"Is she alive?" Calum asked loudly from what seemed like the kitchen.
Well, now I am.
My eyes fluttered open, moving left and right to discover Michael and Ashton staring at me.
"Yep, she is. Definitely is. Unless that's not her," Ashton laughed.
"Thanks for being my alarm, Calum," I rolled my eyes.
"You're welcome," Calum said in a completely serious tone, resulting me to roll my eyes once again. "It's only 6:15, by the way," he said as I pawed through a pile of random clothing on the floor."
"I know, but I should at least get an idea of what I'm going to wear today," I reasoned, picking up a sweater that seemed as if it belonged to Calum.
"Alina, school starts at 8:15," Michael raised his eyebrows, still in what seemed like his sleeping wear.
"Still," I said persistently.
I waited for a few seconds to change into the shirt, but none of the boys looked away.
"What?" Ashton laughed, shrugging his shoulders.
"Aren't you guys going to turn away?" I asked. In this case, it would be my first instinct.
"Seriously? Do you think they're going to miss this opportunity to stare at your body?" Ashton smirked.
I rolled my eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time this morning, but I slipped on the shirt. It's not as if I didn't trust them looking at me, I just wasn't as comfortable with it as most of the girls at my school are with theirs.
"I'm sure Michael is freaking out in his head right now," Ashton joked, earning a laugh from me and a punch in the shoulder from MIchael. "Feisty," he commented to Michael.
I took a seat on a stool in front of the kitchen counter, my elbows resting on the table. I watched Calum frantically search through the cabinets for God knows what. My eyes began to droop, and before I knew it I was practically passed out with my head resting behind my arms.
"Alina. Alina."
I was awoken once again by Calum prodding me with what was I assumed was my plate.
"Thank you," I said, wiping my eyes of sleep before picking up my fork to dig into my eggs. I turned to see Michael in the seat next to me.
"G'mornin,'" he smiled at me. But the only thing that I could think of when I tried to reply was the 'Sorry' that Luke gave me yesterday.
"You know, it's nice when you reply back, Alina," Calum said, taking a bite of his food.
"Oh, I mean.. sorry. 'Morning," I replied quietly.
"I'm sorry."
****
I took the bus earlier, while the boys took the car. I didn't really want to bother them more than I already had done.
I took a seat in the very back of the bus as usual. And just to my luck, the sweetest boy ever just decided to sit next to me.
Luke.
I looked around and more than half of the seats were empty. So?
"You didn't believe me, did you?" he asked, breaking the silence. In a way, he looked distressed, his eyes heavy with dark circles.
"Why?" I asked, turning away to look outside the window.
"You went to his house."
"Were you listening into my conversation with him?" I asked, getting more appalled by the second.
"We were outside at the same time, I just happened to overhear it," Luke defended. "But I'm telling you, be careful with Michael," he said persistently.
"Seriously, what made you interested in my own issues now?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The fact that you're about to be played by one of the most suspicious assholes I have ever met," Luke blurted out.
I rolled my eyes, leaning my head on the window sill and closing my eyes.
Apparently I had fallen asleep through this, because I was awoken violently by Luke shaking my arm.
"Alina, are you deaf? We're getting off in like, a second!" Luke said exasperatedly.
"Well, thank you for the sweet wake-up call. Love you," I said sarcastically as I picked up my bag from in front of me on the floor.
"Love you, too," he smirked, now standing on his feet.
"Shut up."
I stumbled to my feet, being practically dragged off the bus with Luke after taking a bit too long inside by the pissed off bus driver.
There was 15 minutes left before class started, since this was one of the earliest buses.
"Why did you call Michael, anyways?" Luke asked, being the nosy douche that he is as always.
"I got locked out of my house, didn't you see me literally cussing off my door knob?" I rolled my eyes, taking a seat on a bench by the somewhat crowded entrance doors.
"Well, yeah, but.. Couldn't you have just asked your mom?"
