althea

rose bushes

"Reid, can you tell me why Althea was in your room for ten minutes the other night?" Jackson asked. "Oh, that? It was nothing. She was just making sure I was all right. Althea's a good person." Jackson narrowed his eyes into slits, skeptical of Reid. "If you ever touch her, man," he started. He never got to finish. "I wouldn't. Trust me, I've had my experiences." Jackson rolled his eyes, tired of the same old story Reid told for every excuse. "It's true. I know you hate hearing of it, but it's the cold, hard truth," Reid admitted. Jackson rolled his eyes a second time. "Keep rolling those eyes of yours, Jackson. Maybe you'll find a brain back there someday."
The pool was freezing at the hotel. "I didn't know you were at this hotel." Althea whipped around to look at the speaker behind her. "Oh, hey! Johnny, how are you?" she smiled. "I'm good, you?" She nodded at him and said, "Doing fine. Loving Canada, at that." Johnny smirked. "Can I join you?" She nodded. "Listen, I have to tell you a few things. About Jackson." Althea turned her head to face him. "Yeah?" He nodded solemnly. "I don't think you should date him anymore. If I were you, I would end things as soon as we're finished talking here," he started, "Jackson cheated on his girlfriend last summer. With five other girls. He was hurting all of them, and he pushed them to do things to him. For your personal safety, I would get out of that relationship right now. He's acting like the most perfect boyfriend now, but in at least three more weeks, it'll go downhill. There's nothing more true than that." Althea opened her mouth in shock. "I-I don't know what to say, Johnny. I've heard things from Vinnie, but I didn't think it was this bad. What do I do?" Johnny swam around in the icy pool. "Catch him in the act. All your friends? I'm sure they'll do it for you. Even though I don't want Adelaide to do it, I'm sure she'll do anything for you." He sighed and ran his hands through his wet hair. "I think we should do that. I'll keep you updated. Jackson might go for Adelaide because you have her. Keep her mind right, though."
—————————————————————————

althie
girls
i've got a plan
and news

boleyn
did something happen?

