Baby Blue Eyes

Chapter Four

‘So, you’re going to ask Levi?’ Jamie asks me, the next day.

‘Why does it have to be me?’ I lament, even though Matt’s told me about a bajillion times.

‘Because you’re the reason he left, babe,’ Eddie says. ‘Nice, that, isn’t it?’

‘Which is why I shouldn’t be asking him to come back!’ I protest. ‘I shouldn’t even be involved!’

‘Zo, where’s your bravery?’ Jamie asks me, scoldingly.

‘Can’t you at least come as a back up team?’ I beg, looking at the pair of them with puppy dog eyes, which they can’t seem to resist. It doesn’t work on Matt though, who merely folds his arm and gives me an expression which seems to say ‘don’t try that on me.’

‘Alright, alright,’ Jamie relents. ‘We’ll come. But you have to do the talking, Zoey, okay?’

‘Fine.’ I decide to surrender, which seems to please Matt, who looks rather relieved that I‘ve stopped making such a fuss.

‘Good good, that’s all sorted then,’ Eddie says,  rubbing his hands together. ‘Shall we go now then?’

I bite my lip. ‘Uh…’

‘Come on, Zoey, we might as well get it over and done with, don‘t you think?’ Jamie says, persuasively. ‘Otherwise, knowing you, you’ll be worrying about it all day, won’t you?’

I laugh. They really do know me too well. ‘Alright then, let’s go.’

We walk along the corridors together, making our way to Levi’s tutor room. I used to go here a lot when we were together; it’s close to my locker, and so I used to combine trips with nipping in to see him.

But that was a long time ago. As we walk along the familiar route to get there, I feel butterflies pounding my stomach as I desperately try to think up the best way to ask him without making an idiot of myself. Every way I think up sounds stupid and silly and I’m wondering about running back and just giving up on the whole idea of making a band… but then the door to his tutor room is there, and I’m going through it, propelled by Matt, who has given me a big shove.

There seem to be countless numbers of people in the room. I search for Levi, as everyone stares at me, but I can’t see him. Then I see baby blue eyes, his hair as tousled as it always is, and he’s looking right at me.

‘Uh, Levi?’ I say, my voice shaky. ‘Could I talk to you for a sec?’

People cat call and cheer as he nods, looking puzzled. Oh no, don’t cat call! That just makes things even more awkward. They always used to cat call us when we were together- I was dating a popular boy, and that just seemed to mean that I was liable to be cheered and called at by all of his rowdy friends. Levi used to tell them off, realising that it bothered me, but that made them jeer all the more. Boys. Sigh.

He steps out of the tutor room, and as he sees Jamie, Eddie and Matt, his expression softens. ‘Oh, that’s what you want to see me about,’ he says, and then he folds his arms, leaning against the wall.

‘Well, yes,’ I begin. ‘We were planning on reforming the band, and er, well, we can’t really have The Something Somethings without you.’ I smile hopefully, but his expression quells it immediately.

‘Really?’ he says, sarcastically. ‘Judging by the audition posters I’ve seen around, you seemed to think otherwise.’

He doesn’t look at me as he says this, his eyes not meeting mine. Oh this is horrendously awkward. What on earth am I meant to say?!