~
"So are you gonna' pick me up at the airport tomorrow?" Luke's voice ringing through my phone's speakers.
They're somewhere in Europe right now. It's the last day of their 5COUNTRIES5DAYS Tour.
"Um, no." I said, taking an apple from the fruit basket and taking a bite. "You're turning 18. You should know how to get home by yourself." I teased.
I could imagine Luke rolling his eyes right now. "Come on, Sydny. The airport isn't even that far away from your flat." Luke groaned. "Please pick me up."
"Wait," I said, swallowing the apple in my mouth. "Pick you up? What about the others?"
"They have a--" Luke yawned, which caused me to yawn too. It's contagious. "--a van." He's probably tired since it's almost 2 am there.
"A van? Then why don't you just go with them?" I questioned. Luke is acting like a 5-year old again.
Someone shouted at the end of the line. "Luke! It's band meeting. No phone calls, right?"
"Just a sec." Luke's faint voice said.
"Band meeting? Really, Luke?" I sighed. "Why are you calling me right now? Look, I'm gonna hang up. You need to get back to y--"
"No. No, wait. Don't hang up yet!" Luke said, his voice frantic. "Please, please come to the airport tomorrow."
I groaned. "Why?? Your fans are gonna' be there. They want to meet you! I don't want to share the attention you'll give them. You know.."
"But I want to see you."
I rolled my eyes. "There's a lot of time to see each other, Luke. I'll come by your house tomorrow."
Luke sighed. "Fine. You promise?"
A smile grew on my face. He sounds like my 4-year old cousin back in Australia. "Yeah. I promise."
.
.
I checked the clock. It's just 5:45. My classes ended at 3 today. So there's really nothing to do.
I decided to call Melissa and Andy. They went to have some Chinese food. I didn't wanna go with them because I don't really like Chinese food. After the fourth ring, it went to voice mail. They must have watched a movie together or something.
God, it's so boring without the boys. I guess I'm just used to hanging out with them.
"Oh, well, Sydny." I muttered to myself. "This is what you get when you don't like to make so many friends."
So after some long minutes of staring at my ceiling, I decided to just go out.
As I was walking down the sidewalk, my phone buzzed. It's a text message from Luke.
flight leaves @ 4 am here. will be there by 8am. did the math myself lol. cnt wait to see u. xx
I smiled to myself. Luke keeps me updated on their tour, I honestly don't know why. I already told him he doesn't need to do it but he said he wants to. So.. Yeah.
I replied to his text.
wait to go, einstein. cant wait to see you guys too. be safe. xoxo
A minute later, my phone buzzed again.
dont tell me what to do. haha jst kidding. goodnight syd.
Syd. I rolled my eyes. I seriously hate that.
lol it's sydny, lucas. nanyt. xxx
And then..
call me whatever you want, babe. i'll see yah. x
I resisted the urge to send him some names I'd like to call him, but decided to leave it at that. Because I nearly dropped my phone when I bumped into someone.
I remembered that one time I bumped into Luke backstage. So I almost expected to see blue eyes, but the eyes that are looking at me are green, and bloodshot.
Her face, familiar. Her red hair flowing down. Her nose, red, as if she'd been crying.
"Madison?" I asked. It was her; The girl Luke and I met at a convenience store on our... first date. I remember her clearly. She helped us escaped from the cops. But I doubt she remembers me.
"Sydny. Yeah." She smiled, like it took all her guts to move the muscles in her face that way.
"You remember me?" I smiled.
Madison let out a hollow laugh. "Of course. You're Luke Hemmings' girlfriend."
I frowned. "No. Um, not really. I'm not his girlfriend."
"But you were on a date that night, right?" She asked. "Plus I see a few pictures of you two on twitter."
"You do? We have pictures on twitter?! And, that night was just a date. We're not actually dating." Wow. I just posted a selfie of Luke and I once.
She nodded. "I think some of the 5SOSFam sees you two walking around here."
"Oh." Is that good or bad? How many hate am I getting on twitter already?
"Don't worry, Sydny. They love you." Madison said, as if reading my thoughts. "You two look perfect together, unlike..." Then she started sobbing.
"A-are you okay?" I moved the hair out of her face.
Madison shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Why?" I asked. "What happened?"
