatic housewife with an attitude and a rich father. She gave me sixty dollars for taking such good care of her "baby". Then I returned the poodle to her owner, who was a ten-year-old spoiled girl. Her mom gave me twenty bucks. The last stop was my next-door neighbor, Mrs. Muck, who was my personal favorite. She was the only one in the neighborhood that Darcy and I didn't play pranks on, and that says a lot.
"Hello again, Mrs. Muck," I said when she opened the door. I released her Chihuahua, and he ran past her into the house. I saw him lay on her couch, tired from the walk. I gave her the leash.
"Thank you very much, dear," she said. "Now he won't be so energetic." She chuckled. "Well, at least for a little while, that is."
"It's no problem," I said politely.
She opened her wallet and fished around for money. "Well... I'm afraid I only have ten dollars..."
I held up my hand. "That's more than enough."
She smiled and handed me a ten dollar bill. "You're such a sweet heart."
I shrugged and joked, "I try."
She laughed a little and said, "I'll see you next Sunday, dear."
I nodded, and she shut the door.
Looks like another successful work day.
When I got home, I counted up the money I made: one-hundred and sixty dollars. Sometimes it pays off to live in a wealthy neighborhood.
I tiptoed to my room so I wouldn't wake up Darcy, but I could hear the shower running. Darcy wasn't in my room, so she must have already been up and in the shower. I headed to the back glass sliding door and saw Mom sitting on the back patio, engulfed in writing. All she was paying attention to was her pencil and paper. I then went to my parents' bedroom and put my ear to the door. I could hear snoring, so I knew that Dad was getting some sleep before getting called back to the hospital. The shower shut off.
"Paige! Paige!" I heard Darcy yell.
I ran through my room to my bathroom door and asked, "What?!"
"I need a towel! The door is unlocked and I'm behind the curtain, so you can come in," Darcy said.
I grabbed a towel from the top shelf of my closet and opened the bathroom door. I quickly threw in the towel and shut the door.
"Thank you!" Darcy said.
I rolled my eyes. "You know, you still have to serve me breakfast!"
I heard her groan.
"I won the bet," I said through the door.
"Fine," she muttered. "I'll make your stupid breakfast as soon as I'm ready."
My phone started ringing, and I found it among my bed sheets. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered it anyway. "Hello?"
"Hi there. Is this Paige?"
I recognized the Irish accent. "Niall?"
"Oh good! It's you!" Niall said. "Look, uh, we need some help."
"What kind of help?" I asked.
Darcy came out of the bathroom in a v-neck and skinny jeans and asked, "Who's that?"
I shushed her quickly.
"Well, you see..." Niall started to say.
I heard another voice say, "Oh just give me the phone!" A few seconds later, the same voice said, "Hello, it's Loui. I'm going to get straight to the point. Niall and Harry got us kicked out of our hotel, and we don't have anywhere to stay. So we were wondering if maybe... Well, we don't want to impose, but..."
"You're asking if you can stay here?" I guessed.
"Well, yes. I know it's rather rude, but we'd be massively grateful if-" he rambled.
I interrupted, "Don't worry! It's fine. I'll just ask my parents and see what they say. I'm sure we have enough rooms for you guys."
"Oh! Thank you!"
"Don't thank me yet," I said. "I haven't even talked to my parents yet. But I'll call you later and tell you what they say."
"Alright. We'll talk to you later then."
"Yep. Bye." I hung up.
"Who was that?" Darcy asked.
"That was... Niall and Louis," I said, still not really believing it. I just finished talking to two-fifths of One Direction on the phone. Wow, I was really starting to act like a fan girl.
She screamed.
I instantly covered her mouth. "Shush! My dad is sleeping."
"No he's not."
Darcy and I turned our heads to the door where my dad was standing.
"Dad! I have to talk to you!" I said.
He adjusted the watch on his wrist and said, "Alright, but make it quick. I was called in for work at the hospital, and they except me over there quickly."
I hastily explained, "There's a boy band in town and they need a place to stay. They were wondering if they could stay here."
He thought for a moment. "Are they nice boys?"
