Then There Were Four

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Working at The Star has become my daily torturous routine since I dropped out of the University of Brighton. After a few weeks, I’ve gotten so used to it that I barely have to concentrate while preparing orders. I only took this job to pay for mine and Dee’s flat. She said she wouldn’t mind paying the whole bill but I refused to let her do it.

Dee and her family are kind of incredibly wealthy. This is why she can afford to go to places like American Apparel every other day. This is why she insists upon paying for just about everything in the flat. This is why she has a job that has inconsistent hours. I think this may be why she decided not to go to college. And this is why she paid for both hers and my tickets to see One Direction live.

“Are you doing anything special this weekend?” Mark asks me as he walks me home.

“Haha, as if you don’t know.” I roll my eyes. He lives a few blocks away from me and it has become custom for him to walk me home whenever we have the same shift – which is from Tuesday until Friday. I work half-days on Sundays but he works half-days on Saturdays and we both have Mondays off. Today is Friday so we were done by three o’ clock.

He chuckles. “I know. I just like messing with you. So, do you think you’re ready for it? Like seeing them in real life?” He flashes me a crooked smile. I can’t help but stare at his lips.

“Ermm… No, I, uhh…” It takes more effort than usual to get my eyes to look back at his green eyes as I try to make a coherent thought. “I don’t think I’m ready yet. I don’t think I’ll ever be ready though.”

“Well, what have you done to get ready?” he asks. He has a way of looking at me like I’m the only person he cares about. Like I’m the only person that matters. Butterflies spontaneously appear and instantaneously multiply in my stomach.

I can’t look at his eyes anymore, I think, looking desperately at our feet as we walk.

“It’s been quite hectic, actually.” We’ve fallen into step now. “Dee has gotten a poster made. We had to think long and hard about what to write on it and finally decided on ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Liam Payne, Louis, Harry, Niall and Zayn,’ decorated with stars. We both bought things for us to wear last month. We’ve been listening to all their songs non-stop the entire week to prepare ourselves. We’ve put the tickets on our fridge because that’s the only place we’ll remember to find them. Dee bought the food we’re going to take and it’s ready in the fridge. We’ve got money that we’ve been saving for six months. I’ve packed the portable phone charger into my bag and Dee’s going to keep the miniature first-aid kit. And, we’ve bought four pairs of earplugs just in case. I’m still really nervous that we’ve forgotten something.” I look back up at him and see that he’s smiling again.

“If you’ve done all that, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” Mark’s eyes sparkle in the streetlamps around us.

We’ve arrived at my building and he looks up at it and for a second I swear I see his smile falter.

“So, I’ll see you on Tuesday, then?” he says.

“Yeah, see you then.”

After this, there’s always an awkward moment where we both stand still after already saying our goodbyes and I’m not sure whether or not to hug him or wave or even shake his hand or something.

He looks at me and starts to take his hands out the pockets of his hoody. He lifts his arms a little but at the last moment, he quickly balls his hands into fists, puts them down and turns around to speed down the footpath.

“Bye, Kelly,” he calls over his shoulder.

“Toodleloo,” I reply after a moment.

I hear him mumble something to himself as he continues down the road.

Toodleloo? I think, trudging into the building and to the open lift, pressing the button to our floor. Really? Toodleloo is all I could think of? I couldn’t say goodbye like a normal human being? No. I had to say ‘toodle-freaking-loo’.

“I am such an idiot,” I mutter into the empty lift.

***

When I get into our flat, I hear Dee in her room on the phone. I turn on our speaker system and put the Midnight Memories album on shuffle with the volume low. The first song that plays is Why Don’t We Go There? As I get myself a glass of water, Dee meanders into the kitchen with her phone in her hand, her mouth hanging open and a shocked and dazed expression on her face.

“Dee? What’s happened?”

She gapes at my face as if there’s a sheet between us. I put my glass down and slowly walk towards her but her eyes still don’t focus.

“Dee? Look at me.”

She gazes into my eyes and is finally able to focus.

“What’s wrong?”

She slowly points at her phone.

“You got a phone call, yeah?”

She nods.

“What was it about?”

Her eyes widen.

“Dee?”

Her mouth opens with the reply on the tip of her tongue but she abruptly snaps it closed.

“Come on, Dee.”

Open, close, open, close. She’s starting to look like a fish.

“Does it have something to do with the concert tomorrow?”

Her face pales. She nods.

“Dee, just tell me what it is!”

Her mouth opens once more – this time accompanied by unintelligible sounds. “I, uhh, we, err, she…”

“Dee…”

“Carly… Carly got us tickets…”

“Tickets? Dee, we already have tickets.”

“… for… for the meet and greet.”

Pause. “What?”

“Carly… got us tickets… for the meet and greet.”

“Dee… Are you sure? You better not be joking.”

“I swear. She just phoned me. She said the two friends she was supposed to take are really ill. She called as soon as she found out.”

“Dee…” I’m starting to tear up.

“I know.”

“But Dee…”

“I know.”

“Oh my God.”

“I know.” A smile slowly forms on her face.

“We’re going to the meet and greet!” I yell and we simultaneously start jumping up and down.

“I know!”

“Carly got us tickets for the meet and greet!” I yell.

“I know!”

“Carly got us tickets for the meet and greet!” I yell again, louder.

“I know!” she yells back.

Alive starts on the speaker system and I put the volume as high as it can go. We dance around the flat until we can’t feel our cheeks from smiling too much.

~~~

Hey!

In case you were wondering, the concert last week was epic, way way better than I could ever have expected or imagined.

Love you for reading!

~Rea xx