Madison shrugged. "It's a long story."
"Aw, I'm sure you need to let it out." I said, patting her back. "Come on, let's get you something to drink."
We went to the nearest starbucks and ordered one mocha, and one caramel latté. Madison stopped sobbing while we were walking. She looks like she's currently going through a huge mess. I wish she would tell me what happened.
"So, Madison." I started, placing my coffee on the table. "What's happening? Why were you crying?"
"Oh, Sydny." She sighed. "I doubt you want to hear the bullshit that's going on."
"No, no. It's okay. Go ahead, tell me."
"Alright." Madison took a deep breath. "I just lost my job yesterday. It's the main source of my income. I could still pay my rent for a couple of months, though. It's just.. Im afraid to run out." She let out a shaky laugh.
"Where's your family? Did you ask help from them?"
She shook her head. "I left when I was 17. I couldn't stand being around them. I could survive on my own anyway. And I'm already looking for a job. Hopefully, I get one this week. But, this whole thing is not really the reason I cried." She tried to smile, but her tears escaped her eyes and streamed down her face.
"Hey, you could tell me anything." I smiled, patting om her hand.
"My.. my boyfriend and I broke up."
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Oh. Right. Boy problem. Of course."
Madison laughed a little bit. "Yeah, it's stupid right? I shouldn't be crying over a jerk like him." She shrugged. "Anyway, I caught him cheating on me. Just this afternoon. H-he had this stupid blonde bitch on his flat. And she was wearing his shirt! Can you believe it?" Madison practically wailed.
I shook my head.
"I mean, he never lets me wear his shirt. I should have known. He's in a band, you see. The lead singer. Of course, he could get any girl he wants. God, he may even be snogging all of them after his gigs. Band members, they're always so appealing right? And everyone just falls for it. He sings a couple of good lyrics, looks at the girls in the eye. Then there. She'll like him." She smiled a bit. "That's how he got me, anyways. When he saw me in the crowd, he looked me in the eye. I know he was singing to me. Because I can feel us connecting. And then he approached me after their gig. Asked for my number. Then this thing between us just got bigger and then he asked me to be his girlfriend a couple of months after we met. I said yes. We were really happy. I thought everything was perfect. It was magical. You know that feeling you have when you really like someone, it's like the whole world is a blur and all you care about is him?" Madison looked at me.
I nodded, telling her to continue.
"Then he started to grow cold. He doesn't look at me the same. He doesn't treat me the same. And I began wondering what if I'm just one of the many girls who feels special because of him? What if he made me his, just to know he can? There were so many what ifs. I was miserable. But I didn't want to tell him about it because Im afraid I might be over acting. I'm afraid that if I do, I'll lose him. He was the only thing that made me feel like I belong in this world." She rubbed her wrists gently. And I felt a sudden urge to rub mine as well. I understand what Madison means. We all just want to belong...
"But what about the 5SOSFam? They help you, right?" I asked.
"Yeah." She said. "They helped me a lot. But I don't know. I guess I need someone that's actually here with me. Someone I do stupid things with."
"I understand." I smiled.
"So, when I caught him earlier today... It's like... I feel so broken. I'm in pieces." Madison started to sob again. "I didn't know what to do. Then when I thought of it, I told myself to be strong. That I should learn from this. Fuck bands. Fuck lead singers. Fuck everyone who does what he does. Fuck him. Fuck you, James! Fuck you!" She shouted, startling some of the people around. Fortunately there were only few. "Fuck you." Madison sobbed.
I put my arms around her. I honestly don't know what to say. I'm not good at this. "Look, Madison. I'm really shitty at giving advice. But I'll tell you this. You don't deserve a fucking jerk like him. You deserve better. And I know that it might be difficult right now, but tomorrow is a better day so tell your problems to go fuck themselves. I'm sure he'll regret everything he did to you. You're an amazing girl, and maybe he's a fool to see that. He might even be writing a song about you right now... about how he's sorry. And he'll be like 'Im sorry Madison. Please give me a second chance.'"
"And I'll be like, 'No. Go fuck yourself.'"
We laughed. A real laugh. Not hollow, not shaky, not fake. It's good to forget your problems for a while.
Madison and I talked some more while we finish our coffees. She told me everything that's going on in the fandom. I'm not much updated. I don't stay in my twitter timeline too much. And the amount of follwers I've been getting was just crazy. Madison said, it's probably because the boys post pictures with me in them. And they tweeted me a couple of times too, especially Luke. I am seriously doubting that I'm not getting hate right now.
After some time, it's time for Madison to go. She said she promised her fans an update tonight.
"Update on what?" I asked.
She smiled giddily. "My fanfic."
"Ohh." I said. Well, that's cool. "About who?"
Madison blushed. "Luke." She said, and I stiffled a laugh.
She groaned. "I knew it's not nice to tell you. I write about all of them. Michael, mostly. But I'm currently working on a Luke fanfic."
I chuckled. "Well, okay, then. You go give those fans an update."
"Thank you so much, Sydny. I don't know where I would have gone if I didn't bump into you. I might have ended up in a dumpster, or God knows where. Thank you. You're an angel." She said, reaching in for a hug.
That was sweet. I feel so flattered, oh my God. "It's nothing. Just give me a call, when you need help."
She pulled back. "But first, I need your number... and a selfie."
"A selfie?" I asked. "Why?" I'm not one for taking selfies. I only ever do a selfie when I'm with my friends.
"I should tell the whole twitter world that you're nice." She smiled, and got her phone out.
After Madison took a fair amount of selfies, and had my phone number, we said good bye. I went home.
.
.
.
I'm alone again in my flat. It's kind of a good thing because I don't want to talk to anyone right now. There's still a lot to think about.
I went on my bedroom, wanting so much to lay down on my bed. But, before I do so, I stopped by this wall with loads of pictures I printed. Most of the pictures from the past months, here in L.A. And a few photos with my mom, and my dad. And a couple with my friends from Australia.
There was one picture with me, Melissa, Luke, and Michael on a Chinese fast food. I also printed my first selfie with the boys in the airport. A selfie with sleeping Luke. A photo with Melissa, Andy, and I acting like the Mean Girls. (Andy was Regina George.) There was another selfie with Luke. He had chocolate sticks sticking out of his mouth, and I got whipped cream as a moustache. This was my favorite out of all the pictures so far. It was when Luke came over here, and we wanted to eat but we're not hungry so we ended up playing with the food.
And that brings me back to what Madison told me earlier. About her boyfriend, and all the shit he did. While she was talking, I can't help but think of Luke. Luke. Luke. Luke. Always Luke. I remember what she said about bands. About how they appeal to so many girls, that's why band members always tend to 'always get the girl'. I don't even know why I'm thinking of Luke. We're just friends... Who do things that friends doesn't usually do. But still...
Okay, now I'm arguing with myself.
Friends don't go on a date.
But that was just one time. I bet it was just to tell if I'm a friend or not. In which case, I'm just a friend.
Well, friends don't kiss.
Some does. And that was one time too! A lot of people kiss on their dates!!!
Yes, exactly. People who like each other.
Luke doesn't like me. I'm his friend! We're just.... freindlier... than how friends are supposed to be.
Exactly.
No. It's stupid.
No, you're being stupid.
AAAARGH.
I can't believe I'm a losing a fight to my own self. God, I'm going crazy. Just don't think of Luke. We are just friends. Even if I like him.... which I don't. Besides, he doesn't like me. And I don't want to assume anything. Why? Because I don't want to get hurt. And assuming usually leads to getting hurt. Ughh, this is all pointless.
Why am I making a big deal of it anyway? I know Luke won't like me. He just asked me on a date because.. well, maybe he found me interesting?? I don't know. He has a lot of hot fans who would love to date him, and he probably wants to date them too.
Yeah, whatever. I'm just confusing myself.
"Okay, Sydny." I told myself, while I lie on my bed. "Get some sleep. You're going to see Luke tomorrow. And it will just prove that you guys are just friends, and that you don't like him, he doesn't like you."
I rolled my eyes at myself. I am going crazy.
Just friends, I thought, and closed my eyes.
.
.
.
*next day*
I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. It was so startling, I was about to turn it off. But I saw Luke's face in my screen and decided to answer it with my eyes closed.
"Hello."
"SYDNY!!!" Luke said excitedly. "We just arrived at the LAX. Where are you??"
"Home." I said, lazily. "Sleeping."
