a l e x a n d r a
LITERALLY, i woke up with my head on someone's chest, rising up and down as their breathing steadied. only then i glanced up and found calum's face merely inches away from mine.
it was still dark out so i supposed it was somehow not yet dawn.
there was a digital clock located on the cabinet by the bed and it read 4:19 AM which meant that i've only been asleep for, like, two hours?
calum's heartbeat was clearly heard and felt beneath my ear as it was situated right over where his heart was. i used to sleep on my dad's chest like this when i was little.
he actually looked peaceful in his sleep. you know, he could be really cheeky and really annoying sometimes when he's awake.
the bed shifted a little and i closed my eyes immediately, pretending to be asleep. i forgot about the other two who were on the bed with us, though. until one of them moved, that was.
"hey, luke." croaked a deep, morning voice which i believed was owned by michael clifford.
there was silence and i was waiting for a reply when i remembered that luke couldn't, well, talk.
"check out your sister and calum here." michael continued to whisper, "man, how i wish i could take a photo right now and show it to his mum."
"already on it." said another groggy voice and a flash of white seeped through my eyelids.
ashton, that nigga.
i hesitantly sat up and eyed the three awoken boys before me. with luke's hair a made out mess and michael's purple strands everywhere on his chest - by the looks of it, they had been cuddling for so long.
now. ashton. that dude was in his boxer shorts only with his phone in hand, photo of calum and i saved into its memory.
"really, ashton?" i croaked out and he grinned, putting the phone away into his pocket which was way out of my reach.
michael had a really satisfied smile on his face and luke was giving me looks. pervert.
"what's all the fuss?" calum slowly sat up whilst rubbing his eyes like a child. voice, however, deep like harry styles'.
all of us remained silent as he looked around and finally rested his sight on the digital clock: 4:31 AM.
"guys, it's too early to be awake. actually," he cleared his throat, "why are you all awake?"
i just shrugged and michael got up to piss while ashton tapped away on his iPhone once again. luke placed his head on my shoulder and calum was left unanswered.
"am i invisible? can you guys even hear me?" asked calum again. "this isn't funny."
i laughed at the poor, ignored boy as i stroke luke's hair, "nothing, calum. just go back to sleep."
michael's phone beeped from inside the bathroom and all our heads turned toward the door. "got the photo, ash! thanks!"
and now six eyes fell upon ashton's lanky figure, which later came a reply from him, "what?"
"what photo is he talking about?" asked calum, confused. i, however, think i knew.
seconds later, calum's phone beeped just as michael stepped out of the bathroom. he took out his phone and i watched as he unlocked it.
Ash 🙈 sent you an image.
he then viewed the photo and his eyes went wide in an instant before he looked up at ashton's satisfied self. michael was plastering on that winning smile of his as he plopped down back in luke's arms.
"oh no you did not, clifford." calum spoke, receiving a smirk from the purple headed lad. "you did not send that to my mum!"
"maybe i did, maybe i didn't." winked michael and calum huffed out a breath. "c'mon, man, you guys were so sweet, i couldn't risk not having a photo!"
ashton then bragged about him being a lifesaver by taking the photo in the first place and our voices were silenced once we heard the doorknob jingle.
"fuck!" cursed michael.
uh oh.
"no! no! hide, now!" ashton panicked and ran for the bathroom once the jingling stopped. well, the nurse had a key, so...
they all squeezed into the bathroom and i had to hold in my laugh when they pulled luke in too. way to go for using him as a cover.
"alexandra? are you awake?" a nurse's head popped through the slightly opened door and i smiled as genuinely as possible. "but it's still so early."
and she walked in, closing the door behind her. god, just get out...
"oh, i just woke up because luke had a stomach ache. he's in the bathroom so you might not want to go in there." i scrunched up my nose as i pointed toward the bathroom door.
she nodded - i believe her name was sylvia - before speaking, "of course. but go back to sleep later, okay? if you're healthier, you might get to go home early!"
i replied a fake smile since she was grinning from ear to ear. i, of course, didn't ever want to go back to that house. well, i had luke here with me.
"i better get going now. my shift ends at 5 and my friend christine's shift will start. do you need anything else?" sylvia asked as she walked for the door.
i shook my head, "no, thanks. i'm all right."
she smiled and mumbled a quick 'good night' (even though it was practically morning) before disappearing behind the opaque, white door.