"What do you think I was doing with my phone?" I snapped. It was way too early in the morning for this.
"Your dad?"
My silence answered for me.
"Oh."
This kid was too ignorant, it didn't even seem realistic.
"You could have asked me to break in, I'm good at that stuff," Luke suggested.
"Well, I wouldn't have wanted to piss my mom off even more with a broken window or a busted door, but thank you," I retorted.
"Why do you always answer me as if I've pissed you off greatly in the ten seconds that I've spoken?" Luke asked.
"Because you have."
"Then why am I even trying?" Luke mumbled, scooting away from me.
In a way, I almost felt bad for what I've said. But I shouldn't.
****
Lunch finally came by, but Michael was off chatting with some intimidating jocks, as well as Calum and Ashton.
I sat at an empty table, just to be asked to move out of it by an intimidating clique. I was on my way to move out, but a familiar voice surprised me.
"She's not fucking going anywhere," Luke said, popping out of practically nowhere as he placed his hands on the table. Even I was almost scared of how he looked.
He was the equivalent to a great white shark roaming the halls, the way he acted sometimes.
"What are you going to do about it if we force her?" the cliche cocky jock leader challenged.
"Yeah, are you going to steal our lunch money?" the oblivious preppy girl giggled.
"Would you like to find out?" Luke snapped. This shut up every giggling asshole in that group.
The only smart one in the group guided the leader to another empty table a few tables away.
"Thanks," I said quietly, moving over so he could have a wider selection of places to sit.
"You're, umm.. welcome," Luke mumbled as he took a seat practically an inch next to me.
"So what do you usually do during lunch?" I asked Luke.
"Search for a possible escape out of this hellhole," Luke said, a smirk on his face.
For the first time ever, I actually laughed at something that Luke said. That is something I would never even think to consider before.
The rest of the lunch period, we quoted stupid things from funny movies, which we both had coincidently seen before on each one.
Maybe he isn't such a bad person as he seemed.
****
Before I knew it, it was time for enrichment, and Luke and I had sparked a conversation before Michael walked in.
The same reaction popped up on Luke's face when Michael walked in as usual. Pure disgust.
But he masked it quickly with a smile.
"Hey, Michael," he said casually.
"Hi, 'Lina," Michael said, avoiding the scary stare from Luke.
"Hey, thanks for yesterday," I smiled genuinely.
"Yeah, that was fun," Michael said, a charming grin appearing on his face.
My cheeks turned pink at the way he looked at me. I turned to look at Luke. He was extremely red.
The period was spent in awkward silence, a few comments between me and Michael being exchanged about how hard the homework was for History or English every now and then.
****
I got onto the same bus as I got off of with Luke, except in a better mood than I was earlier. I just realized it was my birthday.
Wow, there was literally no one I could blame. Not even I remembered.
I sat in the very back, followed by Luke.
"Do you like Michael, or something?" he asked, after he decided it was time to break our silence between us.
"Why?" I asked, pawing through my bag to retrieve my phone.
"Well, I don't know. You act like it, and so does he," Luke pointed out.
"And you care because..?"
"I don't, it's just a question to engage conversation."
"Okay, then I won't answer your question," I said.
Not that I only didn't want to answer him, I just didn't even know myself. He was extremely cute, but did I like him that way?
No fucking idea.
For anything, as usual.
I plugged in my earphones, picking Blink 182 to listen to from my music library.
One of them was pryed from my grip and put into his right ear.
"You like them?" Luke asked, although the answer was obvious.
"No, I hate them, Luke," I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't fight back a smirk from coming on.
"Same," Luke said, a small smile appearing on his face as the familiar beat started to play.
The rest of the bus ride was him lip syncing to coincidently every song that I owned, or even singing out loud annoyingly, while everyone else told him to shut up.
That was one thing I admired, though. He didn't gave a shit about what anyone thought.
I wish I was the same, somewhat.