"How come you're talking to me when you're sleeping?"
"My eyes are closed." I said.
I heard Luke snort. "Whatever you say. Anyway, I'll see you later, okay?"
"Okay."
"I'll go meet some fans now."
"Okay."
"Bye, babe."
I groaned. "Don't call me that. Bye." I said, and hung up.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. It's almost 9. But it's still early for me. Better sleep when I still have time. There's plenty of times to see the boys later.
But as I close my eyes, I heard my door open and someone shouted...
"SYDNY ELIZABETH!!! WAKE UP."
I lazily got up. That was Melissa. No girl would come barging into my flat like that, and scream like I'm on the other side of the state.
She entered my room, all dressed up. Her eyes were bright and awake. Melissa's excited. Why?
"What are you doing here?" I questioned. "We have no classes."
Melissa rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. No 'Hey, good morning. I'm so glad you're here.' Way to go, best friend."
I shrugged. "In my world, best friends act like that." I said, ignoring the happiness I feel when she calls me her best friend. "What brings you here?"
"The boys are back, yeah. The boys are back." She half-said, half-sung as she sits down on my bed and began jumping.
"I know." I said, getting off my own bed before Melissa starts jumping real hard and make me dizzy. "So??"
"So... Aren't we going to the airport?"
I shook my head, and went to the kitchen. Melissa followed.
"Aren't you excited to see Luke?!?!?" Melissa asked.
She's being silly. God knows Melissa wants to see Michael already. I don't even know what's going on between them anymore. But I'm sure there is something going on. "I am, actually. But not as excited as you are to see Michael."
Her eyes grew wide and her cheeks were flushed. "Me? Excited to see Michael?" Melissa snorted. "Pfft, no. No. I mean sure. But not the way you're thinking."
I grinned. "What was it do you think I'm thinking?"
"You know.." She shrugged. "About.. that. About me and-- umm.."
"What?" I said innocently. "I didn't say anything."
"Oh shut up." Melissa said, stomping her foot in frustration.
I laughed. Melissa looks funny when she's frustrated. "I win."
"Yeah, whatever." She said, rolling her eyes. "So, are we going to the airport or not?
"No." I said. "I'm coming by their place later."
"But I promised Mic-- I mean.."
"What was that??" I smirked. "I thought you'll go with me to see Luke."
Melissa stomped her feet again and groaned. "Ugh, fine. If you won't go, I'll go." She said, heading to the door.
"Okay." I said. "Have fun with Michael!!!"
.
.
.
I spent a couple more hours at my flat. I decided to clean around since it's getting messy.
Luke hasn't called or texted me since he did this morning. They must have been sleeping. They're probably tired from the flight.
At around 3 in the afternoon, I left my flat. I found myself nervous. Why am I nervous? I shouldn't be nervous. I definitely have nothing to be nervous about.
I just have to prove to myself that I don't like Luke Hemmings. We're just friends, no matter how ridiculous this 'friendship' might be. When I see him, nothing. I see him, that's it. Why am I making such a big deal out of this again?
The ride to the boys' house seemed faster today. Maybe there's just not much traffic. Or I spent the whole ride worrying...
I walk up to their door and knocked. I looked down my shoes... Admiring my new sandals. It seemed like a good time to look at them.
I didn't hear the door open. But I heard someone say "Sydny."
I looked up and there was him. My heart starts hammering out of my chest. Why? This doesn't happen before.
I smiled at him. His blue eyes are sparkling. "Luke."
And he wrapped his arms around my waist, and I wrapped mine around his neck.
"Wow, I missed you." He whispered to my ear, sending chills down my spine.
"It's just 5 days!" I said.
"6, actually." He said, pulling back. "Didn't you miss me?" Luke smiled, displaying his perfect teeth.
I hate this. I hate how my heart is beating fast. I hate how I can't stop getting lost in those eyes. I hate how I love his voice. I hate this. I'm losing against myself again. I hate how I like him. I like him so much. I hate how I like Luke Hemmings.
I wanted so bad to walk away, before I start to think he likes me too, before I get my hopes so high and just get myself hurt when I fall. But instead I just said, "Of course, I did."
~
So I dont know. Boring chapter!!! But this is crucial to the story.
Please vote, comment, share. lol
Seriously, I love you all.