"okay, guys, you can come out now." i called out and there stumbled the four boys as the bathroom door clicked open.
the small space sent them crashing in a heap on the floor while i laughed at their silliness - thoughts on liz disappearing into thin air.
did she go home last night?
was she looking for us?
did she even notice mine and luke's absence?
i didn't know but i somehow wanted to.
"that bathroom is so small i kept on hyperventilating!" michael whisper-shouted as he stood up on his feet with calum's help.
i should say, their hair...was a complete mess. like, bird nests on their heads!
"i don't think we can sleep anymore. i mean, we're all wide awake!" ashton confessed whilst running his hand through his hair, taking a seat on the blue chair.
luke agreed by nodding and took a seat on the bed with me.
"i'm gonna lie down with daniel." michael took out a toy lion and cuddled with it as he lied down on the sleeping bag he'd brought.
a grown boy cuddling a toy lion to sleep? sometimes i wondered to myself, why was i even friends with these idiots in the first place?
and we'd only been friends for three days! no one ever became this close in three simple days!
that's because you're a loner and hated.
i know that, you don't have to tell me.
i'm only saying this out of pity.
fuck you.
"you sleepy, alex?" asked calum, pulling a blue chair to the other side of my bed before sitting down.
i smiled and shook my head, "completely wide awake."
he nodded, biting his lip while i fiddled with luke's hands.
"mmm..." he called and i turned to face him, feeling calum's eyes on us.
"what is it?"
"l-liz." the stuttered word came out slowly as his voice broke and his eyes filled with worry.
i only shook my head as i tightened the grip on his hands, "we'll think about that later on when i get discharged, okay? not now, baby." i ran my fingers through his hair and he smiled.
there it is, i thought to myself.
ashton and michael ended up snoring on their sleeping bags while luke was asleep with his head in my lap - calum and i were the ones left awake once again.
"hey, alex?"
"hmm?"
"about the nurse just now... good acting." he winked and my cheeks heated.
i cheekily broke into a grin, "it takes a good actress, for good acting."
i winked back.
• • •
it was now nine o'clock in the morning and good news were brought to my comfort when the doctor said that i could leave.
"however, we need a parent or a guardian to discharge you from hospitality. you cannot leave just like that." dr. eugene spoke.
ashton then took a step forward, "does the person related has to be above 18?"
the doctor turned around and faced the smiling boy, "why, yes."
"good, i can sign her out."
dr. eugene lifted an eyebrow at me before smiling back at the boys, "right this way then, mister...?"
"irwin. ashton irwin."
fifteen minutes of signing and packing later, we were out and about in town with ashton irwin behind the wheel.
"where shall we have breakfast?" he faked a posh british accent, earning a laugh from us all.
calum was in the passenger seat while i was in the back with michael and luke on my sides.
they bickered around, not agreeing with any place suggested by calum nor michael while luke and i remained silent, laughing at these boys together.
"why not we save our money, go to any of you boys' house, and let the cook, cook?" i interrupted their bickering and they fell silent whilst ashton stopped at a red light.
well, from where we were at, KFC was just a mile away.
"or we could eat the world's tastiest chicken for free as one of us here is one of the employees?" michael suggested and calum agreed.
i laughed along with luke, harder. "guys! how come i don't know about this?"
ashton kept a straight face as the red light turned green and muttered something unheard under his breath.
"well, the man's proud of his job." calum teased, ruffling ashton's messy, brown hair.
"all right, all right, shut up already!" ashton finally gave in and we cheered because man, KFC for breakfast.
for free.
• • •
i really, really owed ashton a lot because (a) he signed me out of the hospital and (b), he treated us all for free KFC at ten in the morning.
by the time we'd headed out of kentucky fried chicken, it was already noon. that surprised me because, a sunday could go by so fast when you're having fun.
i always had long, bad days because i was always stuck at that so-called home, doing nothing with luke. but now that these boys were here, we both could finally have some fun and enjoy life a bit.
"i should go home."
the boys threw me worried looks once that sentence escaped my chapped lips. i really needed to. god knew what was to come once liz realized that luke and i weren't home.
"okay." ashton swallowed a lump down his throat and turned onto a street leading to my neighborhood.
it didn't take much time until we turned the corner down the road to liz's house, only to find it clouded with smoke and red flames decorating the windows.
13 chapters and i finally planned out the story.
sorry the past chapters were sucking balls. i had time but didn't put my heart into it.
rn i should be studying bc finals in three days and im updating like there's no tomorrow.
i barely have any readers. vote if you are reading?