althie
jackson cheated on his girlfriend last summer
with five other girls

coley
um
do i have to say it or will you

gigi
this can't happen

liv
no way

althie
so guess what we're doing

liv
what are we doing

adela
oh no what

althie
we're going to catch him
all six of us

boleyn
let's do it

adela
i agree

liv
girl i'm in

gigi
we'd do anything for u

coley
this mans gon be sorry
—————————————————————————
Althea spent the rest of the week planning in Toronto with Johnny. Reid called her three times a day to check up on her; she told him her plan. He agreed and said she should follow through with it. Reid was happy that Jackson would finally get a taste of what it was like to be played. He loved his brother, but sometimes things were messed up with him. Althea packed her belongings to fly home. Her suitcase was a little heavier than it was when she came, but she knew it wouldn't be over the limit. She rolled it out of her room and into the elevator; she pressed the button for the first floor. Althea thanked the woman at the front desk and handed in her key. "Ready to do this?" Johnny asked her. "I was born for this." They hopped in an Uber.
The flight was long and delayed, making it ten o'clock at night. It brought down her confidence in her plan, but she didn't really care. Her time was five hours ahead; all she wanted was a nap. "I'll drop you off at your place. Call your girls and make sure they're ready for tomorrow." Althea nodded at him and mumbled a "thanks". Her air conditioning was on, so it made the whole house freezing. The lights in the kitchen were on. "Did I forget to turn them off?" she thought. No, she couldn't have. She carefully walked up the stairs to the second floor, trying to be as quiet as a mouse. Her phone was clutched in her hand as if she were about to snap it in half. A muted shuffle was heard from one of the bedrooms. "Was someone here?" she thought. There had to be someone in one of the rooms close to her. She heard another sound; this time it was the squeak of a door. Althea darted down the stairs, almost sliding because she was going so quickly. She unlocked the front door at a rapid speed, opened it, and bolted out. Her car keys were not in her pocket, unfortunately. She calculated the distance and time it would take her to reach Reid's. Three miles; thirty minutes to reach him if she ran. There wasn't enough time to call. If someone was there with her, she would be discovered in quite some time. She went for it.
God, was she not a runner. Althea wasn't sure if someone was following her or not, but she ran as if to make sure she was alone. It took her a little more than thirty minutes to reach Reid's house because she had to stop once or twice to catch her breath. The lights were on and visible from outside. What floor was he on? The third, right. Althea silently cursed at herself for coming here and started to put her foot on the side of the house. She would climb. It was the only way, without Jackson seeing her. She successfully scaled the first and second floors, but it was harder to reach the third. The window was inches from her fingertips, and she tried to reach for it. Her eyes met the sill, just so she could peek in. No, she wasn't stalking him. Reid sat on his bed reading. What book? She couldn't tell. The door was closed, locked even. A small bedside lamp was on, illuminating the room. She lightly tapped on the glass with her nail, drawing Reid's attention to her. His eyes widened as he saw her own pair. He swiftly reached the window in two large, sweeping steps and pushed open the window. "What are you doing here?" he whisper-shouted and removed the screen from the window. He pulled her up quickly and silently, muting her whines with his large hand covering her lips. Her brows formed an imperfect arch, telling him to remove his hand. "I'm pretty sure someone was in my house. Stalking me. I ran here because there wasn't nearly enough time to call. You or anyone else." She rushed out her words in one breath, trying to get her point out as fast as she could. "God, how do you get yourself into these things?" he asked sarcastically. Reid stepped back for a minute, lifted his phone, and set it down. He ran a hand through his locks and grabbed his keys a beat later. "Get in my car. I've texted Johnny and Shawn; they'll be there in five," said the blonde. The two of them crept down the stairs together hand in hand, so as not to wake Jackson. That would be another nightmare upon nightmares. Just moments after Reid pressed the button to open the garage door when the two were in the car, Jackson appeared in the garage. He was on Reid's side, oblivious that Althea was there. "Dude, where are you going? It's like 11:30," Jackson mumbled almost incoherently. "Out. I've got an errand to run. For Shawn. See you." He drove out quickly; Althea ducked so Jackson wouldn't see her. Thankfully, he didn't. Jackson nodded his head and walked back inside, closing the door swiftly. Reid put his warm hand on Althea's back, signaling that she was okay to sit back up. He pulled out of the driveway fast, startling Althea. She shrieked as Reid's foot hit the gas pedal a little too hard, grasping for his hand. He forced the wheel to the side, pulling over to calm her. "Hey, hey, it's fine. We're all right. I'm sorry," he whispered to her softly, running his fingertips over her shoulders. Althea shook a bit, leaning into his touch. "It won't happen again. I promise," he swore under his breath. Reid checked the mirrors and the road before pulling back out onto it. He kept his promise to her, only going three miles over the limit. He knew he had to get there quickly to make up for lost time. Reid's fingers were laced through Althea's, knuckles white, grip tight.
When the roof of her house was in the distance, she started to panic. What if all of her things were gone? Her car, her money, her plans. All gone. She could imagine it, but she didn't want to. As if it were clockwork, the car stopped. Two other cars were in the driveway. No, there were three. But the third wasn't hers. Johnny and Shawn were there instantly, opening Althea's door for her. They all walked up to the porch together, the tension heightening. The four of them walked in a single line. Shawn in the front, Johnny behind him, then Althea, and Reid was behind her. He was telling her every few seconds that he was there by holding her waist on either side. Shawn opened the door, blackness meeting them. Her lights were definitely on before. Where were they now? He took the first step inside, the floorboards creaking under his weight. The rest of them moved breathlessly as if they were spies in a children's movie. Reality brought them back, though. The group heard a thud from upstairs. Althea's ears were ringing; it wasn't safe where they were. She could tell. All could tell. In an instant, the lights flickered on. They froze, Reid's hands around Althea protectively. "Shh, you're all right. Breathe with me," he panted, "In and out, yes. Good, you're doing great. Slowly, now. It's all right. We're okay." Tears stung at the back of her eyes, waiting to push their way out. The stairs groaned, signaling the entrance of someone else. Johnny turned around to face Reid, glancing over Althea's head. What he mouthed looked like a silent goodbye, but you could never tell. In the blink of an eye, a shadow appeared, and it was... humming? "Oh, hey! I was looking for you!" Reid turned Althea around, holding her close to him. They all seemed shocked at the voice at first, then they realized whom it belonged to.
"Zayn?" Johnny asked.
"That's my name."
"Why are you at Althea's house?"
"Oh, that. I was looking for Jackson. He wasn't at ours."
"How did you get in?"
"Key in the rose bushes."
Althea was pulled away from Reid just like that. She shrieked as if she were kidnapped. Zayn had her in his arms, trying to comfort her. Reid was furious, sweeping over to her in seconds, grasping for her, forcing her away from Zayn, and  blasting him, "Do. Not. Touch. Her." He looked like a twig, but boy was he strong. Reid's arm swung back, arcing perfectly, and making a fist appear squarely in Zayn's face. It almost knocked him over, and his reaction was late. Reid's heart was pumping; he was only getting started now. "You will never touch her again. Do you understand? Don't dare come near her, Zayn." He nodded lamely, breaking out into a run out of the house. Reid walked up the stairs and disappeared into the halls of Althea's house. She tried to follow him, screaming, "Reid!" She couldn't find him anywhere, and when she finally decided to give up, she saw him. He was on the balcony, looking out at the stars. How could she forget the balcony? Althea walked out, speaking to him softly, "Thank you. And I don't say that just because you helped me. I mean it because..."