"Yep," I replied. "They're very polite."
"Darcy, have your parents met them?" he asked. He always did that. If Darcy's parents approved of something, he approved. He never had the time to find out for himself.
"Of course," Darcy lied, giving him a convincing smile.
"Alright," he said. "They can stay here, but not permanently. Don't let them destroy the house, and tell your mother about this before they get here."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I cried, running to him and kissing his cheek. "Have a nice time at work, Daddy!"
He smiled. "Love you, Paige. Have fun with your friends." He picked up his brief case and walked out of my room.
Once I heard the front door close, I rushed out to the back patio. I walked up to my mom and cleared my throat. "Mom?"
She looked up from her work. "What, dear? Make it quick. I'm on to something here, and once I write it down, I'm off to the office to get it approved."
"Well, five boys are going to be staying in the house," I said.
"What?"
"Wait a minute," I said quickly, shaking my head. "Let me put that in better terms: A boy band needs a place to stay. Daddy said yes, so it's already decided that they're coming. I just came out here to warn you."
"And Darcy's parents have met them?" she asked.
I inwardly huffed. She was just like Dad. "Yes."
She shrugged. "Alright. Be careful."
"Thanks, Mom!" I gave her a quick hug and ran back inside.
Mom and Dad never conferred with Darcy's parents, so I knew Darcy and I could safely lie. This wasn't the first time, either.
I joined Darcy in the kitchen. She said, "While you call the boys, I'll make you your breakfast. What do you want?"
I answered, "I'll have chocolate chip pancakes."
"That's all?" she asked, feigning utter amazement. "I thought you'd make me suffer."
I shrugged indifferently. "I'm in a good mood. Don't ruin it."
She laughed and said, "Alright. Now hurry and call the boys back."
I pat down my pockets, but I didn't feel my phone. "Dang it. I left my phone in my room. I'll be right back," I said. I ran to my room and grabbed my phone off my nightstand. I opened my call history and called the latest number.
"Hello?" I heard.
"Niall? This is Paige," I said.
"Oh, hi, Paige!" he said. "That was quick."
"Yes, well, I asked my parents, and they said that you guys are allowed to come." I heard woops and hollers on the other end. "Is your phone on speaker?" I asked.
"Yes it is," I heard Louis say. "We'll get packed and be over there soon."
"How soon?" I asked.
I heard them discuss it a little. A voice that sounded like Harry said, "We'll be there after lunchtime."
"Sounds good!" I said. An idea came to mind. "Make sure you have swimwear!" I advised.
I heard excited murmurs. "Alright! See you, Paige!" The others gave similar goodbyes.
"Later." I hung up.
I came back to the kitchen, where Darcy was flipping a few pancakes. "Are they coming?" she asked.
"Yep, after lunch," I answered.
"So soon?" she gasped.
"Well, they did get kicked out of their hotel," I reasoned.
Darcy chuckled. "They're so crazy." She flipped the pancakes onto a plate and set it on the kitchen table. "Here are your pancakes, your majesty."
"Thank you," I said smugly, sitting down at the table. She set down a fork and knife, maple syrup, and butter.
"Good thing we bought more than one outfit yesterday," she said.
"Actually, I had a different idea for today," I said. "I think we're going to have to go get some new swimwear..."
Her eyes lit up, and she gasped. "Ah! I'm so excited!"
"We're going to have to look hot for the boys," I said flirtatiously. "Especially for Harry." I winked at her.
She stuck out her tongue. "Shut up. Besides, I saw the way you looked at Zayn."
My mouth dropped open. "How did you-"
"Oh, I suspected it," she said smugly. "But you just confirmed it."
I glared at her. "Be quiet, or else I won't help you get all dolled up."
"You know you love me," she said. "Who made you these perfect, golden chocolate chip pancakes? That's right. Me."
I slathered the pancakes in syrup. "Yeah, because that's exactly what friends are for," I teased.
She laughed. "Oh, hurry up and eat so we can go shopping before lunchtime!"
Lunchtime. That's when the boys were coming. And I would again meet up with the Mystery, otherwise known as Zayn.
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:~:Paige:~: